• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.85-90
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• 2010

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between social support and quality of life (QOL) in elderly people and to examine potential cross-cultural differences. Methods: The author surveyed 82 elderly people, over the age of 65, residing in a nursing home in a Korean rural area and 73 Korean immigrants living in Houston Texas USA who were also elderly. The degree of social support was measured with 20 questions that were answered using a 5 grade scale. The quality of life was measured in 5 fields (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression, each scored using a 3 grade scale) with EUROQOL EQ-5D. Results: The mean score of social support was 65.43 for domestic Korean elderly people (range: 26 to 98); it was 73.43 for elderly Korean Americans (range: 26 to 100). The score was lower for domestic Koreans despite the traditional environment (p<0.05). Regarding QOL, 61% of domestic Korean elderly people complained of pain/discomfort and 47.5% appeared to have anxiety/depression, 30.5% complained of limitations in mobility, 20.7% reported limitations in usual activities, and 14.6% had limitations in basic self.care activity such as washing or dressing. A similar proportion of Korean American elderly had limitations in usual activities (19.2%) and self care activity (9.5%). But significantly fewer complained of anxiety/depression (16.5%, p<0.01) or pain/discomfort (38.3%, p<0.01). The major differences in psychological domains of QOL may be related to the degree of social support and the difference in the socio.cultural environment. Conclusion: Social support is a major determinant of QOL, especially for psychological domains, and these relationships are under the influence of the socio.cultural environment.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.65-76
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• 2015

With a rapidly aging population, the proportion of elderly households with low income has been increasing. Despite the poor housing environment, it is not easy to improve their housing environment due to the high cost of modification. However, as many elderly want to keep living in their current houses, it is urgent to improve their housing environment. The purpose of this study was to develop the guidelines on home modification for low-income elderly. This study set the scope of home modification categories through literature analysis in advance to develop the guidelines. Based on the literature analysis and small group workshops, the primary and secondary guidelines were derived and a total of 169 final guidelines were produced based on the scope of home modification categories. Those guidelines were composed of the categories by space, divided into mandatory and recommended by details. Those guidelines proposed in this study were classified and composed under the objective standards, so that they were systemic and objective based on the verification of experts. They are considered to get closer to the user's demand on the basis of the demand of low income elderly for home modification and the improvement categories under the system to support home modification for low income elderly at home and abroad. In addition, as the standards to apply each guideline, separated into mandatory and recommended, was suggested, those guidelines may help expand the scope of improvement under the economic conditions for home modification.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.189-198
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• 2021

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of biomechanical variables on gait according to indoor and outdoor environmental conditions in elderly women at risk of falling. Method: 26 elderly women aged 70 years or older, and consisted of 13 elderly people with a walking speed of less 1.0 m/s and 13 people in the fall risk group as normal groups. Depending on the purpose of the study, physical examination and psychological questionnaire were prepared, and then walking was performed in an indoor/outdoor environment, and the gait pattern, muscle activity, and plantar pressure results were compared and analyzed in the elderly females through a 2 group × 2 environment 2-way repeted ANOVA analysis. Results: The gait variable showed an interaction effect the cadence. The muscle variables showed interaction effects in the rectus femoris and tibialis anterior muscles, and the interaction effects of the plantar pressure variables were confirmed in the forefoot and midfoot of the contact area, and the midfoot of the mean pressure. Conclusion: These results indicate that both groups are exposed to falls risk when gait in an outdoor environment, but the fall risk group has a higher risk of falls in both the gait pattern, muscle activity, and plantar pressure variables. The results of this study are considered to be helpful as basic data and development of exercise programs to prevent falls.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.213-220
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to find the degree of satisfaction of the Korean elderly with their existing residential environment and their propensity to move. The data were collected through interviews and structured questionnaires. The subjects were 1,200 nationwide elderly over the age of 60 selected by probability sampling proportionate to size. cluster and random sampling method. The data were analyzed with frequency. percentage. and $X^2$-test using the SAS package. The major findings were as follows: Most subjects were satisfied with their housing environment and had no intention of moving. The subjects were highly satisfied with their residential environment. did not tend to move. This result does not necessarily mean that there is no need for better housing and no need to design elderly housing in Korea. It implies the need for community integrated housing development with flexible service system.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.533-547
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• 2016

The goal of this study is to analyze the effect of the working environment of elderly care facility employees on the care service quality and the mediation effect of social support. The results of the research were as follows: First, it has been confirmed that a high level of average monthly salary and the salary satisfaction theref have a positive correlation with an improvement in care service quality in the working environment variables of elderly care facility employees. Second, it has been confirmed that the average monthly salary and the salary satisfaction level among the working environment variables of elderly care facility employees have a positive correlation on the parameter of social support. Third, a partial mediation effect of social support has been confirmed in the effect that average monthly salary and the salary satisfaction level variables have on the quality of care service in the working environment of elderly care facility employees. Thus, this study actively reflects the social situation of an aged society and uses "Self-checking Management Measures" capable of suggesting the management direction for the elderly care facility to measure its service quality and proposes a method to improve the working environment of the elderly care facility employees.

• Proceeding of Spring/Autumn Annual Conference of KHA
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.139-143
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristic of living environment on nursing homes and to examine the current status and problems of the nursing homes by looking into the differences in the spatial uniqueness of living environment in relation to the characteristics of the nursing home. This study utilized a mail survey during July 29 - August 31, 2006 that included a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire largely dealt with the general feature of the facility and the elderly who live there, and the spatial feature of the facility. The study limited its survey to those facilities that were registered to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which opened after 1995 and that had the capacity of more than 30 people. As a result, the questionnaire was sent to the directors of 344 facilities who were in charge of the nursing home operation and planning. 182 facilities returned the questionnaire and the study used'182 questionnaires for data analysis. The study used the SPSS 12 program to draws the frequency, percentage of the answers and utilized the cross-tab, t-test, ANOVA to analyze the differences.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.77-86
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• 2010

Korean population is now aging at an unprecedented rate. Fertility decline together with rapid improvements in life expectancy is the dominant demographic trend. As human life and housing environment are inseparably related to each other, the importance of conditions of housing environment for active aging among seniors has been received considerable attention as vital ones to expand the independency period of seniors. The purpose of this case study is to identify relationships between environmental affordance and perceived holistic health of the active elderly living in a retirement community located in Seoul. With spending time personally in the community to observe their lives, the researcher could be in close rapport with the residents. After the period of getting familiar with each other, in-depth individual interview and focus group interview were conducted and then, qualitative analysis was completed. As a result, general evidences showed that perceived seniors' health on the whole was improved physically, socially, and mentally by moving into the community providing appropriate environment affordance with the older adults. The study presents that retirement relocation into an improper environment may be a negative challenge, however, it may positively influence on the health and well-being of those who live there if the environment properly supports seniors‘ needs physically and socially

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.511-531
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• 2014

This study explores supportive and conflictual network structures of elderly single and couple households and analyzes the effects of supportive and conflictual networks on suicidal thoughts by gender and family type. The analysis considered a sample of 522 individuals over the age of 60 who did not live with their adult children. The statistical methods used to analyze data were descriptive statistics, a t-test, a chi-square test and a regression analysis using SPSS WIN 20.0. The results are as follows. First, men and elderly single households had support networks that were smaller than those of women and elderly couple households. The conflictual network of elderly couples households was larger than that of elderly single households. In addition, the larger the network, the more the conflictual was. Second, elderly single households thought about suicide more often than elderly couple households. Third, economic status, the number of adult children, the size of conflictual network and subjective health had considerable influence on suicidal thoughts of elderly single and couple households. The size of the conflictual network had a greater effect on suicidal thoughts of elderly individuals than that of the supportive network. These results have important policy implications for elderly single and couple households.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• no.2
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• pp.10-16
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• 1994

The purpose of this study was to present systematic interior design guidelines for the elderly housing environment. As an environmental affordance system, Murth 's user benefit criteria was employed to analyze the items of the interior design guidlines in the 5 selected elderly housing literatures. 646 items were collected from the 5 representative literatures on elderly housing design. As a result of the content anaylysis, a set of comprehensive interior design guidenlines which was systematically synthesized based on the Murtha' s user benefit criteria was presented according to the specific spaces. The behaviroral facilitation and physiological maintenance dimension most frequently mentioned in foreign literature. Perceptual maintenance dimension needed to be developed in the future in elderly housing.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Interior Design Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.152-155
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• 2007

Although the population of the elderly has grown rapidly, their residential environment is not supported appropriately. The elderly are hard to adapt a new environment, so the concept of 'aging in place' is on the rise. For these reasons, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Construction and Transportation, and Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy suggested each a design guideline for the elderly housing. In this study, we made a comparative analysis on these guidelines. Each guideline has something common but has some differences. So they needs of their integration after this.