• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.467-475
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• 2007

The nutritional status and chronic disease occurrence of the elderly living in local areas is affected by certain factors, including low energy intakes, low food diversity, poor nutritional quality and living alone. Moreover, elderly people who live alone may have low incomes and be socially isolated. Thus, we have provided them adjustable and balanced menus using standard recipes. In this study, we investigated aspects of nutritional status and living conditions in the elderly status, in relation to food, activities of daily living(ADL), nutrition risk index, average intake of calories and nutrients, the mini dietary assessment index score, depression score, menu satisfaction, menu demand, satisfaction with menu offerings. The result indicated significant nutritional improvements by providing menus to the elders and suggest that by providing adjustable and balanced menus using standard recipes, the nutritional status of isolated elders can be changed and improved.

• Stress
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.259-267
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• 2018

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors influencing cognitive function and life satisfaction in elderly living alone. Methods: It was cross-sectional descriptive study by using secondary data from the 2014 national survey of Korean elderly. The study sample consisted of 2,249 subjects who live alone, aged 65 years old and over. Data were analyzed frequency analysis, ${\chi}^2$-test, t-test, ANOVA and Logistic regression analysis. Results: The risk factors that significantly influenced cognitive function were old age, bereavement, lack of education, no regular exercise and low socio-cultural activity satisfaction. The risk factors that significantly influenced life satisfaction were no bereavement, lack of education, no work, negative evaluation of health status, diagnosis of depression and no regular exercise. Also experience of emotional and economical abuse, neglect of financial support and low cognitive function were identified risk factors of life satisfaction. Conclusions: The elderly living alone with risk factors of cognitive decline should be interested. To prevent or delay cognitive impairment, regular exercise and socio-cultural activities were recommended. It was suggested that the promotion of cognitive function, appropriate work and exercise, and social efforts to prevent abuse and neglect can contribute to improving life satisfaction of elderly living alone.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 2012

Due to difficulty of marriage with women in Korea, unmarried men in countryside tend to have an international marriage. A ratio of international marriage was 3.7% in 2004, but increased by over 10% in 2004 due to the change of population composition in countryside. Without social or national preparation on a multicultural family and an increase of elder who lives alone made problems such as changes of population composition in countryside, a high rate of divorce due to differences on culture and society. These problems are becoming critical problems in countryside, not only for a family. This Study has a purpose as below, Firstly, this study will examine living place of elder who live alone and multicultural families. Secondly, characteristics of using each space will be analyzed and then surveyed efficiency and satisfaction. The result of survey will be provided to space planning for improvement of living standard. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: The characteristics of the surveyed households, the elderly ratio of 70 to 80 units high, and when the elderly become less than 10 years, 51.6%, 77.4% of women were overwhelmingly high. The characteristics of multicultural families in the in the middle or early 2000s when immigration is concentrated and national origin in Vietnam was 66.7 %. Housing characteristics of households with elderly housing type, the ratio improved to 61.3% is Majority. Type strain and 29% in traditional houses, traditional housing type is 9.7%. And house of multicultural families improve housing type is 87.5% Majority. The main space of the housing for the elderly, most are usually satisfied. But generally low level of self-determined housing survey confers real. These results have lived a long time because of space adaptation and can be viewed as attachment. For the elderly passive use of space and simplify the Act and heating cooling at the expense of the use of housing space due to the reduction, but multicultural families is the space required for the growth of their children because there are more modifications required.

• The Journal of Korean society of community based occupational therapy
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.1-12
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• 2013

Objective : The objective of this study is to present basic data to find health care plans for the elderly by comparing time-management ability and ADL and identifying the relationships between groups with subjects of elderly people living alone and living with family in Daejeon Metropolitan City. Method : A total of 80 elders who lived alone or with family that were aged 65 or older were selected with MMSE-K, 40 people were selected as subjects for each group. For time-management ability, a questionnaire was used. ADL were assessed by using FIM. The study period was May to June 2013. Result : Comparison of scores for time-management ability and FIM of the elderly who live alone or living with family did not show any statistically significant difference. In comparison of detailed scores between groups, there were statistically significant differences between the two groups being social interaction, problem solving and memory in social cognition items among detailed items. Conclusion : Through this study, we understood that social cognitive function of the aged living alone who had less opportunity of interaction compared to that of the aged living with family was lowered. Based on this, development and study on various programs should be made with consideration of sociodemographic characteristics of the elderly within community-based occupational therapy in the future.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.9-18
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• 2010

As an aging population has increased vastly and nuclear families have been a dominating family type in modern Korean society, the numbers of the elderly who suffer Empty Nest Syndrome and LID (Loss Isolation Depression) syndrome have been accelerated. These syndromes involve psychological instability, melancholy, and lethargy. To make the elderly get out of this phenomenon and live actively, the scheme of converting their existing house into shared housing was set as a hypothetical solution in this study. This study sets out to find out responses of the elderly to alter their own house's function in housing improvement area. A Small Workshop Panel method was used and the elderly aged 55 years upwards took part and they own a detached house in a housing improvement area that is relatively large for the elderly or the elderly couple to live alone. Through the workshop, problems that the elderly have been experiencing within their houses were looked into and responses of the elderly on altering their house to shared housing by introducing developed schematic plans. Although, the first response was negative, positive responses from the house owners were carried out when a visual support i.e. developed shared housing plan was provided. The positive response was based on the fact that subsidies from the government on house renovation and tenants matching programs are supported as shared housing could provide home owners economical support with rents and help them to feel less lonely. This is a way of relieving the elderly from being neglected and supporting them to live and age actively in their later lives. Furthermore, by providing a visual media to the elder residents in housing improvement area, their greater understandings on the development and addressing their opinions were possible. Therefore, more tools that promote elder residents' participation are needed for future housing improvement projects and an aging society.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.201-210
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• 2010

Over the past few decades, the proportion of elderly people in Korea has been rapidly increasing. In particular, rural areas are experiencing aging of communities more rapidly compared to urban areas. However, public policy for the elderly does not respond to the needs of rural elderly. To distribute health care resources equitably, it is necessary to gather reliable information on the health status of the elderly. The purpose of this study is to explore factors affecting Korean elderly people's ADL functional status. The data sources are from 2004 Elderly Living Condition Survey. The Analysis sample consists of 3,278 cases. Analysis results show that there is a significant residential variability in education, monthly stipend, living arrangement, subjective health status, regular food in-take, and regular exercise. Logistic regression analysis results also show that 'cognitive ability'(exp(B)=6.603), 'subjective health status'(exp(B)=4.576), 'age'(exp(B)=2.610), and 'living arrangement'(exp(B)=.589) are factors affecting ADLs. Namely, when a respondent's cognitive ability is limited, subjective health status is poor, or if their age is over 75, the probability of having a limited ADL has been 6.6 times, 4.6 times, and 2.6 times higher than otherwise. Among these variables, cognitive ability was the best explanation. In contrast, respondents who live with a spouse or adult children have a lower probability of having limited ADL compared with those who live alone. Considering that the most critical criteria in determining eligibility for social welfare services is ADLs, the development of appropriate ADL assessment tools is in an urgent need. Without the accurate assessment on ADLs, particularly on rural as well as the urban elderly, it seems to be hard to achieve effectiveness in the health care policy for the elderly.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.446-450
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• 2012

Purpose: This study is exploratory research to check the survey instrument KDSQ-C used to measure cognition for agreement between the elderly and their caregivers. Methods: Elderly persons from 170 families, who are aged over 65, have never been diagnosed with dementia, and who have caregivers in S City and K City were randomly selected by their nurses. A survey was conducted in the time from September to November, 2009 through personal interviews using a questionnaire. Results: In terms of consistency among items, there was high consistency (0.813) in the responses regarding complex task competence for the statement 'it is hard to reach a destination alone with public transportation'. There was relatively low consistency (0.63) in the responses regard memory for the statement 'they forget an appointment'. When the subject elderly and caregiver live together, as when their children or spouses responded, consistency was greater than when the caregiver lived in a different home. Conclusion: KDSQ-C showed high agreement in measurement between the subject elderly and their caregivers, demonstrating that it can be used as a measurement scale for cognition which can be directly applied to the subject elderly.

• Proceeding of Spring/Autumn Annual Conference of KHA
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.140-143
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• 2008

As the number of family living alone is expected to soar due to a change in socio-demographics like divorce, more middle-aged women returning to work, homes become smaller and so on. In addition to in 2020 these people will be increase so that 85 percent of the Koreans compose elderly living alone who is over 65. This study aims at developing a sharing-typed elderly people-centered rental model which is accessible in the community integration dimension as an alternative and finding out theirconscious, their need about residence. and we need to check about their major requirements on improvement step by step. so that we suggest the desirable way on the existing multi house. The model provides benefits in the social, economical and pragmatic dimensions as the families living alone get together and living with others, Particularly, as a residence model which reduces a psychological loneliness and at the same time enables the elderly to continue to live a life in the community while they live together with other people, this model could be a strategy which supports the "Aging in Place." This study is in progress via small group workshop which debate gradually about special subject with similar group member. So we can find the residence's preference on living environment in various condition and the member can imagine freely on their future living arrangement by giving the various informations which can be proceed in future. The workshop proceed three times. at the first workshop, we're check their living environment and satisfaction level. and second time we give the knowledge about shared-type rental house then discuss about the model. and last time we're listen to the residence's opinion.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.119-129
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the status of depression and the cognitive function among the elderly over 65 years of age who use the welfare facilities for the aged in the community. Methods: For this study the data were collected from March 27, 2006 to April 14, 2006. Subjects were 92 elderly over 65 years old. The level of depression was estimated with the Beck Depression Inventory, and the cognitive function with the modified Mental Status Questionnaire (MSQ). The Data were analyzed using frequencies, t-test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient with the SPSS/PC program. Results: The results of this study are summarized as follows. 1. The mean score was 13.09 for depression and 8.27 for cognitive function. 2. Analysis according to the demographic characteristics confirmed a statistically significant difference on the level of cognitive function between the elderly who live alone and those who live together(f=4.293, p<0.01) 3. The percentage of the severely and mildly impaired in cognitive function was 7.6% and 6.5%, respectively. 4. The variables of age(f=11.17, p<0.01), educational level(f=15.23, p<0.01), martial status(f=4.084, p<0.01), and economic activity(t=4.41, p<0.01) showed a significant effect on cognitive function. 5. There was no relationship between depression and cognitive function. Conclusion: Social support and a variety of programs at welfare facilities in the community were recommended in order to reduce depression and cognitive impairment in the elderly.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.226-233
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• 2008

Objectives: The purpose was to test the effect of an empowerment health management program on self-esteem and the quality of life for the elderly who live in cities. Methods: Forty-three elders were randomly assigned to either the experimental group that received the intervention to participate in one year's empowerment practice (one home visiting per week and phone counselling) (n=21) or to the control group that got home visiting only (n=22). The data was analyzed using ANCOVA. Results: There was no significant difference in the self-esteem score between the two groups after the intervention. But the quality of life score of the experimental group was significantly different from that of the control group after the intervention. Conclusions: The health management intervention using empowerment for the elderly living alone with chronic diseases in urban areas had positive effects on the quality of life. Therefore this intervention can be broadly applied to other elders living alone with chronic diseases in urban areas.