Korea’s Policy on Dementia Care ( 24 th ADI Conference, Singapore)

Korea’s Policy on Dementia Care ( 24th ADI Conference, Singapore) Sunghee Lee President, Alzheimer’s Association Korea

Outline Long-term care insurance Declaration of the “War on Dementia”

Long-term care insurance Background Low birthrate & fast ageing society Increasing reluctance of support provided by the immediate family Rapid increase in medical cost e.g. In-patient hospitalisation

Long-term care insurance System Application eligibility: 65+y.o. & illness related to old-age Recipient: - Cannot live more than 6mo without assistance - Qualification required by a ‘grading’ committee Nursing home usage: Grade I, II/20%, ie, USD 600 Homecare usage : Grade III/15% (Pay as you go)

Long-term care insurance system Problems/Challenges Lack of trained health professionals/ Insufficient early diagnosis Cap on insurance recipient: 180,000 ppl only, 4% of entire elderly population Even with grading system, people cannot enter N.H. or use homecare services due to the lack of facilities/service infrastructure Inadequate knowledge on prevention, R&D

“War on Dementia” Aims Raise QOL and maintain dignity Early diagnosis : 3.7%(’07) – 60%(’12) Service infrastructure – community-based Lift supporters’ burden/ Raise awareness campaigns

“War on Dementia” Problems/Challenges Too much focus on the medical/clinical, not enough on social Too much focus on physical disability as a criteria for receiving state care Unprepared for the need of sheer scale of dementia specialists Big difference in city vs. countryside

Thank you Sunghee Lee President, Alzheimer’s Association Korea

Korea’s Policy on Dementia Care ( 24 th ADI Conference, Singapore)