Abstract
The present study was initially designed to figure out the general condition of care giving system for the elderly women who need long term care and the level of their depression according to the conditions of care. And This research is intented to present appropriate policy that could help the establishment of supporting system for the fragile elderly women.1 used the data from <2001 National Study on the Needs for the Long-Term Care Elderly> by Korea Health and Population Institute. The results are as follows: First, Two third of all the respondents had serious problems (2-9 activities limits) in Instrumental Daily Living Ability(DAL). Most respondents reported “low” in satisfaction level related to receiving care, meaning the elderly had negative perception for the care from the family. The elderly expected their children to be as the primary care giver and mostly wanted to live with them in the future. Second, The majority of the long term care elderly women haven't used community service facilities very often and said they are not likely going to use the facilities in the future. Third, The respondents reported high in depression level as to lower satisfaction with their children's support, poorer health condition, more reluctant to use service facilities due to the cost, and fewer friends and neighbors resources around them. Therefore I could say that negative factors for the elderly women's psychological health were having unsatisfactory relationship with intimate people, developing physical illness, being in economic difficulties. That is, receiving less help from close family members, shrinking social network, and experiencing economic hardship would have negative effects on elderly women's psychological health. In the basis of these results, I suggest that in the mean time we shouldn't overlook the importance of the private support when we develop the public elderly support system.
