• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.221-229
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics and side effects relevance of physically restrained elderly patients with dementia in the nursing hospitals. The data were collected from nursing care providers working at the 5 nursing hospitals with survey and analyzed 190 data using SPSS 21.0 program. The finding showed that age of '75 to 84' years occupied 58.3%, '17-24' hours of the total restrained time of the day 22.6%, night time 57.4% and no fall down history 54.2%. Age showed relevance with local edema and problem of joint construction(p<.05), specifically '85 and over' years having 25% occurrence in the problem of joint construction. Walking ability showed relevance with pressure ulcer, but in the patients who could walk it showed more frequency than in the patients who could not walk. The total restrained time of the day showed relevance with skin redness, local edema, problem of joint construction(p<.05). Based on this finding, it would be necessary to apply differential care policies according to the characteristics of patients when we care the restrained patients with dementia.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.511-519
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• 2017

This study developed a occupational therapy convergent activity program to provide dementia patients admitted to the daytime ward, and investigated the program's effect on the hand and cognitive functions and instrumental activities of daily living. A total of 34 dementia patients were divided into two groups: a convergent occupational therapy program and medication were provided for 17 patients, and medication alone was provided for a control group of 17. The intervention was performed for 24 weeks, 8 times per week, 192 times in total. A handgrip strength test was performed to examine hand function before and after the intervention, and the MMSE-K and GDS were performed to evaluate cognitive function. In addition, the K-IADL was used to assess instrumental activities of daily living. With intervention, the experimental group showed significant improvements in hand and cognitive function and instrumental activities of daily living. In contrast, the control group did not show improvements in hand and cognitive function or instrumental activities of daily living. In conclusion, the study showed that a convergent/integrated activity program for occupational therapy has a positive effect on hand and cognitive function as well as instrumental activities of daily living.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.94-101
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• 2016

Objectives : Anemia is a common problem in the management of elderly patients. Recent studies reported that anemia was associated with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. This study was aimed to analyze the differences of hemoglobin levels in Korean patients with Alzheimer's disease(AD) dementia, mild cognitive impairment(MCI), and healthy controls. Furthermore, the study also examined if any association between hemoglobin levels and cognitive functions existed. Methods : A total of 116 Korean elderly adults were participated in this study(mean age 74.67 years ; 60.3% female). The Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE-K), Clinical Dementia Rating(CDR) and Global Deterioration Scale(GDS) were applied to all subjects. Hematological and related blood chemistry values were investigated. Results : We found that patients with AD dementia had significantly lower hemoglobin and hematocrit levels than MCI subjects and healthy control group. The hemoglobin levels showed a positive correlation with MMSE-K and negative correlation with CDR, GDS. Conclusions : Among Korean elderly, low hemoglobin level is associated with a cognitive impairment. This study indicates that AD is associated with anemia, and low hemoglobin levels may contribute to potentially useful clinical markers of AD. The risk factor for dementia needs to be confirmed by prospective longitudinal studies in a larger group of patients.

• 한국노년학
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.231-240
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• 2019

The study aimed to identify risk factors for falls as well as hospitalization status according to disease and demographic characteristics of demented inpatients by investigating the in-depth Injury Patient Surveillance System data collected by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(KCDC). Older adults over 60 years old who were diagnosed with dementia were included(n=1,732). Their data were analyzed after being assigned to either a fall group or a non-fall group. STATA was used for statistical analyses, such as frequency analysis, chi-square (χ²) test, and logistics regression. It was found that 8.0% of the demented inpatients experienced falls. According to the analysis on category of fall and non-fall group were statistically significant difference in age and Charlson Comorbidity Index(CCI) and bone density deficiency. Based on the logistic regression analysis of factors affecting falls, older adults over 80 are 2.386 times more likely to fall and based on a target with a CCI of 0, the risk of falls is 0.421 times lower, finally based on those without bone density disorder, the fall risk for those with bone density disorder was 3.581 times higher. Therefore, we expect that the important about the factors relating to falls identified in this can not only be found valuable for educating inpatients with dementia and care-givers, but also be used as reference that supports clinical professionals to make decisions on falls management for patients with dementia.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.9-20
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• 2023

Purpose: This study classified the actual functions of geriatric hospitals and examined the differences in their characteristics, in order to provide a basis for discussions on defining the functions of geriatric hospitals and how to pay for care. Methodology: This study used various administrative data such as health insurance data and long-term care insurance data. Cluster analysis was used to categorize geriatric hospitals. To examine the validity of the cluster analysis results, we conducted a discriminant analysis to calculate the accuracy of the classification. To examine cluster characteristics, we examined structure, process, and outcome indicators for each cluster. Findings: The cluster analysis identified five clusters. They were geriatric hospitals with relatively short stays for cancer patients(cluster 1; cancer patient-centered), geriatric hospitals with relatively large numbers of patients using rehabilitation services(cluster 2; rehabilitation patient-centered), geriatric hospitals with a high proportion of relatively severe elderly patients(cluster 3; severe elderly patient-centered), geriatric hospitals with a high proportion of mildly ill elderly patients with various conditions(cluster 4; mildly ill elderly patient-centered), and geriatric hospitals with a significantly higher proportion of dementia patients(cluster 5; dementia patient-centered). The largest number of geriatric hospitals were categorized in clusters 4 and 5, and the structure and process indicators for these clusters were generally lower than for the other clusters. Practical Implications: We have confirmed the existence of geriatric hospitals where the medical function, which is the original purpose of a geriatric hospital, has been weakened. It has been observed that the quality level of these geriatric hospitals is likely to be lower compared to hospitals that prioritize enhanced medical functions. Therefore, it is suggested to consider the conversion of these geriatric hospitals into long-term care facilities, and careful consideration should be given to the review of care-giver payment coverage.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.841-855
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• 2009

The main objective of this study is to examine the situations of group-homes for the elderly and clarify the problems of them. This study investigates the present conditions of welfare facilities and supply conditions. 4 group-homes were surveyed in Jeonju and Kwangju cities. Data was collected through various ways including the survey conducted by facility operators, the measurement of living space, and photo-takings. The major results of this study are as follows: 1) With the introduction of nursing care insurance in 2008, the increase of the demand and supply to group-home will be expected, due to less cost for recuperation. The care of elderly in homelike atmosphere is effective to the elderly suffering from dementia. Therefore, it is proper that the supply of group-homes for dementia will be needed. 2) Group-homes for the elderly are being supplied under the standards of welfare facilities in the present. Separate supply standards, however, are needed because they are not suitable for small scale group-homes. 3) To supply Group-homes for the elderly on a one-unit basis would cause various problems such as economical unreality, personnel distribution and so on. It is necessary to supply more than two units for more efficient management. 4) The management of group-homes for the elderly is financially unstable because the operating funds heavily depend on the users or people who are connected with the facilities through private networks. Therefore, additional support is needed to settle the financial problem. It would be helpful to build the public networking that provides information about the group-home for the elderly for the public. 5) In case of the increase in the supply of the group-home in a residential area, it could be helpful to promote the group-home to the public. 6) The operators state that the main problems of group homes for the elderly lie in financial difficulties and the shortage of professionals and volunteers. The financial, personnel, and material support for personnel and the supervision of management are required for the transparency and effectiveness of the facility management. In addition, the closer network and cooperation system with the community is required. 7) The present living environments for group-homes for the elderly leave much room for improvement, considering the physical condition of the elderly. The more careful selections in the color, shape, material, and equipment of the facilities should be made for the convenience of the elderly users.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.155-171
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• 2016

Background: In this study, state-owned medical institutes, industrial accident hospitals, veteran hospitals, and private medical clinics including 16 university medical institutes in the Seoul metropolitan area were selected to examine the causality of ethical management, positive psychological capital, and organizational effectiveness. Methods: The study analyzed 1,056 valid questionnaires to which a total of 1,325 nurses, medical technicians, doctors, and administrative staff in 34 healthcare organizations answered over two months from June to August 2015. The study also utilized a 'structural equation model,' and a 'hierarchical linear model' to conduct the analysis. Results: It was first found that ethical leadership, ethical management systems, and organizational ethics values, which are the three factors of ethical management, had significant influence on organizational commitment, and behavior. These are the three factors of employee organizational effectiveness. Second, ethical management, ethical leadership, ethical management systems, and organizational ethics values had significant influence on positive psychological capital. Third, positive psychological capital had significant influence on organizational commitment, turnover intention, and organizational citizenship behavior. Positive psychological capital presented an indirect effect on the relationship between the ethical management and organizational effectiveness of employees. The effect of positive psychological capital consisting of self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism was confirmed in the healthcare organizations. Fourth, in relations among ethical management variables, ethical leadership showed a significant impact on ethical management systems, which had significant impacts on organizational ethics values, which had significant impacts on ethical leadership.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.103-108
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• 1999

In order to investigate the basic data for the visiting nursing care plan of Health Center in Korea, the questionnaire survey in regard to health care needs and health problems of the subjects with visiting nursing care was carried out on 131 subjects with visiting nursing care. The results were as follows : 1. The subjects consisted of 38.2% in male and 61.8% in female. 77.1% of the subjects had no job. 2. In the health problem, the subjects symptoms were 31.2% of hypertension, 20.6% of arthritis, and 19.1% of diabetes and other chronical illness. Utilization of medical care facilities were 61.8% of private clinics or general hospitals and 29.0% of Health Center. 3. 10 areas of health care needs that subjects wanted were disease management(19.5%), demand for welfare concerns(15.7%), health promotion and disease prevention(14.2%), information for medical institution(12.3%), health management for the aged(10.8%), hospice care(8.0%), prevention of dementia(8.0%), care for mental hygiene(6.7%), management for drinking, smoking and drug abuse(3.3%), home care nursing and rehabilitation nursing(1.2%).

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.38-46
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze differences in the needs of primary health care posts before 2008 and after 2009. Methods: For the final analysis data on 1,905 public health centers and 1,521 public health practitioners were analyzed. The chi-test was used to examine differences between the employees before and after 2008 in general, and T-test for differences in core competencies and job training needs. The test was carried out during June and July, 2017. Results: There were statistically significant differences in general characteristics, future health clinic function, necessity for core competency education, and for job education. Conclusion: Information on the need for new job training should include information the use of public health center information systems, drug mechanisms, medication guidance, discrimination of major symptoms, treatment for common diseases, patient referral and follow-up, health management for elders, dementia management, and chronic disease management. In future job training, it is necessary to elaborate intensively details and evaluate effectiveness.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.106-113
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• 2022

Objectives: Previous studies have found that the oral health of seniors can affect their physical nutrition and quality of life (QoL). Additionally, poor oral health can lead to the development of dementia, which is associated with decreased cognitive function. This study aimed to examine the impact of geriatric oral health (GOH) on the QoL of Korean seniors and the mediating effects of cognitive function. Methods: We used data from the seventh Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging conducted in 2018. In total, 4049 seniors were included in our study. We analyzed the impact of GOH on QoL according to 5 mediating domains of cognitive function and control variables. To examine each path of mediating effects, bootstrapping with 5000 iterations was performed with 95% confidence intervals. Results: Our findings revealed that good GOH had a positive effect on the QoL of seniors. Also, better GOH corresponded to a higher degree of cognitive function within all 5 domains: orientation, memory registration, attention/calculation, memory recall, and language and visuospatial ability. In addition, 3 domains of the 5 domains (attention/calculation, memory recall, and language and visuospatial ability) had significant mediating effects on the relationship between GOH and QoL. Conclusions: This study suggests that adequate management of GOH is crucial for promoting a better QoL and a high degree of cognitive function among seniors. To prevent cognitive impairment, such as dementia, future studies should take a more targeted approach by examining data according to each cognitive domain and various socio-demographic factors.