A Study on Overcoming the Elder Care Crisis

Abstract

This study is motivated by this question: in a society with a low birthrate and an aging population, the care of the elderly has reached a point where it is no longer physically possible for families to provide care for the elderly facing a care crisis. This study explores ways to overcome the care crisis through the concept of care as a responsibility of the local community and civil society community through current cases of elderly care in Korea and the United States. In particular, it examines what is needed to overcome the elder care crisis through the concept of care democracy. Of course, there are many differences between the U.S. and Korea in terms of service delivery, but we were able to find some areas that we can apply. Through this study, we propose policy alternatives for the actors and functions of care as the responsibility of community maintenance. Furthermore, elderly care services will need to be advanced through social consensus on the duty of care by civil society communities.