As the population ages, the quality of death becomes an important issue for many people. Because well-dying is a part of well-being and has effects on significant others left behind, how to enhance the quality of death becomes an issue that calls for social response. In addition, since "well-dying" involves multidimensional needs (including medical, economic, emotional, and spiritual needs), it requires a comprehensive approach. Under these circumstances, this study is aimed at grasping the essential components of well-dying among Korean middle-aged and older persons. Also, this study intends to better understand people's perceptions of, and needs, services concerining well-dying.
This study consists of six parts. The first part is a review of pervious research, some theoretical issues and current statistics on well-dying. The second part discusses some specific examples of legal base and policy actions concerning well-dying in selected countries. The third part presents main types of attitudes toward well-dying derived using Q methodology. In the fourth part, we discuss main findings from a telephone survey we conducted of a total of 15,000 people aged 40~79. The fifth part reviews the legal base and policy measures taken for well-dying in Korea and evaluates them from the standpoint of the concept of good death and of middle-aged and older adults in need of services to help them prepare for well-dying. The last part presents policy suggestions and priority seeting for well-dying.
Abstract ······························································································1
Chapter 1. Introduction ···························································································7
A. Research Background and Purpose ···················································································9
B. Research Scope and Methods ·················································································12
Chapter 2. Main Concepts and Statistics, and Review of Past Research ··········································15
A. Considering Main Concepts ··························································································17
B. Review of Death-related Statistics ·················································································28
C. Review of Past Research ····························································································40
D. Chapter Conclusion ···········································································································45
Chapter 3. Review of Foreign Legal and Institutional Bases ··········································47
A. Responses of International Organizations ························································································49
B. Legal and Institutional Foundations of Individual Countries ····························································53
C. Chapter Conclusion ···········································································································67
Chapter 4. Awareness of the Quality of Dying and Types of Well-Dying ··························69
A. Research Methods and Process ····················································································71
B. Well-Dying as Regarded by the Middle-Aged ·······································································81
C. Well-Dying as Regarded by the Aged ·······································································89
D. Chapter Conclusion ···········································································································98
Chapter 5. Public Awarness of Dying and Related Service Needs ··········································99
A. Overview of the Telephone Survey ·························································································101
B. General Characteristics of the Survey Respondents ·····································································107
C. Attitudes to Death and Related Service Needs ·················································111
D. Attitudes towards Well-Dying ···········································································135
E. Chapter Conclusion ·········································································································153
Chapter 6. Domestic Legal and Institutional Foundations ········································159
A. Review of Legal Foundations ·······················································································161
B. Review of Institutional Foundations ········································································174
C. Chapter Conclusion ·········································································································196
Chapter 7. Conclusion ·······················································································199
A. Conclusion ·········································································································201
B. Policy Implications and Remaining Challenges ·················································································205
References ···························································································217
Appendices ································································································227
