• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.1-14
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• 2004

Although the proportion of frail elderly among the elderly population has been rapidly increasing, there is little preparation to provide housing alternatives for them in Korean society. Long-term care facility a housing alternative for frail elderly that enables them to receive social and medical care services that enhance the quality of their life. This research was conducted to study the opinions of middle-aged Koreans about long-term care facilities for the frail elderly. This study provides useful suggestions for the development of user-paid long-term care facilities in the near future. A survey questionnaire was administered to 600 adults in their 50s to collect data. The sample was stratified according to region, gender, and housing structure type. The results showed that most of the respondents were aware of long-term care facilities for the frail elderly; but they were relatively unwilling to live in these facilities, as compared to other housing alternatives. However, a larger number of respondents said that as they became very frail, they would be willing to live in these facilities. The respondents expressed a high level of need for user-paid long-term care facilities as an alternative to hospitalization. Also, they wanted to have a variety of long-term care facilities that are designed for different levels of disability. The education level of respondents and their spouses, average monthly income, subjective economic level, and religion were major variables that differentiated significantly the opinions about long-term care facilities for the frail elderly.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.106-114
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• 2019

Background: It is difficult to assess whether community-dwelling frail older adults may remain pre-frail status or improve into a robust state without being directly checked by health care professionals. The health information perceived by older adults is considered to be one of best sources of potential concerns in older adult population. An online measurement system combined with item response theory (IRT) and computer adaptive testing (CAT) methods is likely to become a realistic approach to remotely monitor physical activity status of frail older adults. Objects: This article suggests an approach to provide a precise and efficient means of measuring physical activity levels of community-dwelling frail older adults. Methods: Article reviews were reviewed and summarized. Results: In comparison to the classical test theory (CTT), the IRT method is empirically aimed to focus on the psychometric properties of individual test items in lieu of the test as a whole. These properties allow creating a large item pool that can capture the broad range of physical activity levels. The CAT method administers test items by an algorithm that select items matched to the physical activity levels of the older adults. Conclusion: An online measurement system combined with these two methods would allow adequate physical activity measurement that may be useful to remotely monitor the activity level of community-dwelling frail older adults.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.47-56
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• 2017

Background: Given the potential benefits of wellness programs promoting physical activity of the community-dwelling frail elderly, it is recommended that comprehensive wellness programs combined with the component of physical activity. This may improve overall health and potentially lower the health care cost of the frail elderly. In general, the frail elderly residing in community or those after being discharged from hospitals are often committed to enhancing the status of participation in physical activity. Objects: The purposes of this study were to identify specific shortcomings of current wellness programs as part of continuum of community rehabilitation services and to propose alternatives for the care of the community-dwelling frail elderly. Through this study, geriatric health care professionals may be able to implement assessments and programs to successfully promote an effective continuum of care for the frail elderly. Methods: Article reviews were summarized and evaluated. Results: A model elaborating the relationship between components of successful wellness program and participation in physical activities for the community-dwelling frail elderly are recommended. First, periodic monitoring the levels of physical activity by the use of online measurement system should be considered. Second, individualized adaptive technologies for selecting optimal physical activities for the elderly may be better fit to individuals' current status of physical activity. Conclusion: The current status of physical activity in community-dwelling frail elderly can be monitored by online assessment systems. Through the innovative measurement system, elderly may assess his/her physical activity status overtime, select optimal physical activities matching the status, and create the elderly's own adaptive wellness programs that match to the status while residing in his/her community.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.12-20
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors of health-related quality of life and to examine their effects in frail elderly. Methods: This was a correlation study. The subjects were 680 frail elders aged over 65 who were receiving home care from one of 253 public health centers in 16 provinces, and data were collected from the 1st to 30th of April, 2008. Results: The mean health-related quality of life in the subjects was $6.0{\pm}2.0$. The predictors identified in this study significantly explained 41.3% of health-related quality of life. Self-rated health was the most significant predictor of health-related quality of life. ADL and depression had an effect on health-related quality of life. Conclusion: Self-rated health, ADL and depression were the predictors of health-related quality of life in the frail elderly.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.81-90
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• 2001

This study focuses on the type of elder care arrangements and its consequences for mental health among physically frail elderly. Based on data from 410 frail older people, this study reveals the following results: (1) Frail elderly in family caregiving situation shows better mental health in terms of depression and psychological well-being than those in self-care or public institutional situation, (2) but this positive effect of family caregiving on mental health, especially depression, among older people is partly explained by the differences in income and marital status among older people in different caregiving situations, (3) the factors which are significantly related to mental health of older people are income in family caregiving situation, and education in both self-care situation and institutional situation. The results of the study emphasize the importance of family resources in family caregiving situation and of personal resources in self7are or institutional situation.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.91-101
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the effects of exercise on physiological, physical and psychological functions of the frail elderly. Methods: The research design was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Data were collected from September 9 to October 10, 2009. The subjects were 56 frail elders who agreed to participate in this study and each subject was randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n=28) or the control group (n=28). The exercise program was provided to each subject in the experimental group twice in a week for 6 weeks. Data were analyzed with frequency, ${\chi}^2$-test, Kolmogorov-Smirnor test and independent t-test using SPSS/WIN 12.0. Results: There was a significant improvement in psychological functions in the experimental group compared to the control group (t=1.726, p=.045). Conclusion: The exercise program showed the effects to improve the psychological functions of the frail elderly with chronic disease. In recommendation, this exercise program could be utilized as a health promoting program for the frail elderly.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2007

Purpose : The purpose of this study was investigated to find the approach in the PNF and TC for frail elder Method : This is a literature study with books, articles, seminal note and books for PNF and TC international course. Result : Neural mechanisms contribute significantly to the gains that occur in the range of motion about a joint with stretching exercises. The participation in a stretch-training program decreases tonic reflex activity and increases flexibility and decreases in force production and muscle activation. Also the stretching-induced decreases may be due to a central nervous system inhibitory mechanism. PNF stretch techniques can increase ROM in older adults. These results may differ from those of studies performed with younger populations because of age-related physiologic changes. TC exercise improves balance control and muscle strength and were associated with reorganized lower extremity neuromuscular patterns. Conclusions : The stretch training program of the PNF and TC contribute to increase the balance and coordination for frail elder. Therefore, The frail elder prevent falling. Further study, The PNF and TC be introduced as the new therapeutic intervention for frail elder.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.394-405
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to clarify the concept of the frail elderly and to obtain theoretical evidence. The research method was conducted using the basic principles for conceptual analysis of Walker and Avant(2005). As a Result of a review of the literature about how to utilize the concept of a frail elderly, frail elderly might be in the intermediate state of health and disease. They can be defined as physically vulnerable in the sarcopenia, inflammation, insulin resistance, and preceding advanced disease, lead to hospitalization, falls, disability, and death. The attributes were physiological, psychological, and socio-environmental and economic factors, so they had multidimensional factors. They were required the assist daily living of another person. Also, their attributes had decreased the amount of recovery time and degree, and exhaustion. The attributes of frail elderly consisted of these facts: dynamic process, multidimensional factors, dependency, vulnerability. The frail elderly was a dynamic process that involves the possibility of change to health and disease, and include physical, mental, cognitive, and social environmental factors. In addition, the frail elderly was difficulty in daily life, physical vulnerability and difficulty in adaption. In conclusion, frail elderly as defined by the results of this study will contribute to the foundation of health care systems, including community visiting nursing to understand the level of frail elderly and systemic management to do not go into long term care.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.405-414
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• 2015

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of home visit healthcare using a complex program on community-dwelling frail elders' physical strength, frailty, and depression and to compare the effects among three regions. Methods: This study was conducted as a quasi-experimental study using one-group pretest-posttest design. A total of 86 subjects were sampled from three regions (metropolis, small city, and rural area). The program was applied for 14 weeks. This program consisted of disease management by a visiting nurse, exercise with a visiting nurse, self exercise, telephone monitoring, health education, counseling, providing handbook, and incentive. Physical strength was measured by balance, upper-limb, and lower-limb muscle strength. Frailty was measured by the Korean Frail Scale and depression was measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale. Paired t-test and ANCOVA were used to analyze the effects. Results: Physical strength, frailty, and depression were significantly improved after applying the complex program. There were not differences among the regions. Conclusion: Home visit healthcare using a complex program was effective in improving frail elders' physical strength, frailty, and depression. There were not differences among the regions. Therefore, home visit healthcare using a complex program needs to be expanded to other regions.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide a disease management, nutrition education, and group exercise program for three months to the moderately frail elderly whose physical functions have deteriorated, and to investigate its effects in order to develop an intervention program. Methods: As a quasi-experiment, this study was conducted based on non-equivalence studies designed as a similar experiment. The milk intake group and calcium intake group participated in the disease education, individual nutrition education, and group exercise program for three months, and the control group was visited once in the three months by a nurse who provided disease education, nutrition education, and oral instruction of exercise, and asked them to exercise on their own every day. For the data analysis, ${\chi}^2$-test, ANOVA and $Scheff{\acute{e}}$ test were used. Results: After three months of intervention, there was a significant difference in the frailty level (p=.029) and bone density (p=.001) between the groups. Conclusion: The comprehensive intervention program had an effect on the bone density and the frailty level of the socially-vulnerable and moderately frail elderly, suggesting that the program can be used as a nursing intervention to prevent functional deterioration and damage of the moderately frail elderly.