Trends in the Utilization of Social Welfare Services by Socioeconomic Group Type in the Elderly: Focusing on Medical·Long-Term Care·Welfare Service
Title
Trends in the Utilization of Social Welfare Services by Socioeconomic Group Type in the Elderly: Focusing on Medical·Long-Term Care·Welfare Service
Alternative Author(s)
Oh, Youra
Keyword
Elderly
; Socioeconomic Group Type
; Medicial·Long-Term Care·Welfare Service
; Service Use Trends
Publication Year
2024-03-31
Publisher
Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs
Citation
Health and Social Welfare Review Vol.44 No.1, pp.268-297
Abstract
In Korea, the absolute number of the elderly population is rapidly increasing. At the same time, the emergence of diversity and heterogeneity within the elderly group signifies that the needs of the elderly are becoming more diverse and distinct. Accordingly, this study attempts to empirically analyze the use of social welfare services based on group types according to the socio-economic status of the elderly, assuming that usage patterns would differ. To achieve this, this study utilizes data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study (KoWePS; 2015-2021). Group types based on socio- economic status among the elderly were derived through latent class model analysis, and medical, long-term care, and welfare services for seven years were calculated for each group type. The usage trend was analyzed using a multi-group growth mixture model. The results of this study reveal differences in the usage of social welfare services among different groups of the elderly. Based on these findings, an evaluation of the current social welfare service system's effectiveness was conducted, and the direction for future improvements was discussed.