Are Current Policies Sufficient to Solve Elder Abuse Occurring in Long-Term Care Facilities in Korea?

• Authors: Mee Hye Kim
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The purpose of this study is to understand abuse of older adults at long-term care (LTC) facilities and to suggest implications in Korea. Elder abuse at LTC facilities increased rapidly after the introduction of the Long-Term Care Act. The characteristics of abuse at LTC facilities are different from those at home in terms of abused older adults and abusers, types of abuse, and obligated reporters. The most vulnerable older adults are women and those with dementia. It is necessary to considering residential environments and customizable strategies to prevent and intervene in abuse. However, the analytic results of four levels of prevention have revealed that policies and programs for abuses exist, but they are not specifically suitable for abused older adults in a facility. Increasing abuse toward older adults cannot be avoided as society sees increases in the number of residents who are older and dependent. Social policies of the guardian system, the ombudsman program, and management of latent cases are suggested. Strengthening the functions of the Elder Protection Agency(EPA) is also suggested.

Keywords

EN

elder abuse; LTC facility; social policy; Korea; types of abuse; EPA

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Akademii WSB
• Journal: EXLIBRIS Biblioteka Gerontologii Społecznej
• Year: 2020
• Issue: 1 (18) /2020 Old age - international perspective – theory and practice
• Pages: 83-93

Dates

published

2020

Contributors

author

Mee Hye Kim

• Department of Social Welfare, Ewha Woman’s University in in Seoul, Korea

References

• Korea Elder Protection Agency. (2020). 2019 Status Report of Elder Abuse. Sejong: Ministry of Health and WelfareSeoul: Korea Elder Protection Agency.
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• Korea Elder Protection Agency (2018). 2017 Status Report of Elder Abuse. Sejong: Ministry of Health and WelfareSeoul: Korea Elder Protection Agency.
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• Ministry of Health and Welfare. (2019). Guideline of Social Welfare Services for Elders. Sejong: Ministry of Health and Welfare.
• National Health Insurance Service. (2019). 2018 Long Term Care Insurance Statistical Yearbook. Gangwon: National Health Insurances Service.
• Son, M.D. (2017). A Study on Care for the Elderly with Dementia Based on Human Rights Perspective, “The Korea Contents Society Conference 2017”, pp. 87-88.
• WHO. (2011). Interventions to Prevent and Reduce Elder Maltreatment; European Report on Preventing Elder Maltreatment. Sethi, D., Wood, S., Mitis, F., Bellis, M., Penhale, B., Marmolejo, I.I., Lowenstein, A., Manthorpe, G., & Karki, F. U. (eds.), Copenhagen: WHO Europe. pp. 43-57.
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Identifiers

DOI

10.24917/27199045.181.7