Blind spots of welfare in nursing lead to another family homicide

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A man in his 50s was found dead in the garden of an apartment in Daegu on Wednesday, in an apparent suicide, according to the police. While searching his home in an investigation soon after, police also found the man's father had apparently been murdered, leading police to believe the son had killed his father and then ended his own life.

The police investigation revealed that the son and father had been living together, and the son had taken care of his father, who suffered from dementia, alone for eight years. The son had also left a note that indicated his desire to be buried alongside his father, according to police. They believe the son was unable to cope with the stress of caregiving.

Public calls have labeled the incident "a tragedy," as the father and son had not received any nursing care or help from the government, leaving them in a blind spot of national welfare.

The father is reported to have not been a recipient of national long-term care service, so the son had to undertake caregiving for his unwell father alone.

In order to receive such care, the person with dementia or his or her family or guardian has to apply for the care insurance status. The National Health Insurance Service then assigns a level of insurance based on the person's health status. Even at the lowest insurance level, the patient can receive at-home visits from workers of the state centers and visit the centers for daytime activities, but the deceased father had been left out of the program. Whether the family had attempted to register for the care service has not been confirmed.

"Though there are local services and support for people diagnosed with dementia, some lie in the blind spots for care, as the hospital that diagnoses the illness and the health centers that provide support are not associated or connected automatically," said an official at a health center in the jurisdiction of the family's home.

"If the person himself or the family register the illness in the nearby health center, financial support for medicine or diapers and an information tag is provided," the official added.

This is not the first apparent homicide that has occurred among family burdened by caregiving. Earlier this month, a man in his 60s was prosecuted on a charge of killing his son who had suffered from brain lesions, after the father had taken care of him for some 40 years.

Unless someone is already registered as being low-income or the beneficiary of national basic livelihood aid, administrative agencies have limited ability to assess those in need, leaving many who have failed to register left with the burden of providing such care alone. Experts have called for preemptive measures to support guardians providing long-term care.

By Choi Jeong-yoon(jychoi@heraldcorp.com)