Older adults with chronic disease and their life satisfaction: Focusing on the effects of family type and health insurance

Objectives Older adults with chronic diseases have the lower life satisfaction and less years of life remaining in the status of an aging society, South Korea since 2000. They are placed in the lack of family contacts and poorer health insurances, and economic disadvantaged condition as well. This study investigates family types and the level of health insurance of them and their impacts on life satisfaction. Methods Data were obtained from 2006 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Sample of this study consists of 3,960 Koreans aged 65 years or older have at least one chronic disease. We will measure effects of family types and health insurance conditions on life satisfaction controlling for respondent's socioeconomic factors. Results Lower life satisfaction might be significantly associated with small family scale and lower social contacts. In case children and spouse don't co-reside with them particularly, highly significant association with chronic disease prevalence rate and older adults have no family support would be demonstrated. The difference was found in life satisfaction as a level of health insurance with controlling for utilization of medical facilities. Conclusions Aging is the common social issue of most countries in East Asia. Consequently, it is required that care givers are divided into personal or family burden and social burden. Life satisfaction and life expectancy related to each of them differently could be the evidence of policy intervention approach. Lack of social support and medical accessibility increases fragility and disturbs well-being in senescence.