Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and... more Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and most rapidly aging populations on earth. Today these societies are experiencing unprecedented social challenges to the filial tradition of adult children caring for aging parents at home. Marshalling mixed methods data, this volume explores the complexities of aging and caregiving in contemporary East Asia. Questioning romantic visions of a senior’s paradise, chapters examine emerging cultural meanings of and social responses to population aging, including caregiving both for and by the elderly. Themes include traditional ideals versus contemporary realities, the role of the state, patterns of familial and non-familial care, social stratification, and intersections of caregiving and death. Drawing on ethnographic, demographic, policy, archival, and media data, the authors trace both common patterns and diverging trends across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and Korea.
The aims of this study is to analyze the experiences of family members and hospice teams regardin... more The aims of this study is to analyze the experiences of family members and hospice teams regarding hospice care in Korea where culture and institution for well-dying is in the early stage. The study was conducted through in-depth interviews based on the grounded theory method. The participants were 12 individuals, 5 family members and 7 individuals from the hospice team. 133 concepts, 34 subcategories, and 11 categories were derived. The core phenomenon was “maintaining balance by becoming a ballast in the journey toward death”. From the analysis of paradigm model, this phenomenon was caused to the medical-centered hospice service, the negative social and cultural context of death. It was strategically responded to the scope and contents of the interventions by the hospice team. Systematic, policy, and implementation plans that could improve the quality of hospice care were discussed.
This study aimed to analyze the differences in the status of social workers’ education and knowle... more This study aimed to analyze the differences in the status of social workers’ education and knowledge level of advance directives between geriatric hospitals and long-term care facilities in South Korea. The study employed a quantitative research model of collecting data from 401 social workers with a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and an independent T-test, using the SPSS 21.0 program. It showed significant differences in medical knowledge of advance directives between those who work at geriatric hospitals and at long-term care facilities (2.20±0.87, 2.26±0.91, respectively; p<0.05). Knowledge level about artificial feeding tubes and hemodialysis was significantly lower among those at geriatric hospitals than those at long-term care facilities. The level of knowledge about medical and general areas of advance directives significantly differed based on their educational level in both geriatric hospitals and long-term care facilities. This st...
Chapter in Jeanne Shea, Katrina Moore, and Hong Zhang, eds., Beyond Filial Piety: Rethinking Aging and Caregiving in Contemporary East Asian Societies (Berghahn Books), 2020
Co-Authors: Sooyoun Han and Jeanne Shea. This chapter examines the need for, promise of, and chal... more Co-Authors: Sooyoun Han and Jeanne Shea. This chapter examines the need for, promise of, and challenges for implementing hospice care in South Korea. Drawing on policy materials and qualitative interviews, the chapter describes the evolution of hospice services in Korea, and analyzes recent experiences of end-of-life care by Korean family caregivers and hospice staff. The analysis finds a large need for improved and expanded EOL services and both promise and challenges for implementing the hospice model in Korea. We conclude by offering a regional comparison and recommending some needed adaptations for building local hospice culture and structural supports for patients, caregivers, and staff in Korean hospice environments.
Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and... more Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and most rapidly aging populations on earth. Today these societies are experiencing unprecedented social challenges to the filial tradition of adult children caring for aging parents at home. Marshalling mixed methods data, this volume explores the complexities of aging and caregiving in contemporary East Asia. Questioning romantic visions of a senior’s paradise, chapters examine emerging cultural meanings of and social responses to population aging, including caregiving both for and by the elderly. Themes include traditional ideals versus contemporary realities, the role of the state, patterns of familial and non-familial care, social stratification, and intersections of caregiving and death. Drawing on ethnographic, demographic, policy, archival, and media data, the authors trace both common patterns and diverging trends across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and Korea.
The aims of this study is to analyze the experiences of family members and hospice teams regardin... more The aims of this study is to analyze the experiences of family members and hospice teams regarding hospice care in Korea where culture and institution for well-dying is in the early stage. The study was conducted through in-depth interviews based on the grounded theory method. The participants were 12 individuals, 5 family members and 7 individuals from the hospice team. 133 concepts, 34 subcategories, and 11 categories were derived. The core phenomenon was “maintaining balance by becoming a ballast in the journey toward death”. From the analysis of paradigm model, this phenomenon was caused to the medical-centered hospice service, the negative social and cultural context of death. It was strategically responded to the scope and contents of the interventions by the hospice team. Systematic, policy, and implementation plans that could improve the quality of hospice care were discussed.
This study aimed to analyze the differences in the status of social workers’ education and knowle... more This study aimed to analyze the differences in the status of social workers’ education and knowledge level of advance directives between geriatric hospitals and long-term care facilities in South Korea. The study employed a quantitative research model of collecting data from 401 social workers with a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and an independent T-test, using the SPSS 21.0 program. It showed significant differences in medical knowledge of advance directives between those who work at geriatric hospitals and at long-term care facilities (2.20±0.87, 2.26±0.91, respectively; p<0.05). Knowledge level about artificial feeding tubes and hemodialysis was significantly lower among those at geriatric hospitals than those at long-term care facilities. The level of knowledge about medical and general areas of advance directives significantly differed based on their educational level in both geriatric hospitals and long-term care facilities. This st...
Chapter in Jeanne Shea, Katrina Moore, and Hong Zhang, eds., Beyond Filial Piety: Rethinking Aging and Caregiving in Contemporary East Asian Societies (Berghahn Books), 2020
Co-Authors: Sooyoun Han and Jeanne Shea. This chapter examines the need for, promise of, and chal... more Co-Authors: Sooyoun Han and Jeanne Shea. This chapter examines the need for, promise of, and challenges for implementing hospice care in South Korea. Drawing on policy materials and qualitative interviews, the chapter describes the evolution of hospice services in Korea, and analyzes recent experiences of end-of-life care by Korean family caregivers and hospice staff. The analysis finds a large need for improved and expanded EOL services and both promise and challenges for implementing the hospice model in Korea. We conclude by offering a regional comparison and recommending some needed adaptations for building local hospice culture and structural supports for patients, caregivers, and staff in Korean hospice environments.
Uploads
Papers by Sooyoun Han