• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.159-174
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to examine the health care expenditure of elderly single and elderly couple households whose head is more than 60 years old. The data analyzed for the study were Korean Retirement and Income Study(KRelS) conducted in 2007 by National Pension Corporation. The major finding of this study were as follows: First, the amount of health care expenditure of elderly single households was lower than that of elderly couple households. However, ratio of health care expenditure to total consumption expenditure of elderly single households was larger than that of elderly couple households. Second, the ratio of health care expenditure in consumption expenditure in this study was larger than the ratios in past analyse showed in the previous studies. Third, common factor affecting on health care expenditure of elderly single and elderly couple households was the existence of the family member with chronic disease or handicap. The health care expenditure of elderly singer households was influenced by income, gender and the ownership of national health insurance. The influence of income for elderly singer households seemed to be greater than for elderly couple households. The variables which affected health care expenditure of elderly couple households were age and housing tenure status. The amount and ratio health care expenditure were increased as the age increases. These results show that the health care expenditures for each groups varied according to socio-demographic variables and health-related behavior variables. It is suggested that there should be a discriminative health care policy for each elderly single and elderly couple households. In addition, the health care policy for the elderly households of which member has a chronic disease is certainly necessary. Especially a health care plan for the elderly single households with lower income is in need. For the elderly couple households, the priority group of health care policy would be the high age group.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.1-12
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• 2003

Determinants of consumption patterns of elderly couple and elderly single were investigated using the 1996 National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure by National Statistical Office. There were large differences in consumption patterns between the elderly couple and single in terms of monthly expenditures and average budget shares of individual consumption items. Consumption functions of individual items were estimated using double-log function. Major determinants of consumption functions were income, overspending behavior, educational level of householder, and net worth for both groups, householder's job status and city residence mainly for elderly couple, and age of householder mainly for elderly single. In addition, income elasticity of elderly households was larger than net worth elasticity for all consumption items.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.191-201
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• 2004

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate economic viability of public health center visiting nurse services for the low-income elderly with long-term care needs. Method: The sample consisted of 252 community dwelling elderly who enrolled in public health center visiting nurse services for three months or more. Data was collected on physical (ADL and IADL) and cognitive impairments of the elderly, contents and frequency of visiting nurse services, cost per visit, and costs of alternative services for long-term care. Result: The mean score of ADL and IADL levels of the elderly was 2.80.4904, which indicated these patients were mostly independent. Eighty four percent of the elderly subjects were cognitively intact. Among visiting nurse services supplied, providing assessment was 34%, followed by education and counseling 26%, medication 22%, and referral. The mean cost per visit was 17,824.1 won, which transformed into a total cost per person per year of 161,130.2 won. Comparing the cost of a visiting nurse service with those of other long-term care alternatives, the visiting nurse service was the least costly alternative, followed by an outpatient clinic, hospital based home care, and nursing home. Conclusion: Overall, the results of the study provide evidence of the economic viability of visiting nurse services for the low-income elderly among long-term care alternatives.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.1559-1575
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• 2009

As the basic old-age pension system was enforced in 2008, the base for old-age income security was founded. However, due to the basic old-age pension played a minor role as assistant allowance, it did not reach to sufficient level to cover full income security system. It is estimated that the dependency on private transfer income among the elderly who are difficult to be economically independent is still high. Therefore the poverty rate of the elderly households, who are not economically active or who are not protected by old-age income security system, is more likely to be higher than that of non-elderly households. Based on the assumption that public transfer income system should become a central means of old-age life guarantee, this study examined the poverty mitigation effects among the elderly households by comparing the private transfer income and the public transfer income. For this purpose, we selected single-elderly-households who have been considered the most vulnerable to poverty. We used 2006- 2008 Household Income and Expenditure Survey dataset that contained single-elderly who were older than 65 years old. To understand the conditions of poverty among single-elderly-households and the degree of poverty-reducing effect originated from income transfer system, we compared the poverty rates of total households and the whole elderly households. Next, we analysed the poverty of the single-elderly-households by social demographic factors such as gender, age, and economic activity. Our major findings are as follows: First, the poverty rate of the whole elderly households were not reduced, even though the basic old-age pension and long-term care management system were enforced in 2008. Second, half of the elderly households including single-elderly-households belonged to the absolute poverty line. Relatively higher level of poverty among the single-elderly-households was found especially those who were female, unemployed, low-educated, older, and rural single-elderly-households. Third, the effect of the public transfer income on mitigating the single-elderly-households poverty showed a little progress. However, even greater poverty reducing effect was found by the private transfer income system. Fourth, in a group of the public transfer systems, the public assistance such as supporting living costs contributed more to reduce poverty of the elderly population than the public pension system did.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.111-130
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• 2001

Using the 1996 Expenditure Survey of Urban Famines from the Korea National Statistics Office, this study examines the economic status and the inequality of the elderly households. To explain the inequality of the single elderly households, this study divides the elderly into three groups of single, couple, and Living with admit children, and compares the total household income, total household expenditure and the net saving amount of these three groups. The results of Gini coefficients and Lorenz curries show that the inequality is higher in the single elderly household than couple elderly households or living with adult children elderly households. To investigate the reason of the inequality, this study compares the income, expenditure, and net saving amount by working condition of the household head in each three group. The result implies the need of employment to get household income especially for the single elderly who are in the higher inequality economic condition.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.103-116
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to examine the economic status of retired elderly households. This study especially looked for the differences in the economic status among retired elderly households and the level of subjective financial strain. The data were drawn from the data of 2000 Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS) conducted by the Korea Labor Institute. The major findings are as follows: 1) The levels of income in the retired households were found to be lower than those of the employed elderly households, and the transfer income took the biggest portion out of 5 income types reflecting high economic dependency. 2) The levels of expenditure were found to be similar to the minimum living cost, and the food cost at home was 41.9% of the expenditure. 3) About 40% and 27.3% of households reported that they felt financial strain due to food expenditures at home and health care respectively. 4) Ninety percent of all assets were found to be real estate, reflecting the lack of asset liquidity. Further, retired elderly households were classified as 'not at all strained financially', 'moderate', 'seriously strained', and 'extremely strained' groups according to their subjective assessment. The last two groups showed the lower level of income and expenditures than the first two groups. In particular, 26.5% of retired elderly households belonged to 'extremely strained' group and showed very serious economic problems.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.48
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• pp.150-178
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• 2002

The elderly have higher potential for contracting chronic diseases and suffering from development of a complication. Also, the extended old age period leads the elderly to demand more medical services. All those facts indicate that the elderly need more medical services than any other age groups. Consequently, medical care for the elderly with chronic diseases causes high costs burden. However, there is few studies researching the financial burden of chronic illness of the elderly. This study aimed to 1) understand how much the elderly with chronic diseases pay for medical expenses; 2) find out some specific factors related to health care financial burden; 3) suggest the alternative policies to decrease excessive financial burden of caring for the elderly with chronic illness. National Health and Nutrition Survey, which was surveyed by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in 1998, was used in this study. 4,707 persons with chronic diseases out of 5385 persons over age 60 were selectively sampled. Using SPSSWIN, correlation analysis, T-test, ANOVA and Regression were used as statistical methods in this study. Stepwise multiple regression was employed to analyze the data with a ratio of health care expenditure to income(financial burden) as a dependent variable. Out of Korean old people, 87% had the chronic diseases and their health care financial burden rate showed the average of 17.9%, which meaned they expended almost 20% income to buy medical services. The variables having a great influence on financial burden were monthly income, activity, limitation and single household of an old person. The excessive financial burden was experienced by people who had more than 4 activity limitations(37.1%) and were in the lowest Income level(32.6%), and single household of an old person(31.4%). The new policies should be considered to 1) reduce the financial burden in these groups and to develop the sliced medical cost system considering the characteristics of chronic illness and income level; and 2) develop the medical management system to care for the elderly with chronic illness.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.1445-1461
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• 2009

The primary purpose of this study is to find policy implications by examining the trends in income inequality of the Korean aged and factors contributing to these. For analysis, this study used the 2nd, 5th, 7th and 9th wave of 'Korean Labour and Income Panel Study'. The findings are as follows. First, total income inequality of the elderly rose greatly after 1998 and is decreasing after 2001. Secondly, the Gini coefficient decomposition by income sources shows that earned income was the factor most responsible for the income inequality of the elderly. But its influences of the elderly income inequality is gradually decreasing during analysing periods. Third, assets income and public pensions have a great effects on the elderly income inequality. They increases the income inequality of the elderly households. Forth, interfamily transfer income and public assistance income reduces income inequality of the elderly.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.65-76
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• 2015

With a rapidly aging population, the proportion of elderly households with low income has been increasing. Despite the poor housing environment, it is not easy to improve their housing environment due to the high cost of modification. However, as many elderly want to keep living in their current houses, it is urgent to improve their housing environment. The purpose of this study was to develop the guidelines on home modification for low-income elderly. This study set the scope of home modification categories through literature analysis in advance to develop the guidelines. Based on the literature analysis and small group workshops, the primary and secondary guidelines were derived and a total of 169 final guidelines were produced based on the scope of home modification categories. Those guidelines were composed of the categories by space, divided into mandatory and recommended by details. Those guidelines proposed in this study were classified and composed under the objective standards, so that they were systemic and objective based on the verification of experts. They are considered to get closer to the user's demand on the basis of the demand of low income elderly for home modification and the improvement categories under the system to support home modification for low income elderly at home and abroad. In addition, as the standards to apply each guideline, separated into mandatory and recommended, was suggested, those guidelines may help expand the scope of improvement under the economic conditions for home modification.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.191-199
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• 2015

This paper studies the composition of income sources of the elderly and the difference of sources of income by the elderly characteristics. First, the results of analysis on the structure of sources of income show the average income of the elderly appears 7.7million won the consists of 3.0million won from market, 2.5million won from nation, 2.2million won from family. Income sources of the elderly are dependent on business income, property income, earned income in the market. Second, the results of differences analysis in demographic characteristics, men get a lot of income through the market and nation, while women get through families. Market income is high younger and family income is the more older. Depending on where you live, family income and national income is higher relatively urbanized. Third, the results of analysis by depending on the income, level of national income and market income is higher, while family income is high-income the case less income. Fourth, differences in health status by analysis of the sources of income have higher levels of health status and market high and lower income families rely heavily on the private sector, such as can be seen. Therefore, market and family income is higher than another countries. and the complement of public income support system is required for vulnerable people.