This paper tackles two key questions: i) whether number and scale of elderly welfare facilities in Chungbuk Province match with demand and regional requirement, and ii) whether spatial distribution of elderly welfare facilities guarantee appropriate w...
This paper tackles two key questions: i) whether number and scale of elderly welfare facilities in Chungbuk Province match with demand and regional requirement, and ii) whether spatial distribution of elderly welfare facilities guarantee appropriate welfare benefits to senior citizen. As Chungbuk records more than 1 in locational coefficient values, the ratio of number and scale of elderly welfare facilities to the senior citizens population in Chungbuk is above the national average. Judging from results based on regression analyses, nonetheless, this study finds that couples of variables directly related to aging society like aging ratio and single-person elderly households do not exert significant impact on location decision factors. In contrast, they are under the influence of major financial variables including elderly welfare budget and financial independence rate. Concerned with the second question which focuses on spatial characteristics of elderly welfare facilities, this study observes that there exists significant gap between Cheongju and the rest in terms of facility coverage areas. These findings partially reflect the fact that cities and counties within Chungbuk Province have not paid due attention to aging variables in deciding location of elderly welfare facilities. That is, rather than stressing basic principles of elderly welfare provisions, this study confirms that cities and counties within Chungbuk Province are more interested in a series of benefits derived from operation and management of elderly welfare facilities.