서강대학교

초록/요약

Several developed nations of the West that have already faced the old-age community have realized that income guarantee and medical-insurance problems cannot be solved by individual or family effort and that the problems regarding the elderly cannot be fundamentally solved by the government's selective and restrictive security policies. Therefore, they have started to set up a long-term and comprehensive welfare policy for the senior citizens. Just like the Western society, we will soon face and old-age community. With the old-age community imminent in the year 2000, we have reached a stage where we need to refer to the knowledge, technology and experience in the old-age welfare process from the developed nations, and formulate a old-age welfare plan that tends to our own situation. In this aspect, this paper investigates the starting point of old-age problems; reviews the current old-age welfare services both in and out of the country; and explores a desirable old-age plan for the year 2000. The starting point of old-age problems may be the increase in the number of senior citizens in rural areas and the increase in the number of the aged citizens who live separately from their family - due to the change in family relations and the weakened consciousness of the children to support their elderly parents. Old-age problems eventually conclude to an economic problem. Contrary to the increased desire to be employed, early employment opportunity for the aged is even more difficult owing to early retirement, honorary retirement, voluntary retirement and forced retirment in companies. So these social circumstances fail to respond to the increase in the number of the aged and the increase in the desire to be employed. Even though our country's old-age welfare policy is carried out in various ways, it fails to be productive bacause of the dire lack of budget. A policy measure for this reality would be to establish a plan that meets the demands of the aged, to pluralize the old-age reemployment resources, to increase the payment for the low-income citizens, and to set up health and medical services for the aged citizens. Other things that need to be carried out are the following: improving the old-age accommodation environment, improving the facility and protection level, expanding home-care services for the elderly, and providing more opportunities for old-age leisure activity. Now we are facing the era of old-age community. Our foremost assignment is to develop comprehensive and systematic old-age welfare program so that aged citizens can enjoy a healthy and happy life in their old-age. Old-age problem is social problem. Assuming that supporting the elderly refers to supporting the society, the government, businesses, religious groups, social organizations, neighbors and the whole family should unite to improve the old-age welfare. Only then, our senior citizens will finally be able to carry on a satisfactory old-age life in a healthy and safe environment.