Life Styles of Elderly People and Utilization of Welfare Services in South Korea

本稿は,韓国における高齢者の暮らしと福祉サービスの利用について,テグ市およびプサン市において行った高齢者にたいするインタビュー調査の事例を中心に検討したものである。高齢者の暮らしは,居住地域(都市/農村)と社会階層によって大きく異なるものとなっている。都市中上層の高齢者がジルバータウン,老人福祉館,老人大学などを選択的に利用しながら活動的な日常を送っているのにたいし,都市下層の高齢者は,敬老堂,老人福祉館,社会福祉館,近所の公園などで単調な毎日を過ごしていた。農村の高齢者は,敬老堂を中心に,緊密な近隣関係に支えられて生活していた。In South Korea, the greying of society is developing at a faster rate than in Japan. This paper examines various lifestyles of the elderly and their utilization of welfare services in South Korea based on interviews with users and providers of elderly care facilities in and around Taegu and Pusan Cities in August 2002 and August 2003. The basic hypothesis is that the daily lives of the aged vary considerably depending on residential area (city or village) and social stratification (as based on wealth). Further, there are differences in the use of welfare services and in the consciousness towards those services. Accordingly, I divided the cases researched into three major groups for examination : "upper-middle level in cities", "lower-middle and low levels in cities", and "agricultural villages". The aged in the upper-middle level in cities are financially in a position to do as they please and live active, meaningful lives. They use 'Silver Town' (Silbeo Taun) facilities, 'Elder Welfare Centers' (Noin Bokjigwan), 'Elders University' (Noin Daehak), 'Elder Respect Centers' (Gyeongno Dang), and so on, and they are keen to pursue education, cultural activities, and volunteer activities. They associate frequently with their friends and maintain a dignified independence from their children. The aged in the lower-middle level in cities had prepared financially for their old age to some extent, or they have been able to obtain support from their children. They pursue their own hobbies and generally professed having something to live for. They use 'Silver Town' facilities, 'Elder Welfare Centers', 'Social Welfare Centers' (Sahoe Bokjigwan), and 'Elder Respect Centers'. When they participate in cultural programs, there is a tendency to enjoy hobbies more strongly than educational activities. The aged in the lower level in cities lead monotonous lives with few expectations or pleasures. They reside in or frequent 'Elder Respect Centers', 'Elder Welfare Centers', 'Social Welfare Centers', and parks in their neighborhoods. In many cases, they seldom hear from their children. The 'Elder Welfare Centers' and 'Social Welfare Centers' loom as the largest support structures in the daily lives of these people. The aged in agricultural villages live in a support net of close neighborhood relations. Villagers cooperate with each other and support elderly people in ordinary daily matters, while 'Elderly Respect Centers' provide core social welfare services. Respondants said that it is better to live alone in a village full of mutual help from the neighborhood than to live in his/her child's house in a city where there are no friends around. However, it is clear that there are limits to the spontaneous support from neighbors in cases of the bedridden or suffers from dementia