• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.86-91
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• 2020

As the number of elderly people living alone increases, the frequency of fall accidents is also increasing. Falls are a threat to the health of older adults and can reduce their ability to remain independent. To solve this problem, we need real-time technology to recognize and respond to the critical condition of the elderly living alone. Therefore, this paper proposes a modified fall detection algorithm based on YOLO-KCF that can check one of the emergency situations in real time for the elderly living alone. YOLO can detect not only the detection of objects, but also the behavior of objects, namely stand and fall. Therefore, this paper can detect fall using the ratio of change of boundary box between stand and falling situation, and this algorithm can improve the shortcomings of KCF.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.175-182
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of telephone intervention on the reduction of depression after the intervention for the elderly living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. A one-group pretest and posttest design was used to examine changes in depression level following telephone intervention a once a week for 10 weeks. The subjects of this study were older adults aged 65 registered with 3 social welfare institutions in Wonju, and a total of 114 elderly completed a questionnaire before and after the intervention. Telephone intervention was provided by 56 nursing student volunteers, and each student was in charge of 2-3 elderly people. The depression score decreased from 6.59±3.74 before the intervention to 5.01±3.34 after the intervention (t=4.959, p<.001). Study findings suggest that telephone intervention is effective as an emotional support for the elderly living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is needed to expand the scope of various subjects and regions, including the elderly not living alone.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.87-99
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between self-rated health and Activity of Daily Living (ADL) and self-care behavior of rural elderly in Korea, focused on the difference among three distinctive living arrangements; living alone, living only with his/her spouse, and living with their married children. For this purpose, data were gathered from a nationwide survey, a total of 586 elderly aged 65 or older and living in rural area, using the structured questionnaire. Also, self-care behavior were categorized into 4 groups; life-style practice, medical self-care, adaption to functional limitation, and emotional management. The major findings are as follows; 1) Rural elderly perceived their health little and more 'bad' but their ADL capacity were 'not difficult', especially among elderly living with spouse. 2) The level of 20 items in self-care behavior ($1{\sim}5$score) was ranged from 2.51 to 3.81 score. The behavior level of regular exercise, setting up additional phone, taking a nutrient, and testing BP or pulse regularly were low but that of taking a medicine according to prescription, close contact with other people, and regular eating were proportionally high. 3) The majority of self-care behavior were correlated with subjective health positively but medical self-care behavior were correlated with subjective health or ADL negatively. Based on these results, policy implications are discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.329-337
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• 2018

This study was designed to investigate the effect of medical education on the health behavior of elderly people aged 65 years or older who have the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. From 2014 community health survey data, 9042 people with hypertension and diabetes who had disease management education experience in elderly people over 65 years old were used as the final analysis data. Data were analyzed by Chi-square test and multi-variable logistic regression. The results of the study showed that the perceived rate of cardiovascular health factors was higher in the elderly living alone with disease management education (p <.001), and the probability of walking more than 3 days per week was 1.145(P = .002), not drinking at the present time was 1.212 times (p <.001), eating thinly was 1.184 times (p = .002). From the results of this study, it is required to develop the health promotion policy that reflects the importance of education by health care providers and the health information provided to the elderly living alone.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.195-209
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to estimate the population requiring nursing home services among elderly people in Korea. This study identifies the need of nursing home services determined by health care professionals and estimates the proportion of elderly people requiring nursing home service according to the admission criteria. Surveys were conducted on health care professionals including medical doctors, home care nurses, and nurse practitioners. They were asked to assess nursing home need based on four content areas: Physical function (Activities of Daily Living), chronic disease, Physical symptoms (incontinence), mobility, eating, and sensory function. Based on the professionally determined need criteria the proportion of elderly people requiring nursing home services was estimated using secondary data from the 1994 Survey on the Living Status of the Korean Elderly. The number of study subjects to estimate nursing home need who were 60 and older totaled 2,058. The most important factor contributing to the admission eligibility criteria was the elderly living alone. Other factors related were the elderly being unable or having difficulty carrying out activities, and having insufficient help from other our activities, and having insufficient help from other members of the household. Using only physical function, the proportion of elderly people requiring nursing home was $8{\sim}9%$. When only chronic disease was used, proportions varied widely; for the doctor's group, the proportion was over 30%. Using all areas, the proportions of elderly people requiring nursing home were between 13% and 38%. The estimate using chronic disease and physical function was similar to the on using all areas.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.123-132
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• 2009

As society increasingly ages, maintaining an independent lifestyle at home becomes an important issue for older people. This study aims to determine old people's housing needs for maintaining an independent lifestyle despite their health status and living arrangements. A total of 438 residents voluntarily took part in a research questionnaire survey through the quota sampling method. The participants were grouped according to age (60-64, 65-69, 70-74, and over 75), gender (male and female), and house type (apartment houses and others). The results are as follows. (1) The senior residents are mostly within a non occupational, low income, and low subjective living status. (2) They are satisfied with their current residence and hope to manage the rest of their life in the same place. (3) Three out of five residents prefer the apartment housing type to other types of housing. The preferred dwelling size, number of rooms, and preference for use of an extra room all varied depending on gender and housing type as well as whether they were a couple or living alone. (4) The older residents have a higher need for a safety system than do the younger residents. Female residents pay more attention to convenience while male residents pay more attention to safety. The non-apartment residents require more modification to fundamental facilities such as a heating and ventilation system, wind protection, and additional storage than do the apartment residents. This study has thoroughly analyzed request characteristics according to basic qualities of the elderly households.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.69-79
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• 2021

As the government's public services have been digitized, the necessity of research on the use of e-government services by middle and high-aged people has been raised. Thus, this study aims to verify the mediating effect of digital capacity on the relationship between the family structure and use of e-government services of middle and older aged adults. The study analyzed 1,660 middle and elderly individuals from the 2018 Digital Divide Survey conducted by the National Information Society Agency(NIA) using Baron & Kenny(1986)'s method for mediation. The result is as follows: first, the family structure of the middle and older adults has a significant effect on use of e-government services. Second, the effect of the family structure of middle and older aged people on use of e-government services is partially mediated by digital capacity. The result represents that the elderly living with two or three generations have higher use of e-government services than the elderly living alone and married elderly couple. Also the elderly living with two or three generations have higher digital capacity, resulting in higher use of e-government services. Based on the results, The study suggested that the specific plan for each type of family structure to promote the use of e-government services and a plan to improve the digital capacity of middle and older aged adults.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.191-200
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of participation in leisure activities on the quality of life by comparing gender and household type. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2017 Korean Elderly Survey and the participants were 7,406 people who are 65 years and above. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS (version 18.0) statistical package. Results: The result of this study revealed that participation in leisure activities has a significant effect on the quality of life of In the case of older adults who are men and live with couple, voluntary activities have a significant effect on their quality of life, while for elderly women living alone, arts & cultural activities have a significant effect on their quality of life. Conclusions: Based on these results, we suggested some implications for supporting healthy leisure activities and improving the level of quality of life among aged people.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.39-50
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• 2016

Background: This study examined patient and hospital factors related to long-stay admissions in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) among older people in Korea. Methods: We analyzed health insurance claims data, entitlement data, and institutional administrative data from the National Health Insurance Service databases between 2010 and 2012. At the patient level, we compared characteristics of patients staying in LTCHs for over 180 days (the long-stay group) with those staying in LTCHs for less than 90 days during a calendar year. At the hospital level, we examined the general characteristics and staffing levels of the top 10% of hospitals with the highest proportion of patients whose length of stay (LOS) was 180+ days (the hospitals with long-stay patients) and compared them with the top 10% of hospitals with the highest proportions of patients whose LOS was less than 90 days (hospitals with shorter-stay patients). Results: The long-stay group accounted for about 40% of all LTCH patients. People in the group were more likely to be women, aged 80+, living alone, and experiencing more than two health conditions. Compared to the hospitals with shorter-stay patients, those with long-stay patients were more likely to be occupied by patients with behavior problems and/or impaired cognition, owned by corporate or local governments, have more beds and a longer period of operation, and deliver services with lower staffing levels. Conclusion: This study found long-stay older people in LTCHs and those in LTCHs with high proportions of long-stay older patients had several distinct characteristics compared to their counterparts designated in this study. Patient and hospital characteristics need to be considered in policies aiming to resolve long-stay admissions problems in LTCHs.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.333-343
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association between dental implants and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Data were collected from the baseline survey (2016-2017) of the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. The study sample comprised 1115 community-dwelling people aged 70 years to 84 years who had 0-19 natural teeth. Dental implants and natural teeth were identified by panoramic radiography, while the cognitive function was assessed by the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC). The association between dental implants and cognitive function was analyzed by multiple linear regression. Sensitivity analysis was performed to test for potential bias. Results: The mean number of natural teeth in the study population was 9.50 (standard deviation [SD], 6.42), and the mean MMSE-KC score was 24.93 (SD, 3.55). In the simple univariate analysis, tooth replacement, age, sex, smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index, osteoporosis, number of natural teeth, periodontitis, chewing discomfort, tooth-brushing frequency, education level, monthly household income, participation in economic activity, living alone, and marital status had a significant impact on the association. After adjusting for confounders, the association between dental implants and cognitive function remained significant (B, 0.85; standard error, 0.40; p<0.05). Age, body mass index, periodontitis, tooth-brushing frequency, and education level were also significantly associated with cognitive function. The results of the sensitivity analyses were consistent with those of the primary analysis. Conclusions: Dental implants were associated with cognitive function in older adults living in the community. Dental implants as tooth replacements may play a role in preserving cognitive function.