• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.101-107
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• 2014

Purpose: Recently, the population of elderly people has been increasing rapidly all over the world. The social activities of the aging population have increased, which has also increased the number of elderly patients injured in traffic accidents. Thus, we analyzed the characteristics of elderly patients involved in traffic accidents. Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively from July 2008 to March 2009 among trauma patients involved in traffic accidents who visited Wonju Severance Christian Hospital. Patients under 18 years of age and pregnant patients were excluded. We divided the patients in two groups, a geriatrics group and an adult group on the basis of an age of 65. We compared the types of traffic accidents, the locations of the accidents, the behaviors of the patients at the times of the accidents, the use of seat-belts, and alcohol consumption between the two groups. We calculated the Revised Trauma Score (RTS), Injury Severity Score (ISS), and Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) for each group. Results: Total number of the included patients was 903, and the number of elderly patients was 181 (mean age: $71.7{\pm}4.9$ years old). There were no significant differences in the initial vital signs, GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale), and RTS between the two groups. There were differences in the types and the locations of the crashes, the behaviors of the patients at the times of the accidents, the use of seat belts, and alcohol consumption between the two groups (p<0.05). The average ISS of the geriatric group was higher than that of the adult group ($9.66{\pm}10.11$ vs. $6.59{\pm}8.99$, p=0.004). The mortality was higher in the geriatric group (n=17,9%) than in the adult group (n=23,2%) (p=0.004). Conclusion: The numbers of mortalities and surgical procedures were greater within the elderly group than the adult group. The average ISS was higher in the geriatric group than in the adult group. The severity of injuries due to traffic accidents was higher in the geriatric group than it was in the adult group.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 1990

In order to find out the status of health care of the old aged people (age of 65 and over) in a rural area, a study was carried out, through analyzing the data of health care clinic for 207 old aged people with geriatric diseases, and of questionnired survey for 84 old aged people with geriatric diseases in a rural community. Su Dong-Myun. Nam Yang Zu-Gun, Kyung Gi-Do, Korea, during the year of 1989. The following results were obtained. 1) The composition rate of population of age of 65 and over was 9.8% in total, and sex-specific composition rate was 9.3% in male and 10.4% in female. 2) Utilization rate of health care clinic for old aged people with geriatric diseases was the highest rate with 37.9%, through individual letters at the first time, and showed gradually decreasing tendency afterward. 3) In the means of utilization advices to health care clinic for the old aged people. the individual letters(37.9%) at the first time were more effective than public information of the old aged hall or/and Myun office(18.4%). 4) In opinion on utilization of health subcenter-health care clinic for the old aged people "will utilize"(59.5%) was the highest and "do not know"(26.2%) "be difficult to utilize" (9.5%) and "will not utilize"(4.8%) were in the next order. 5) Out of 84 respondents, the old aged people With geriatric diseases, 73.8%(about three-fourths) of them answered "their diseases to the aggravated" (29.8%) "not to be changed"(25.0%) and "to be unknown"(19.0%), and the others(26.2% of them) "to be changed for the better". 6) Out of 62 respondents(the old aged people), answered their geriatric diseases not to be changed for the better, "no curative effect" was the highest with 43.5% of them. "could not know" (33.9%), "would not treat"(19.4%) and "could not be treated"(4.8%) were in decreasing order. 7) The old aged people, responded their diseases to be changed for the better, answered that they(patients) should make themselves(68.2%) responsible for basic effort of health care. However the old aged people responded their diseases not to be changed for the better answered that they should impute the responsibility of basic effort for health care to medical facilities or other conditions(63.0%). 8) In the reason of failure that the old aged people responded their geriatric diseases not to have curative effect, mis-control of regular habits of daily life was the highest(57.1%), and failure of taking selected medicine steadily(28.6%), and abuse of medicines(14.3%) were in decreasing order. 9) The reason order of being changed for the better that the old aged people responded their diseases to have curative effect, was keeping and control of regular habits of daily life (46.7%), taking selected medicines steadily(33.3%) and others (20.2%) respectively. 10) The courses of geriatric diseases itself are so chronic, duplicate and uncertain, and the old aged people activities for disease control are so slow, various and uncertain that continuous health education in home or/and community unit must be essential factors for effective geriatric health care.

• Journal of Korean Society of Health-System Pharmacists
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.418-429
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• 2018

Background : To improve medication adherence in elderly patients, the role of pharmacists in teambased services has been highlighted in the literature. However, not much is known about the role and the service elements involved in comprehensive geriatric programs in South Korea. This study was designed to describe the current status of medication adherence in geriatric patients based on the comprehensive geriatric assessment program and analyze the predictive factors for medication adherence in a tertiary teaching hospital. Methods : A retrospective cohort study was performed using electronic medical records of 247 patients from March 1st, 2015 to August 31st, 2015. Medication adherence and the types of non-adherence were also collected. Predictive factors for adherence were evaluated by including factors related to demographics, medications, illness, and patterns of medical usage. Results : The mean age of the study population was 81.2 years (range 65~98 years) and they were taking 9.7 drugs on an average (SD 5.0 drugs). The overall rate of non-adherence was 34%. About 48% of the patients had any forms of assistance in the medication administration. The most common type of non-adherence was "self-adjustment". The multivariate analyses revealed that age (adjusted odds ratio, 0.87 [95% CI, 0.80-0.96]; p 0.05) and the number of inappropriate medications (adjusted odds ratio, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.40-0.89]; p 0.05) were strong predictors for non-adherence. Conclusions : These results indicate that strategic considerations of the predictors of non-adherence should be improved in medication counseling services targeting elderly patients.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.107-110
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• 2005

Objective : Lumbar spinal stenosis is increasingly recognized as a common cause of low back pain in elderly patients. Conservative treatment has been initially applied to elderly patients, however, surgical treatment is sometimes indispensable to relieve severe pain. We retrospectively examine the age-related effects on the surgical risk, and results following general anesthesia and operative procedure in geriatric patients for two different age groups of at least 65years old. Methods : Consecutive 51 patients [${\ge}$ 65years], who underwent open surgical procedure for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis, were selected in the study. Patients were divided into two groups. Group A included all patients who were between 65 and 69years of age at the time of surgery. Group B included all patients who were at least 70years of age at the time of surgery. We reviewed medical history including preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists[ASA] classification of physical status, anesthetic risk factor, operative time, estimated blood loss, transfusion requirements, hospital stay, operated level, and clinical outcome to look for comparisons between two age groups [$65{\sim}69$ and over 70years]. Results : In preoperative evaluation, mean anesthetic risk factor of patients was numerically similar between the groups. The American Society of Anesthesiologists classification of physical status was similar between two groups. There was no difference in operated level, operative time, estimated blood loss, hospital stay, and anesthetic risk factor between the two groups. The clinical successful outcome showed 82.7% for Group A and 81.8% for group B. The overall postoperative complication rates were similar for both group A and B. Conclusion : We conclude that advanced age per se, did not increase the associated morbidity and mortality in surgical decompression for spinal stenosis.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.163-190
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• 2011

This study assessed the manner in which social activities, religious experiences, and spiritual practices related to depression and life satisfaction among 217 Korean elderly individuals, aged 65 to 80. The Social Activities Scale and Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiosity/Spirituality were employed to assess social activities and six domains of religiosity/spirituality: daily spiritual experiences, values, forgiveness, private religious practice, religious/spiritual coping, and religious support. In addition, depression was assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale, and life satisfaction with the Satisfaction with Life Scale. After controlling for demographic variables, lower depression scores were predicted by higher levels of religious and spiritual coping, social activities, higher income, and ower daily spiritual experiences. In addition, identifying as female, advanced old age, and lower social activities predicted lower life satisfaction in this study. The implications of this study's findings on social work practice are also discussed, along with some future research directions.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.139-147
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• 2011

Purpose: An integrative literature review was done to identify the best interventions for older adults with dyslipidemia in an effort to promote nursing involvement in the prevention of statin-induced symptoms (SIS). Such awareness could increase the capacity of interventions by geriatric nurses using evidence-based practices in the reassessment of statin therapy. Methods: CINAHL, Pubmed, and ProQuest were searched using these terms: dyslipidemia in, elderly, statins, adverse effects, and quality of life. Eleven articles fitting the inclusion criteria were identified and analyzed. Results: The findings indicate no evidence for the benefit of statin therapy for morbidity/mortality in a high-risk primary prevention set-up, specifically in the elderly population. Although SIS prevails among older adults, there are limited data that confidently support this observation along with nursing interventions specifically for the geriatric nursing community. Conclusion: Future research is necessary to shift nursing intervention with statin users (specifically in older adults) from an illness-based intervention to a preventive care plan to provide optimal care based on evidence. It is essential to involve self-reporting, cooperation, and communication with health care professionals, specifically with geriatric nurses. Additional studies are needed to further direct practice interventions in elderly statin users.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.783-786
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• 2015

Background: Utilizing geriatric screening tools for the identification of vulnerable older patients with cancer is important. The aim of this study is to evaluate the hospitalization risk of elderly hematologic cancer patients based on geriatric assessment and laboratory parameters. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study 61 patients with hematologic malignancies, age 65 years and older, were assessed at a hematology outpatient clinic. Standard geriatric screening tests; activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), timed up and go test (TUG), geriatrics depression scale (GDS) were administered. Demographic and medical data were obtained from patient medical records. The number of hospitalizations in the following six months was then recorded to allow analysis of associations with geriatric assessment tools and laboratory parameters. Results: The median age of the patients, 37 being males, was 66 years. Positive TUG test and declined ADL was found as significant risk factors for hospitalization (p=0.028 and p=0.015 respectively). Correlations of hospitalization with thrombocytopenia, vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency were statistically significant (p=0.004, p=0.011 and p=0.05 respectively). Conclusions: In this study, geriatric conditions which are usually unrecognized in a regular oncology office visit were identified. Our study indicates TUG and ADL might be use as predictive tests for hospitalization in elderly oncology populations. Also thrombocytopenia, and vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiencies are among the risk factors for hospitalization. The importance of vitamin B12 and folic acid vitamin replacement should not be underestimated in this population.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.19-30
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• 2005

As the population of the elderly increases drastically year by year in Korea, the more welfare centers for them are greatly needed. There are, however, a small number of public geriatric hospitals currently available. And a limited number of private-founded geriatric centers are under construction throughout the country. And the systematic standards for the spacial composition and departmental area distribution for them are not satisfactorily set up yet. The analytical study of the space composition and area distribution of the hospitals in question shows that publicly-shared spaces, such as day-room and lobby, are much more useful for their communications than private spaces, such as shut-in living rooms. It also shows that in-yards or in-gardens which are located in the center of the wards are very helpful for their comfortable long-term hospitalization. The shared spaces are recommended to be in sight of and within earshot of their caretakers. In relation with out-patient departments, the programs for the local elderly residents, such as the day-care center and recreation facilities are recommended to be prepared for their physical care and emotional treatment at a time by municipal welfare centers rather than by private institutions. The analytic study carried out in terms of departmental area distributions reveals that the areas for the wards are generally wider and areas for out-patient/or diagnosis departments are relatively narrower than those in the general hospitals. These area distributions seem to have come from the considerations of their relatively long-term staying in the centers than general hospitals and their mental stability as well.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.412-419
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• 2016

Objective: Because the number of geriatric cancer patients is on the rise but information on treatments for this population is limited, this study aimed to analyze clinical characteristics and the factors that influence treatment decisions among elderly cancer patients.Method: Data on elderly cancer patients (≥65 years of age) who were admitted to a traditional Korean medicine hospital from March 2014 to February 2016 were collected. We compared the clinical characteristics and overall survival rates of the chemotherapy group and the non-chemotherapy group.Results: Nineteen patients were included in this study. Nine people received chemotherapy, and ten people did not receive chemotherapy due to concerns about quality of life. Age, activities of daily living (ADL) score, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status all showed differences between the two groups, although median survival times did not differ significantly between the two. Compared with chemotherapy alone, traditional Korean medicine combined with chemotherapy prolonged median survival times.Conclusion: Old age and low ECOG performance status and ADL scores appear to be influential factors for the decision to undergo chemotherapy. Further studies are needed to confirm that these factors influence decisions about cancer treatment methods among geriatric cancer patients.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.183-190
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• 2009

Increase in the elderly population has given rise to various social problems throughout Korean society, and what is more, although the greater demand of medical treatment, its development is still in its early stages. Given that Specialized Geriatrics Hospital has stood amid a range of spatial complication and it should faithfully reflect the needs of elderly population, we need a better understanding of Specialized Geriatrics Hospital. This study suggested the foundation to plan of Specialized Geriatrics Hospital through analyzing and evaluating spatial configuration of Specialized Geriatrics Hospital by "Space Syntax" and "J-Graph" The study focused on Specialized Geriatric Hospitals existing in Korea which owned more than 100 beds. The result of this study is summarized as follows; First, the rate of separated convex showed that the portions of the Treatment of outpatients and Supply have increased, but onthe other hand the portion of the The ward has been on the decrease. Second, in the case of Treatment of outpatients, it was structured Tree-shaped and the Tree-shaped could be separated with two types: waiting room and wailing room with lounge. in the case of The ward, it was structured Tree-shaped and also Ring-shaped. The more recently opened Geriatrics Hospital, the closer to Ring-shaped. Third, the access to the Ccentral treatment was low though the access to the core of the each floor was high. Fourth, in the progress of intelligibility, the fact that its value has decreased is becoming a serious problem of medical development for the elderly population finally, according to J-graph's analysis, the hallway made the spatial depth of rooms and public space more deepened. This caused by scattered arrangement of public spaces. As the only planning were considered in this study, It therefore needs more diversified approaches considering physical factors such like real distance and area.