42% of Caregivers Report Serious Burden in Elderly Care

A 65-year-old man, referred to as A, living in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, struggles with cerebellar atrophy, making it difficult for him to move independently. He receives home care services, with a caregiver visiting for three hours each day after his wife leaves for work at 8 AM. Despite this support, A is left alone for eight hours until his wife returns at 7 PM. His wife expressed, "My husband can't even go to the bathroom alone, but I have to leave the house to support our family."

A recent study revealed that elderly individuals like A, who require assistance for daily living, experience an average of two hours of care gaps each day. Among caregivers, two out of five reported feeling that the burden of care is severe, and one in three showed signs of potential depression.

The research, conducted by Jo Yoon-min, a deputy researcher at the National Health Insurance Service, surveyed 5,045 elderly individuals receiving long-term care services at home and 4,092 primary caregivers.

Long-term care services are a social insurance program that provides nursing and bathing services to those assessed as needing long-term care, primarily targeting seniors over 65 or individuals suffering from conditions like dementia who struggle with daily activities.

The findings indicated that elderly individuals receiving home care need an average of 4.9 hours of assistance daily, excluding sleep time. However, they only receive 2.9 hours of help from family members or caregivers, resulting in a two-hour gap. Notably, watching television accounted for the majority of their activities, averaging 5.8 hours.

The primary caregivers are predominantly spouses (35.7%), followed by sons and daughters-in-law (32.9%), and daughters and sons-in-law (27%). The age distribution of primary caregivers shows that 30.3% are aged 55-64, 28.2% are over 75, and 22.5% are between 65-74.

A significant 42.1% of primary caregivers reported experiencing a serious level of caregiving burden, while 33.7% exhibited signs of potential depression.