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This study examined burden of the disabled patient’s mother at the disabled people’s visit to dentalhospitals to help take long-term measures on the disabled people in social and national way and toestablish social welfare policy. A questionnaire survey was made from March 27, 2006 to April 17, 2006to investigate not only the disabled patient’s family who visited Seoul Dental Hospital for the Disabledbut also the disabled people’s family at each branch office at Seoul of the Korea Parents Association.170 copies of the questionnaires were used after excluding 7 copies not collected as well as 3 copiesnot completed. SPSS was used to investigate frequency and crosstabs. The findings were as follow:1. Mothers of the disabled people had the highest burden at the disabled people’s visit to dentalhospital, and they had the highest difficulty at no discovery of qualified dentist (dental clinic). Nodiscovery of qualified dentist also had high difficulty at medical treatment directions of disabledpeople, so that the highest burden of the disabled people’s parents coincided with desires of medicaltreatment directions at the disabled people’s visit to dental hospital.2. The disabled people’s parents had burden at the visit to dental hospital so that fathers had economicburden and mothers had emotional and psychological burden.3. The disabled people’s parents had different burden at the visit to dental hospital depending upontheir occupation, and housewives had the highest burden.The study suggested the burden based on the findings:Firstly, dental colleges as well as dental hygiene science departments were demanded to opendentistry for the disabled and to educate special knowledge and information of medical treatment of thedisabled patients for the dentists and dental technicians: And, resident system of the dentistry for thedisabled should be introduced in long-term basis to educate qualified dentists and dental technicianswho could give medical treatment in accordance with their specialty.Secondly, special dental hospital for the disabled patients should be opened. General dental hospitalsand dental clinics had limitation on medical treatment of the disabled patients, so that special dental hospital for the disabled patients should be opened to be equipped with psychological treatment, goodaccess, facilities and equipment and convenience facilities, etc: The dental hospital for the disabledpatients could be rarely opened because of low economic advantages at hospital management.Therefore, the government level of aid was essentially required, so that the government was demandedto give aid of the facility expenses that were need to design dental hospitals for the disabled patients atexpansion of the dental hospital. For instance, Seoul Government gave aid to open Seoul DentalHospital for the Disabled in August 2005.And, the government was demanded to give aid continuously to manage the hospital effectively evenafter opening. The ones who were given a certificate of enrollment of the disabled of cerebral palsy andmental retardation were given additional rate of 9.03, when they were given medical treatment inaccordance with medical insurance system: But, the additional rate could be very much rarely applied.Such an unfair application might prevent actual additional rate from being applied at medical treatmentof the disabled. The additional rate should be applied in differential way depending upon types andages of the disabled people, and some of the handicap might create risks at medical treatment in themouth so that additional rate of medical treatment risk of the disabled people should be legally made.Fathers and parents having low educational background and low income might have economicburden. From point of view of financial assistance of medical expenses, economic assistance of Korea infavor of the disabled people and their families was made by reduction and exemption, discount and taxreductions for the support of disabled family: But, simple tax reduction and discount system were noteffective for the disabled people’s family earning low income who needed economic supports verymuch, so that the subject of medical expense support business that put in practice for the disabledpeople being given living expenses from the government should be expanded to low-income group andintroduce universal financial support system and to expand services. And, medical expenses aid shouldbe expanded to alleviate economic burden of the disabled people.And, dental treatment had a lot of treatments not covered by medical insurance so that the disabledpeople should be given medical insurance by stage to alleviate economic burden of their family.And, the disabled people should be given self-supporting opportunity to alleviate their parents’burden.The followings were required to let the disabled people not be confined to their own houses to adaptthem to the society and to help the disabled people as well as their family have free time and economicadvantages and to alleviate burden: For instance, job training that could meet types and degrees of thehandicap, and job development, expanded compulsory employment of the disabled people, skilltraining, self-supporting and expanded rehabilitation facility for the disabled people who had difficulties at being employed at common companies, reinforced job training equipment and facilities, and betterjob training, etc.And, home care service should be reinforced to help the ones who had serious handicap to live life attheir home, so that the disabled people’s guardians had free time.
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