• Journal of Korean geriatric psychiatry
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2012

The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is still obscure even to specialists. To improve the diagnostic accuracy, to find at-risk people as early as possible, to predict the efficacy or adverse reactions of pharmacotherapy on an individual basis, to attain more reliable results of clinical trials by recruiting better defined participants, to prove the disease-modifying ability of new candidate drugs, to establish prognosis-based therapeutic plans, and to do more, is now increasing the need for biomarkers for AD. Among AD-related biochemical markers, cerebrospinal beta-amyloid and tau have been paid the most attention since they are materials directly interfacing the brain interstitium and can be obtained through the lumbar puncture. Level of beta-amyloid is reduced whereas tau is increased in cerebrospinal fluid of AD patients relative to cognitively normal elderly people. Remarkably, such information has been found to help predict AD conversion of mild cognitive impairment. Despite inconsistent findings from previous studies, plasma beta-amyloid is thought to be increased before the disease onset, but show decreasing change as the disease progress. Regarding other peripheral biochemical markers, omics tools are being widely used not only to find useful biomarkers but also to generate novel hypotheses for AD pathogenesis and to lead new personalized future medicine.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.667-675
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• 2016

The aim of this study is to predict use behavior for social welfare service of the elderly mentally ill through means-end chain theory. Means-end chain theory explains cognitive structure related to the consumer's preference to various products and services. Although the elderly mentally ill begin to emerge as new client population, social welfare services for them do not seem to be enough in the community. Based on this awareness, this study tried to analyse service use behavior of the elderly mentally ill through means-end chain theory to develop new social welfare services. The data were collected from 15 elderly mentally ill and found 5 attributes, 10 consequences, and 11 values. Hierarchical Value Map was composed of 'disease management, rehabilitation preparation, hobby leisure ${\rightarrow}$ health maintenance, energy of life ${\rightarrow}$ social reintegration, life satisfaction, harmonious family life'. To activate the social service for the elderly mentally ill, it should be developed various programs such as disease management, rehabilitation preparation, hobby leisure for the elderly mentally ill. The ultimate value of these programs will be improve life satisfaction and integrated into society.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.129-140
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• 2020

Purpose: Although the importance of life satisfaction in patients with chronic diseases has been emphasized, limited studies have been performed on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among elderly patients with chronic diseases. This study examined the HRQoL among Korean patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older. Methods: This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2016. The analysis included data of 2,353 elderly patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older who were aware that they had type 2 diabetes. Each participant was categorized into one of three age groups (65-69 years, 70-74 years, and ≥ 75 years). The EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) scale was computed to estimate the HRQoL. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to compare the demographic characteristics, lifestyle characteristics, nutrient intake, and EQ-5D scores between the age groups. Results: The intake levels of most nutrients were similar in the three age groups, but the total energy intake levels were significantly lower, and the sodium intake levels were significantly higher in the older age groups (p < 0.001). In addition, all items of the EQ-5D index, except for anxiety/depression, tended to decrease with age. In particular, the oldest age group (≥ 75 years) showed significantly lower levels on most items and the EQ-5D index than those in the other age groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Elderly patients with type 2 diabetes may have low levels of life satisfaction, which worsens with increasing age. Therefore, it is important to develop and manage personalized guidelines and medical systems so that elderly patients have a higher quality of life for the remainder of their lives. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for the systematic management of diabetes in elderly Korean patients.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2010

Objective: The purpose of this study was oral health related quality of life among elderly population in some rural area, Korea. Methods: 546 participants (male 196, female 350) aged more than 65 years (mean $71.4{\pm}4.6\;years$) were surveyed cross-sectionally. All the subjects were examined short-form of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) by face to face interview. Categorical responses of strata-adjusted Wilcoxon correlation and Kruskal-Willis test and multiple regression analysis after adjusting for socio-demographic variables were adapted for statistical analysis. Results: 1. As for sub-factors of the quality of living related to oral health, the drop in social ability was 4.61, the drop in mental ability 4.53, the drop in physical ability 3.99, mental inconvenience 3.98, social disadvantages 3.82, physical pains 3.77, and functional division 3.44, on the average. 2. As for the quality of living related to oral health, there were statistically significant differences in functional restrictions by gender, the educational level, and the presence of occupation, in physical pains by gender, the educational level, family members living together. mental inconvenience by gender, the educational level, the presence of occupation. and in the drop in physical ability by gender, the educational level, monthly incomes. There were statistically significant differences in the drop in physical ability by gender, the educational level. in the drop in social ability by the educational level, the presence of occupation, monthly income. and in social inconvenience by age, the presence of occupation, monthly income. 3. There were statistically significant differences in the general quality of living related to oral health by gender, the educational level, the presence of occupation.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.172-178
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• 2018

Objectives : This study aimed to describe the use of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and to identify predictors for their use in the elderly living alone. Methods : This is a cross-sectional study that enrolled 1,099 subjects. Data regarding socio-demographic status, medical condition, cognition, mood disorder and use of OTC drugs were collected using self-administered questionnaire and from a specific semi-structured interview by a trained nurse. Data regarding use of OTC drugs were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Logistic regression analysis was applied to examine factors associated with the use of OTC drugs. Results : The use of OTC drugs were reported by 35.4% of the subjects. Analgesics (13.6%) was the most frequent drugs. Depression (OR=1.10, 95% CI=1.10-1.87) and comorbidities measured by cumulative illness rating scale (CIRS) (OR=1.08, 95% CI=1.03-1.12) were significantly associated with the use of OTC drugs in the elderly living alone. Conclusions : Depression and severity of underlying medical conditions could be a predictor of the use of OTC drugs in the elderly living alone. The clinicians should be vigilant regarding the potential use of nonprescription medications in the elderly.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.488-494
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyze the association of oral health of the elderly and oral health quality of life. The subjects of this study were 282 participants who received the fluoride application and the scaling service through program targeting elderly people carried out by a public health center located in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Data were collected from January 2011 to December 2011. The result of comparing subscale scores of quality of life related to oral health depending on socioeconomic characteristics showed that functional limitation scores were lower as educational level got higher. The result of comparing subscale scores of quality of life related to oral health depending on status of oral health and frequency of tooth brushing showed that quality in functional limitations, physical pain, psychological discomfort, physical disability, psychological disability, social disability and handicap scores were lower as the number of cavities got more. The result of multiple regression analysis to identify the factors affecting the quality of life related to oral health showed that the number of cavities and installation of denture were significant variables. The results of this study showed that there was significant association of oral health status and oral health related quality of life of the elderly. In order to maintain the oral health related quality of life, it is important to keep many number of residual teeth even if a person gets older and to support the installation of dentures if necessary.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.39
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• pp.322-349
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• 1999

The purpose of the study is to investigate kinds of social support provided by various types of family members, relationships between types of family support and personal variables of the elderly and structural variables of the family network, and the relationships between family support and depression of the elderly. Here, family included a spouse, sons and daughters and their spouses, grandchildren, siblings and parents of an older person. Social support consisted of emotional, instrumental, financial help and social companionship. Two-hundred-eight older persons of age 60 years and over were interviewed. The main results of the study were as follows: an older person's spouse tended to provide more for emotional support, sons for financial help, daughters-in-law for instrumental support, and daughters for emotional and financial support. Some elderly were also provided for emotional support by parents and siblings. Possibility of daughters-in-laws and grandchildren as support providers was also verified. Various factors among personal and network-structural characteristics were significantly related to many types of social support provided by various types of family members. In general, while younger female elders, elders with good IADL ability or more frequent contacts with family members tended to have social support from more family members, support from daughters-in-law was provided to the elderly with less functional abilities. Various types of social support from a spouse were significantly related to depression level of the elderly. Their depression level was more related to whether or not sons and daughters-in-law exist rather than whether or not they provide social support. Practical methods to increase family support for the elderly were discussed.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.280-294
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of social capital characteristics, socio-demographic characteristics, physical condition, and health behavior characteristics on health-related quality of life of the elderly in Korea. Methods: T-test, one-way ANOVA, and regression analysis were performed by applying a complex sample design to 57.787 people aged 65 and over using the 2019 Community Health Survey. Results: First, as a result of complex-sample T-test and ANOVA analysis, it was found that there were differences in health-related quality of life according to social capital characteristics, physical condition & health behavior characteristics, and socio-demographic characteristics. Complex Sample Regression Analysis Results, the explanatory power of the model was 28%. When living in the metropolitan area, living in an apartment building, having a spouse, having a higher household income, economic activity, higher educational attainment, increase sleeping time, walking time, frequent binge drinking, health checkup, networking, trust, and social participation showed higher health-related quality of life. When people were older, their gender was female, higher BMI, number of chronic diseases, and severe stress that showed lower health-related quality of life. Conclusions: It was proved that the factors affecting the health-related quality of life of the elderly are not only physical condition and health behavior factors, but also social capital and socio-demographic characteristics. It was found that the role as a member was important.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2021

Considering that the aged population increases and the mobility problem is pointed out as a factor that indisposes the quality of life, cognition, and mood, it is important to understand and evaluate the elderly's mobility. Factors that deteriorate mobility in the elderly include physical senility, various health changes including chronic diseases, polypharmacy as well as anticholinergics. Common mobility problems in old age are reduced gait speed, increased gait variability in walking length, careless walking, and frequent falls. Several studies have reported that decreased mobility and deterioration of gait can predict cognitive decline and emotional problems. Aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, and balance exercise are suggested as therapeutic interventions for mobility problems. Active correction for factors that reduce mobility in the elderly and prescribing physical activity can conserve the elderly's quality of life and help improve cognition and mood. There is a need for related research in the future.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.426-436
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to determine the moderating effect of subjective health state of elder who lives alone on the influence of those people's stratum consciousness on their depression. For this purpose, the study utilized the 5th version of Korea Longitudinal Study on Aging 2014 and analyzed data concerning 774 elder who lives alone. The findings of this study can be summarized as follows. First, the higher elder who lives alone were in subjective stratum consciousness, the lower they were in depression. Second, elder who lives alone were lower in depression when perceiving they were higher in health state. Third, the elder who lives alone were lower in depression when their perceived subjective health state was higher even if they were lower in stratum consciousness. All these findings clearly indicate that the stratum consciousness and depression of elder who lives alone are moderated by their perceived health state of their own. Lastly, the implications, limitations, and suggestion for further research were discussed.