노인주택의 확충과 개선에 관한 연구

Abstract

As people's living standards rise and medical technology develops, people's life span is expanding greatly, while the elderly population increases rapidly. According to the data published by Administration of Statistics, the ratio of the elderly population aged 65 or older will increase from 7.2% in 2000 to 14.4% in 2019. According to the demographic theories, the society with 7% or higher elderly population aged 65 or older is defined as 'aging society', while the society with 14% or higher elderly population is called 'aged society'. Although different among nations, the Western societies have been aged gradually for 45∼115 years, and in this course, the majority of the elderly problems including housing have been solved much. Referring to such advanced nations' experiences, we need to survey the conditions involving the various houses for the elderly and thereby, suggest some elderly house models fitting our conditions to minimize the trials and errors suffered by advanced societies. Recently, as elderly people are more awakened with their living standards improving, they tend to value 'quality of life' more than quantity of life. In other words, it is necessary to reflect the new generation elderly people's tastes in designing their houses to assure them of a comfortable retirement life. To this end, it is essential to keep the elderly houses comfortable, safe and hygienic. In addition, it is also necessary to develop the elderly houses to be equipped with a variety of services including amenities, cultural space, medical facilities and public facilities. In order to review the conditions of our elderly houses, a questionnaire survey was conducted for Housing Association and Elderly Problem Research Institute. As a result, it was found that 60∼70% of the respondents favored an elderly house model, and that most of the subjects regarded as most important the medical services for the elderly houses. Many elderly people wanted to live in 18∼25.7 pyong apartment houses built in a complex with 20∼50 households. In addition, it was found that the majority of the elderly people preferred an apartment house complex near cities or medical facilities. Based on the above findings, the following reform measures for the elderly houses have been put forwards; First, it is necessary to deploy around the elderly houses such medical facilities as meet the Elderly Welfare Code. In case the housing complex is small-scaled, it is essential to induce a medical facility, while using volunteer social workers. Moreover, it is required of the government to subsidize the medical facilities Cor the elderly and give them some tax incentives to create a favorable environment for the elderly welfare. Second, since the majority of the elderly people preferred apartment houses due to convenient living and management conditions, it is necessary to build independent or mixed apartment house complexes for the elderly. (A building within the complex may be devoted to the elderly.) Third, since advanced nations adopt such various types of elderly houses as owned, rental and pension-financed houses, we need to diversify the types of the elderly houses associated with the life insurance or pension system beyond owned or rental ones. Fourth, for the elderly who wish to live together with their grown-up children, it is necessary to supply 3-generation houses. Fifth, since the elderly houses should be built and managed in a professional way, it is desirable to promote the housing businesses specialized in the elderly houses. Sixth, it is necessary to equip the elderly housing complexes with amenities, medical facilities and commercial facilities. Besides, it is also necessary to develop a suburban type elderly house, considering the fact that the majority of the elderly suffer from various physical diseases. Seventh, since the downtown area is well covered by amenities, medical facilities and cultural facilities, small-scale paid elderly houses need to be constructed in the downtown areas; large-scale paid elderly houses may not be desirable because of the high site cost. As discussed above, this study was aimed at reviewing the conditions involving elderly houses and surveying elderly people's preferences and thereupon, suggesting the ways to effectively expand and reform the elderly houses.