고령화 사회와 사회국가의 미래− 노인복지의 발전방향을 중심으로 −

Abstract

Living a long and healthy life has been a dream of humanity. Although Korea is solidifying its reputation as a developed nation, it is facing various problems especially with its aging population simultaneously. An aging society is not only a matter of prolonged life expectancy and increasing proportion of senior population. However, aging population will lead to problems in a broader spectrum, as it will considerably affect the country's political, economic, societal and cultural prospects. The aging society has a critical influence on social paradigm transition especially relating to welfare states. The welfare states play an intrinsic role in helping minorities' benefits from national finance; although the aging society causes economic contraction on state economy and brings negative results on national funding as entering welfare states' boundary, increments of state expenditures are inevitable to retain various demands of welfare states. Due to these changes, there are arising interests in the aging society effects on welfare states' future, the efforts needed for welfare states' proper development, and the nation's prospective role. In this writing, the proper direction of development in welfare states of progressive aging society is presented based on the arising concerns, especially from aspects of senior citizens' welfare. To do this, organized notion of the aged and its characteristic are presented followed by the welfare states structural changes in a wider frame based on the aging society progress. Then present and future direction of senior welfare are analyzed by categorizing in social security system, psychological and cultural activity, and from health to death. The key point in this part is that the economic and social structure changes are ongoing phenomena. Since the previous studies on the aging society and the role of the senior citizens so far are based on economic and social structure at that time, continuous attention and analysis of present are needed henceforth reflecting those ongoing structural changes. In this article, institutional strategy under current legislation and its involving problems are briefly examined while presenting overview of senior welfare that is emerging as severe social issue as entering the phase of aging society. However, it is difficult to predict how senior welfare issues would progress in the future. For these reasons, this article pursues its rationality only 'at this point' and seeking new solutions for those problems in next periods should put as a subject of future assignment according to changing circumstances. New centuries are requiring new preparations accordingly, however, and changes in research paradigm beyond the past are expected strongly.