• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.424-431
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Otago exercise program on physical function and risk of falling in elderly who have experienced falls. Thirty-six elderly people who had experienced falls more than once were randomly classified into an experimental group and control group. Each group exercised 30 minutes three times per week for a total of 8 weeks. Measurements were made using Tetrax to assess risk of falls. In addition, to measure physical function, static balance was measured using Biorescue, dynamic balance was measured using TUG, walking ability was measured using 10 MWT, and lower extremity strength was measured using FTSST. A paired t-test was conducted to verify the difference between before and after exercise in each group, and an independent t-test was performed for comparison between the groups. Regarding the experimental and control groups, static balance ability and dynamic balance ability increased significantly after exercise, and risk of falls decreased (p<.05). Lower extremity strength and gait ability increased significantly after exercise only in the experimental group (p<.05). Based on these results, the Otago exercise program is effective in improving physical function and reducing risk of falls in elderly people who have experienced falls.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.319-329
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• 2010

Objectives: This study was performed to determine the levels of quality of life (QOL) according to the grade of long-term care service for the elderly people who were admitted from long-term care insurance, and to reveal its association with the physical and mental functioning such as the Activity of Daily Living (ADL), the Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Mini-Mental State Examination-Korean version (MMSE-K). Methods: The interviews were performed during the period from March 1 to May 31, 2009, for 958 elderly people in urban and rural areas. The questionnaire items included various indices such as the ADL, IADL, CES-D, and MMSE-K, as independent variables and the index of QOL, as the dependent ones. For statistical analysis, t-tests were used for the mean scores of QOL according to gender and the grade of long-term care services, and Spearman's correlation was used for each variable. The effects of physical and mental functioning for QOL were assessed by covariance structure analysis. The statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: The mean scores of QOL among all the subjects was $55.4{\pm}15.62$ (Grade I: $49.7{\pm}14.17$, Grade II: $56.8{\pm}14.62$, Grade III: $59.4{\pm}16.36$), and it was lower according to the higher grade of long-term care insurance. In terms of the correlation matrix of the QOL and the physical and mental function factors, the QOL showed positive correlation with the ADL, IADL and MMSE-K, while it had negative correlation with depression. On the analysis of covariance, mental functioning (depression and the MMSE-K) had a greater influence on the level of QOL than the physical functioning (ADL and IADL). Conclusions: The level of the QOL in the elderly people who were admitted from long-term care insurance was lower according to higher the grade of long-term care insurance. Also, the mental functioning (depression and MMSE-K) was more influential on the level of the QOL than the physical functioning (ADL and IADL).

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.1245-1248
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• 2020

Elderly people living alone need smart care for independent living. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have allowed for easier interaction by a computer-controlled virtual human. This technology can realize services such as medicine intake guide for the elderly living alone. In this paper, we suggest an intelligent virtual human and present our virtual human toolkit for controlling virtual humans for a senior citizen living alone. To make the virtual human motion, we suggest our authoring toolkit to map gestures, emotions, voices of virtual humans. The toolkit configured to create virtual human interactions allows the response of a suitable virtual human with facial expressions, gestures, and voice.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.28-38
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• 2013

Objectives: This study aimed to collect information that will help enhance the social networks and improve the quality of life among elderly people by observing the relationship between their social network and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and by analyzing social network factors affecting HRQoL. Methods: This study was based on the 2008 Community Health Survey in Yeoncheon County. Three hundred elders were included in the study population. We compared the revised Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-R) score and Euro quality of life-5 dimensions health status index by demographic characteristics and chronic disease prevalence. We analyzed the data using multiple regression and tobit regression by setting the HRQoL as the dependent variable and social network and other characteristics as the independent variables. We analyzed social network factors by using factor analysis. Results: The LSNS-R score differed significantly according to age and existence of a spouse. According to the results from the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the LSNS-R explained 0.10 of the variance and LSNS-R friends factor explained 0.10 of the variance. The tobit regression indicated that the contribution of the LSNS-R family size factor to the regression coefficient of the independent variable that affected the HRQoL was $B_T$=2.96, that of the LSNS-R family frequency factor was $B_T$=3.60, and that of LSNS-R friends factor was $B_T$=5.41. Conclusions: Social networks among elderly people had a significant effect on HRQoL and their networks of friends had a relatively higher effect than those of family members.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.726-737
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• 2020

This study analyzed 4,284 elderly people aged 65 or older by SPSS 22.0 in the 7th data of 「2018 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA)」 to confirm the effect of the health-promoting behavior of the elderly on life satisfaction through cognitive function. The cognitive function level of the subjects was 13.8% doubtful about dementia, 23.8% cognitive decline, and 62.4% normal, and the satisfaction level of life was 59.304 points. The results of the study were as follows: First, the difference in cognitive function according to demographic characteristics was significant in gender, age, education, religion, and marriage factors. Second, the satisfaction of the elderly's life according to demographic characteristics was confirmed to have significant differences in gender, age, education, religion, and marriage factors. Third, the satisfaction of the elderly's life was significantly positive in drinking and regular exercise factors among independent variable the health-promoting behavior when cognitive function was mediated. On the other hand, The significant negative effect of the restriction of daily life activities was confirmed. In this way, the mediating effect of cognitive function was verified in the effect of the health-promoting behavior on the satisfaction of the elderly life.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2002

In this study, we made a survey of the degree of satisfaction and performance of daily life activities on independent elderly households in the detached house. The purpose of this study is to suggest basic data for elderly housing design to be considered elder's characteristics. A survey carried out for 110 respondents with face to face interview visiting each house between May and June, 1999 with modified and drawn questionnaire from analysis of preparatory investigation data. The questionnaire was composed of the general characteristics of respondents, general characteristics of housing, residents' satisfaction with the use of housing space, performance degree of the elder's daily activities. To analyze the data of 106 cases, frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviations, one-way ANOVA, reliability analysis and Scheffe test were used by running SPSSWIN program. The results on the housing satisfaction and performance of activities in daily life of elderly in the detached house were as follows.: In this survey, the elderly had high value in satisfaction with the size of current house as the mean 3.14 points, but they were dissatisfied with the rising of house as the mean 2.82 points. The satisfaction with living room space was the highest but the satisfaction with toilet space was lower than others. Among the activities of daily life in housing space, housing related activity was the hardest to perform as the mean of 3.15 points. In consequence, consideration on and interest in the planning of residential spaces are needed so that the elderly can perform the action of housing life effectively and efficiently.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.171-180
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the characteristics of the elderly living community in rural areas on the life satisfaction of the elderly. The subjects of study were 670 elderly people living at the living communities in Jeollabuk-do. In order to achieve the research purpose, multiple regression analysis model was applied using community characteristics as independent variables and life satisfaction as dependent variable. Among community variables, programs, mutual support, pysical space satisfaction, community consciousness and conflict, household labor burden are significant variables for life satisfaction. Among the personal characteristics, subjective health, monthly average income, marriage status(bereavement) are found to have a significant effect on life satisfaction. These results suggest that the influence of community characteristics as well as individual characteristics are important on the life satisfaction of the elderly living in the group life. The results of this study suggest such as policy implications that living community features such as interactions among seniors, programs, and their relationship with local residents are the important intervention points for improving life satisfactions of the elderly living community in rural area.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.339-348
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• 2019

This study was conducted to predict sociocultural psychological variables affecting successful aging of the elderly. The participants were 187 elderly people aged at least sixty who used 16 elderly welfare centers in G metropolitan city and J and S city from december 2018 to january 2019. Data analysis was done by using SPSS WIN 23.0 program, for one-way ANOVA, independent t-test, pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression. This study showed a positive correlation between successful aging and basic psychological need, ego-integrity, cultural competence. The ego-integrity(${\beta}=.372$, p<.001), cultural competence(${\beta}=.410$, p<.001), relationship(${\beta}=.168$, p=.003) have a 71.1% explanatory power for the successful aging of the elderly. It is necessary to develop sociocultural psychological programs to promote self-integration, cultural competence, and relationship for successful aging of the elderly.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.73-82
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• 2017

PURPOSE: Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) has been shown to improve body function and activity/participation in people with functional dysfunctions. This study evaluates if active exercise using theraband in PNF pattern may induce similar benefits as exercise using manual PNF pattern performed by physiotherapists on promoting mobility, balance and fear of fall in community-dwelling elderly. METHODS: Twenty-three community-dwelling elderly with independent activities of daily living were recruited and randomly allocated into either PNF group - exercise in PNF pattern by trained physiotherapists or Theraband-PNF (T-PNF) group - exercise using theraband in PNF pattern, for an hour, twice weekly for 4 weeks. Functional outcomes such as Timed Up and Go test, Elderly Mobility Scale, Berg balance scale, functional reach and subjective measures including fear of fall (FOF) scale, bodily pain in visual analogue scale were measured pre and post-program. RESULTS: Twenty-one participants completed the program. PNF group demonstrated significant within-group improvements in all subjective measures and objective measures. Similar within-group improvements were demonstrated in all outcome measures except FOFS in T-PNF group. However, no between-group differences were found in any of the outcome measures. CONCLUSION: Comparable improvements in functional outcomes in community dwelling elderly were demonstrated in both groups. As manual PNF exercise traditionally need clinicians' contact and feedback on patient which limit the training to be carried out extensively in community setting. The current findings suggest that exercise using theraband in PNF pattern is feasible to be adopted as self-practice exercise for community-dwelling elderly to induce beneficial effects on functional outcomes.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.312-322
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• 2018

This study was conducted with the purpose of identifying the effects of behavioral psychosomatic symptoms, cognitive functions, ability to perform daily life, and depression among the elderly with dementia. The sample for this study comprised 40 people in the experimental group and 20 in the contrastive group from the Dementia Supporting Center, located in NoWon-Gu of Seoul city. Data were collected from November 1, 2016 until March 31, 2017. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0, and descriptive statistics, chi-square test, independent t-test two-way repeated measures ANOVA, and ANCOVA were calculated. An 8-week brain activation intervention program including lectures was administered to elderly people with dementia. The results show improved cognitive function and reduced depressed feelings. Based on the results of this study, brain activation intervention programs can be applied to elderly people with dementia at the community level to help improve their cognitive function and relieve them from depression.