Why Do Elderly Households Not Want to Modify Their Homes?: Focusing on Seoul

Abstract

It is neither financially feasible to place all the elderly population in need of care into welfare facilities nor will it be welcomed by the elderly considering their preference for aging in place. Ultimately, it is essential to undertake home modification on the house that the elderly currently live in to ensure a safer and more convenient environment. The modification must be carried out on the premise of the consent of the elderly living in it, but many elderly people are in a contradictory situation where they do not feel the need for home modification. This study analyzes data from the 2021 Korea Housing Survey conducted jointly by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to examine which factors determine the needs of the elderly for home modification. The result shows that one of the reasons for not renovating houses is that their current housings are relatively in good condition. However, possibility of not feeling the need for home modification is clearly observed even though the housing is not in good shape. The reasons include cases where physical aging has not progressed to the point of requiring home modification, adapted to the discomforts of their homes over years of residence, their adult children provide support in uncomfortable or risky situations, and financially not able to bear the home modification costs. This underscores that even if the elderly do not require home modification, the modification should be carried on when an objective evaluation of the safety and convenience of their housing deems renovations necessary.