• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.142-153
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• 2023

Background: Cognitive impairment has been reported to be closely associated with poor oral health, and the relationship is bidirectional, as older adults with poor oral health and chewing function are at a higher risk of cognitive decline (CD). This cross-sectional study aimed to determine whether masticatory discomfort in Korean elderly increases the risk of daily living difficulty (DLD) related to CD and whether there is a difference in risk according to gender and age. Methods: The data used were obtained from the Korean Community Health Survey (2019). The final analysis included 22,154 people aged 65 years and older who completed the survey and responded to all items on the variables used in the study. Chi-square test, trend test, and complex sample logistic regression were performed for statistical analysis, to clarify the purpose of this study. Results: As masticatory discomfort increased, the elderly's DLD tended to increase (p-for trend, p<0.001). For logistic regression, adjusting for all covariates, participants who reported masticatory discomfort as "discomfort" (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.11~3.50) and "severe discomfort" (AOR=2.95, 95% CI=2.49~3.50) had a more than a two-fold increased risk of CD-related DLD compared to participants who reported "no discomfort at all." In age-stratified analyses, elderly men aged 75~84 years and elderly women aged 65~74 years had the highest risk of developing CD-related DLD. Conclusion: Oral care interventions to improve masticatory function in older adults may slow CD and improve CD-related DLD. We hope that this study will raise awareness among caregivers and clinical professionals regarding the importance of oral care for older adults with CD.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.539-549
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the factors related to the social distance toward older adults in nursing college students. Methods: The participants comprised 137 students in a nursing college. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires in March 2019. The measurement instruments included social distance scales, the Fact on Aging Quiz (FAQ I), a 20-item semantic differential scale (to assess attitudes), and the perceived elderly stigma scale. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's correlation coefficient, and a multiple regression analysis. Results: The total score for social distance toward older adults was 3.98±0.54 out of a maximum of 5. Social distance had a statistically significant relationship with knowledge (r=.20, p=.022), attitudes toward older adults (r=-.31, p<.001), and elderly stigma (r=-.27 p=.008). The factors affecting social distance were education in geriatrics (β=.33, p=.004), grade (β=-.29, p=.014), attitudes (β=-.21, p=.018), academic major satisfaction (β=.19, p=.028), and knowledge (β=.15, p=.048); the explanatory power of the model was 34%. Conclusion: There is a need for departmental efforts that nursing students acquire correct knowledge about the life and health of the elderly with the aging process and develop positive attitudes toward older adults through various experiences in gerontological nursing practicum and community senior-college student link programs.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.277-289
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• 2019

Objectives: This study examined the practices of a community meal program for older adults in rural areas during the agricultural off-season. Methods: A survey was conducted from December 12 to December 22, 2016. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 150 cooking volunteers, who had participated in the community meal program in 50 villages. A total of 114 responses were returned from 44 villages and used for data analysis. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with the volunteers of eight villages. Results: Most of the cooking volunteers were 50 years old or older and they participated in serving older adults meals for good will. The cooking volunteers perceived that the older adults in their community did not eat various foods, had difficulties in grocery shopping, and frequently consumed salty foods. During the agricultural off-season, 40.9% of villages served the older adults meals 6-7 days a week and 95.5% provided meals for lunch. An average of 21 to 40 older adults were served meals in each village. The cooking volunteers reported that the food preparation and meal service times were sufficient, recipes provided were useful, and menus met the preference of the older adults. At the end of the program, they felt proud of serving meals for older adults in the community. An increased awareness of healthy eating, interest in health, and consumption of nutritious meals, a decrease in loneliness among older adults, and the promotion of fellowship in the community were rated highly. The cooking volunteers expected additional support for cooking personnel and insisted that the program should be provided for the entire agricultural off-seasons. Conclusions: The community meal program during the agricultural off-season for the elderly in rural areas was effective in improving the dietary life of older adults, relieving their feelings of isolation, and promoting fellowship of the community. The volunteers felt workload due to a shortage of volunteers but answered that they were rewarded by helping older adults in their community.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2022

Article 10 of the Constitution All citizens have dignity and values as humans and have the right to pursue happiness. There is a need for support measures such as a means to realize the respect of dignity and values as humans, and how to efficiently maintain policies on welfare for the elderly classified as the socially disadvantaged. It was considered necessary to develop an elderly-friendly city for economic, physical, and social life. Dasan Jeong Yak-yong's respect for adults was to practice the ideology of Confucianism, so this was the most important thing in the past Joseon Dynasty. In particular, it was considered important to think of adults first in practicing filial piety.This study focuses on the long-term care insurance system for the elderly, one of the welfare policy measures for the elderly. The significance of implementing the long-term care insurance system for the elderly is to benefit not only the elderly, but also all generations, including the middle-aged and children who were in charge of long-term care. To this end, the government should properly manage the factors of the social insurance financial crisis caused by the low birth rate and aging population.In addition, concerns about health insurance are high, so it is necessary to secure an appropriate level of government budget for health insurance financial management and minimize unnecessary non-benefit. In addition, it is necessary to induce appropriate medical use through connection with construction medical insurance.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.101-106
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• 2017

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the quality of life and stress level of the elderly living alone in their neighborhood volunteers. Methods Data collection was done from July 1 to October 1, 2015 and the data were collected by self-reported questionnaire at Nowon community in Seoul area in South Korea. The subjects were 146 older adults living alone agreed to participate in the study(accepted by IRB). The questionnaire was constructed with quality of life 26 items, 5-point Likert type scale(1-5), stress 15 items, 5-point Likert type. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results Socially isolated older adults had significantly higher scores ($3.7{\pm}.03$) in quality of life, moderate scores ($2.9{\pm}.03$) in stress. Conclusion The peer support undertaken by older community volunteers was effective in improving quality of life in socially isolated older adults. It is necessary to listen to the voice of elderly people living alone through the activation of volunteer groups in the community.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.475-487
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to comprehensively examine the facilitators and barriers to social participation of older adults in the society through systematic review of qualitative research. Through PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, data from 2012 to 2022 were collected. The main search keywords were 'elderly', 'older adults', social participation', 'engagement', 'motiv^*', 'barrier', 'facilitat^*'. 7 articles that satisfy the inclusion criteria were selected for analysis. Facilitators and barriers of older adults' social participation were analyzed. The analyzed factors were assorted into 'personal/ internal factors', 'environmental factors', 'social network factors'. The results of this study emphasize not only logistical factors, but also motivation, desire, social context of older adults' as factors to social participation. To prevent older adults' social isolation, a broad understanding of what promotes and inhibits the participation of the older adults is needed.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1599-1605
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• 2014

This study aimed to identify the relationship between depression of the elderly and low back pain. Data were obtained from cross-sectional surveys conducted as a part of the Community Health Survey 2008. The final analysis included data from 3,647 of the 3,649 elderly participants (aged over 65 years), as 2 responses were excluded since they were inaccurate. Data were analyzed with SPSS for Windows (ver. 19.0), using a Rao-Scott ${\chi}^2$-test and Logistic regression by applying a proper weighting. The significance threshold was set as p<0.05. Factors related to the depression of the elderly were low back pain, subjective health status, average sleep duration. Further, depression score was 1.38 times higher in elderly adults with low back pain than elderly adults without low back pain. In order to decrease depression of the elderly with low back pain the development of a program to decrease activities of daily living discomfort and management of low back pain will need to be determined. It is considered necessary to conduct further study to follow through the analysis of the various variables by applying them to the elderly with low back pain and depression.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.60-70
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to promote an understanding of suicidal ideation and identify the factors that influence suicide ideation according to the life cycle of Korean adults. This study was a secondary analysis study using the Korea Health Panel 2016 data. Among adults over 19 years of age, 14,538 people with no missing values in suicidal ideation and influencing factors were classified into young adults (19-39 years old), middle-aged adults (40-64 years old), and the elderly (65 years or over). The data were analyzed by multiple logistic regression. The results showed that 2.9% (108 people) of young adults, 3.2% (181 people) of middle-aged adults, and 3.7% (80 people) of the elderly had suicide ideation over the past year. Factors influencing suicidal ideation by life cycle were anxiety, depression, drug use and quality of life for young adults, subjective health status, stress, anxiety, depression, drug use and quality of life for middle-aged adults. The factors affecting the elderly were body mass index, stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Therefore, factors influencing suicidal ideation should be considered as a major factor for screening risk groups according to the life cycle, and differentiated intervention programs should be developed and provided to prevent and manage suicide in risk groups.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.77-93
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• 1998

Have elderly parents parted with parental role after the children were grown up? If they still have, what kinds and degrees of parental responsibilities endured? Do they actively perform the role? Do they satisfy to engage in parenting? The main purpose of present study explored these questions conceming rural old-aged families using data of 143 elderly parents aged 60 years and above. The results indicate that elderly parents perceived parenting adult children to be very important, regarding themselves as househeads to teach family members how to integrate together. The results also demonstrate that elderly parents performed parental role actively in teaching family rituals and providing emotional support. The elderly parents also report that they were fairly satisfied with involvement in adult children's lives. Our findings suggest that further in-depth research is required in eliciting the role parameters of elderly parents based on our social and cultural changes. In addition, it is encouraged to examine the adult children's expectation of their elderly parents for renegotiating and restructuring parent-child relationships when both are adults.