A Study on the Actual Condition of the Rural Communal Living for Elders Who Live Alone : Focusing on the Case of Yecheon-gun

Activities of Daily Living, Depression, and life Satisfaction of Elders using Rural Day Group Homes in South Korea

“…In addition, most of the participants in this study have lived in rural areas by performing physical labor, and although the amount of labor has decreased, they continue to carry out physical daily life activities such as gardening, so there are not many restrictions on their daily activities. The result is that they have continued to participate in social life where they like to eat together in one room and enjoy hobbies [8].…”

“…However, the nation's rural aging rate is 44.7%, three times the national average, and the proportion of elderly people living alone in rural areas is twice that of urban areas [7]. The rate of elderly activity constraints is higher than 30% in urban areas and the rate of chronic diseases is also higher [8]. In addition, there are not many facilities and programs for rural seniors-only 63% of the rural communities have senior citizen centers, welfare centers, and religious facilities-and 37% of the senior citizens do not socialize [9].…”

“…To solve the problem of rural elderly persons living alone, who have more activity constraints and a higher rate of depression than the urban elderly living alone [7,8], the South Korean government implemented a joint residential system for urban elderly people living alone [8]. The system utilizes community centers called Rural Day Group Homes for elderly people in rural areas as a work policy [7] and is spreading to 967 locations [14].…”

“…The Rural Day Group Home for senior citizens living alone in rural areas is recognized as a positive form of residence that can enhance life satisfaction [10] in that it can reduce economic bene ts by reducing maintenance costs for living spaces and jointly solve accommodation problems while using a network for co-residential activities in their villages, thereby reducing loneliness and depression through the maintenance of social bonds. However, most senior rural residents, including senior citizens living alone, tend to lower their depression through mental solidarity by meeting rural seniors in the village center during the day and promoting social activities and friendship, thus using a form of weekly communal life where they return to their homes in the evening and receive respect for their private lives rather than living at the Rural Day Group Home [8]. Therefore, it is meaningful to evaluate the ability to perform daily activities, the degree of depression, and the living satisfaction of seniors in rural areas who live together during the day in Rural Day Group Homes.…”