Foreword (February 2025, Health and Welfare Policy Forum)

Abstract

Korea is on the verge of becoming a “super-aged” society this year as the share of people aged 65 and older is set to exceed 20 percent of the population. Against this background, home-based social services have gained prominence as a critical tool for supporting older adults in aging in place. Over the years, traditional care policies centered on residential care have shown limitations, such as the increasing financial burdens they entail, while more seniors have come to prefer to age at home. In response, Korea’s elder policies since the 2010s have increasingly focused on facilitating aging in place. Achieving this goal requires expanding home-based social services and enhancing service delivery to better meet the diverse needs older adults face in daily life. This month’s Health and Welfare Forum focuses on the “Current State and Issues of Home-Based Social Services for Aging in Place,” bringing together four articles discussing the theme. One article reviews the 2024-enacted Integrated Community Care Act, discussing its main provisions and areas for improvement. Another article examines health support designed to help home-dwelling older adults maintain daily living, with special reference to home-based health care. The author of the third article discusses the current state of housing support for older adults, deriving implications for improvement. The last article explores the current state of social services that, as part of aging-in-place care, support older adults nearing the end of life, enabling them to live in their familiar community settings until their final moments. We hope the discussion presented here will contribute to improving home-based social services for older adults and advancing aging-in-place in Korea.