This study aims to provide policy recommendations for care services for middle-aged and elderly adults with developmental disabilities in Gyeonggi Province by conducting an in-depth structural analysis through elements from the Allocation System, Bene...
This study aims to provide policy recommendations for care services for middle-aged and elderly adults with developmental disabilities in Gyeonggi Province by conducting an in-depth structural analysis through elements from the Allocation System, Benefit System, Delivery System, and Finance System, based on Gilbert and Terrell's analytical framework. Specifically, the study empirically revealed that Gyeonggi Province's policies show a dual structure between universalism declarations and actual exclusion.
The research leaves questions as follows: First, what is the legal and institutional reality of care service policies for middle-aged and elderly adults with developmental disabilities in Gyeonggi Province? Second, how people with disabilities and their caregivers take the policy as policy recipients?
Based on an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, the researcher conducted a four-stage study to structurally analyze policies for middle-aged and elderly adults with developmental disabilities in Gyeonggi Province. Stage 1 involved a literature review over Gilbert and Terrell's analytical framework. Stage 2 was a literature analysis based on analytical framework consisting of policy document analysis, including various guidelines, Gyeonggi Province ordinances, and municipal ordinances related to care services for persons with developmental disabilities. Stage 3 involved in-depth interviews to examine the policy experience, interviewing 10 individuals with developmental disabilities and 5 caregivers through purposive and snowball sampling methods, analyzed through thematic coding. Stage 4 structurally analyzed the literature and interview according to the policy analytical framework and drew recommendations by integrating literature and interviews.
The examination of the legal and institutional reality revealed that Gyeonggi Province's policies showed a dual structure between universalism declarations and actual exclusion. The experiences perceived by policy recipients differed from institutional declarations, confirming a structural gap between institutional inclusion and actual exclusion. This gap functions as a structural factor that undermines the equity and sustainability of care services for middle-aged and elderly adults with developmental disabilities. Consequently, the four policy categories of allocation, benefits, delivery, and finance converged toward an integrated value of selective universalism with national responsibility, where the state takes ultimate responsibility. This means that while pursuing universal support, differentiated and substantial support shall be provided selectively according to the severity of disability.
The analysis results based on the analytical framework of legal-institutional reality and perceptions are as follows:
First, despite Gyeonggi Province's policy declaration for inclusive universalism in the Allocation System, the care service was provided based on the age and severity criteria. The 65-year age criterion as non-disabled persons in the elderly disability ordinance, without considering premature aging, resulted in middle-aged and elderly adults with severe developmental disabilities experiencing structural disadvantages in service entry and its maintenance. This revealed the duality, a threshold for inclusive universalism.
Second, while the Benefit System showed expansion of quantitative services such as daytime activities and emergency care, care services reflecting the characteristics of middle-aged and elderly adults, flexible expansion of activity support hours, and health and medical services were insufficient. Particularly, the rigidity of the principle restricting duplicate service use structurally blocked the actual needs and self-determination rights of individuals requiring complex care from aging. A clear policy perception gap was confirmed where services exist institutionally, but caregivers feel that "there are no available services".
Third, despite the multi-layered structure of Gyeonggi Province-municipal-private sectors and the coexistence of various institutions in the Delivery System, fragmentation between departments and inter-organizational linkage were insufficient, with disparities in information accessibility among the 31 municipalities. Individuals and caregivers repeatedly stated experiences of "not knowing where to inquire". Furthermore, the capacity and authority to manage such cases across institutional boundaries in a consistent and integrative manner were lacked. Moreover, despite the medical service linkage in the "Elderly Disability Ordinance," medical service connections available to middle-aged and elderly adults with developmental disabilities were absent, raising the need to expand the targets of applying the ordinance from 'age' to 'function'.
Fourth, the Finance System's high dependence on the central government and municipal-centered financial burden structure, such as a provincial-municipal ratio of 3:7, combined with high private consignment dependency, resulted in imbalances in service quantity and quality among regions. Municipalities with low fiscal independence could not even attempt to implement projects, intensifying inter-regional service imbalances and weakening policy sustainability. The study underscored the necessity of stable financial resources under state responsibility for lifelong care that continues beyond parental death. This study has the following significance and expected effects:
First, it is significant in that Gilbert and Terrell's analytical framework was applied and extended to essential aspects of value systems and social responsibility distribution, empirically identifying structural limitations where the separation and development of the four dimensions of allocation, benefits, delivery, and finance weakens the continuity and publicness of care services.
Second, it has great policy significance in clearly revealing that Gyeonggi Province's care policies show a dual structure between universalism declarations and actual exclusion, and presenting directions for structural improvement to resolve this gap.
Third, Gyeonggi Province, which has the largest population of persons with developmental disabilities nationwide, will be substantial evidence for establishing a leading policy model for care of middle-aged and elderly adults with developmental disabilities through a selective universalism approach and building a policy base expanding to other local governments.
Fourth, this study will contribute to building a lifelong support system under state responsibility that continues beyond parental death by presenting specific policy recommendations, including resetting age criteria considering premature aging, introducing selective universalism, establishing integrated case management systems, and establishing a special accounting for supporting middle-aged and elderly adults with developmental disabilities in Gyeonggi Province.
Fifth, this study can be utilized as substantial evidence in the policy deliberation process of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council (Health and Welfare Committee) and is expected to directly contribute to improving the quality of life of middle-aged and elderly adults with developmental disabilities and their families.