Current Status and Improvement Directions of Care Policies in Areas Facing Aging Population

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the current status of elderly care service provision in a hyper-aged society and to provide foundational evidence for the development of elderly care policies. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed using secondary data from 2022 to 2023. The study population included adults aged 65 years and older residing in Province J. Data were obtained from publicly available sources, including the National Health Insurance Service, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and local government statistics related to long-term care insurance, customized elderly care services, and elderly welfare services. Variables analyzed included long-term care eligibility, service utilization rates, caregiving types, and the size of care blind spots. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted using frequencies, per-centages, and estimated population ranges. Results: Approximately 68,000 older adults in Province J were eligible for long-term care services, accounting for 16.24% of the elderly population, which is about 4 percentage points higher than the national average. The total number of users of long-term care and customized elderly care services was approximately 97,000, representing 23.04% of the elderly population. The private caregiving rate was high at 61.2%, with family caregiving accounting for 53.9%, paid caregiving for 2.9%, and other caregiving for 4.4%. An estimated 9,700 older adults were identified as being in care blind spots, with the number increasing with age. In addition, approximately 21,000 older adults were estimated to be in dementia-related care blind spots. The total number of elderly individuals utilizing care services ranged from 96,000 to 121,000. Conclusion: As the transition to a super-aged society accelerates, a substantial proportion of older adults remain outside the formal care system. These findings highlight the need for a rational assessment system to identify care needs accurately and to provide customized care based on functional status. Furthermore, the establishment of integrated community-based care centers and sustainable public–private partnerships is essential to reduce care blind spots and strengthen elderly care service delivery.