A Study on the Adequacy of Supply and Demand for Nursing Home Facilities by Region

Abstract

As the number of elderly people increases, there is a need to expand the nursing home facilities infrastructure. For the proper supply of resources, prior to the expansion of infrastructure, a review of whether the current supply of nursing home facilities is properly supplied by region should be preceded. The purpose of this study was to examine the adequacy level of demand-supply of nursing home facilities by region and to prepare measures to ensure the adequacy of supply and demand of nursing home facilities to ensure the equality of opportunities. In this study, the demand was divided into those aged 65 or older, those aged 85 or older, and those who were recognized for the first to third grades of long-term care. The supply was divided into the number of facilities and the number of personnel. According to these standards, the adequacy and status of supply compared to demand have been verified. According to the results of this study, first, the analysis results of the regional demand-supply status of nursing home facilities are as follows. First of all, the adequacy of demand-supply of nursing home facilities varies depending on how it define demand and supply. Regardless of the scenario, however, the demand for nursing home facilities are concentrated in urban areas. Next, supply is also concentrated in cities. Next, supply is also distributed around urban areas. While the number of facilities are highly distributed around the city center, the number of personnels are distributed around the outskirts of the city. It also exhibits different characteristics by region and type of facilities. Second, as a result of an analysis of the adequacy of supply compared to regional demand of nursing home facilities, Korea’s nursing home facilities are oversupply overall. In detail, the central of the city and rural areas are short of supply, and the outer areas of the city center are oversupply. Based on these findings, this study proposed policy measures to ensure the adequacy of supply and demand of nursing facilities for the elderly.