ACRC Issues Civil Complaint Advisory on Elderly Care Ahead of Senior Citizens' Day

A 1.8-Fold Surge in Elderly Care Complaints Over the Past Three Years
Calls for Expansion and Improvement of Care Facilities

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has issued a civil complaint advisory regarding elderly care, ahead of Senior Citizens' Day on October 2 next month.

Elderly residents are receiving physical therapy at Seoul Nursing Home in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-Hyung

The Commission announced on September 18 that, based on an analysis of 14,626 civil complaints related to elderly care collected in its Civil Complaint Information Analysis System over the past three years—from September 2023 to last month—the average number of complaints per month this year has reached 576, a 1.8-fold increase from 313 in 2023.

The main issues raised in these complaints included calls to expand elderly care facilities, demands for improvements in facility operations, and requests to enhance the quality of care services.

In particular, regarding facility operations, there were complaints about excessively restrictive visitation and contact policies for residents, neglect of diaper changing, and recommendations for discharge of dementia patients with severe wandering behaviors—highlighting dissatisfaction with poor facility management.

There was also significant criticism over insufficient safety management, such as falls occurring due to staff shortages and the neglect of malfunctioning bathing beds and chairs. Additionally, families caring for elderly relatives at home continuously called for greater family care support and the establishment of short-term care programs.

There were requests to strengthen emotional support, such as having someone to converse with, beyond just physical care. There were also demands for expanding lifelong education programs for seniors, such as smartphone and YouTube usage classes, and Korean literacy education.

The Commission not only issued the civil complaint advisory but also shared suggestions for improvements to relevant agencies so they can be referenced when developing countermeasures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.