• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.195-203
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the level of functional health literacy and its influence on perceived health status in Korean older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Daegu, Kyungpook and Susan province. A total of 103 older adults aged 65 yr or older were interviewed in person between July 1 to August 30, 2007. Results: A high proportion of older adults were unable to read and understand written basic medical instructions. Only 40-50% were able to comprehend directions for taking medication four times a day or on an empty stomach. Only 11-38% were able to understand information regarding treatment procedure, informed consent, or educational material for elderly fall prevention. Individuals who were older, single, and had less education and income were more likely to have lower functional health literacy. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, individuals with lower health literacy had poorly perceived health status. Conclusion: Many Korean older adults have a very low level of fuctional literacy. Low health literacy was independently associated with poorly perceived health status.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors increasing fall risk in the residential environment risk and the perceived fall risk among the older adults who received home care services to provide information for developing a comprehensive falls intervention program. Methods: The subjects were 227 community-dwelling elderly aged 65 years and over who were taken care of by home-visiting nurses of the national health centers. The data were collected from July to August in 2012 using the Choi's residential environmental risk scale (2010) and the Hong's fall risk scale (2011). Results: Requires an assistive devices to walk, modified residential environment, health security, approval certificate of LTC, residential safety perception, residential environment risk, and perception of fall risk were statistically significant risk factors. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that room & kitchen, physical perception, medication & ADL perception, floor-related environmental perception, and daily living tool-related perception were statistically significant predictors of fall. Conclusion: The results showed that the residential environment and the perceived fall risk were associated with fall experiences among the elderly. It is necessary to develope multifactorial intervention programs considering both environmental and perceived risk factors as well as physical risk factors to reduce and prevent falls among the elderly.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.798-808
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• 2001

In order to investigate the current status of supplements use in the elderly during the last one year, a nationwide survey was conducted in metropolitan areas(6 cities) and middle-sized cities(8 cities). The subjects were 2188(male 765, female 1423) non- institutionalized adults and elderly people aged 50 and over, and information was collected by in-person interviews. Prevalence of supplements use and different types of supplements taken by subjects were examined using SPSS statistical package. Different category of supplements was used by 30.2% of the subjects. On the average, the subjects consumed at least one kind of supplements. Chinese medicine was the most commonly used supplements in both male and female subjects. Among the reasons for using supplements, health promotion ranked the highest, however, most supplement users did not know(35.3%) or knew roughly(48.9%) about the health claims of their supplements. Subjects reported the information source for supplements as family, friends or relatives(43.6%) followed by TV and radio(23.3%). Chinese medicine was most commonly used supplement in male subjects who have chronic diseases(40.7%), and vitamin and mineral supplements were most commonly used by female subjects who have chronic diseases(39.0%). Therefore, these results may provide basic information on different category of supplements used by the middle-aged and elderly.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.145-153
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• 2022

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Electromyography (EMG) of the upper limb during reaching tasks according to two heights in the sitting position. Design: Cross sectional design Methods: Fifteen hemiplegia, fifteen elderly, and fifteen healthy subjects have participated in this study. The targets (90% length of the subject's arm) were located at the two heights (the eye and xiphoid process). We have recorded EMG signals of seven upper limb muscles (anterior deltoid (AD), posterior deltoid (PD), pectoralis major (Pec), infraspinatus (Inf), supraspinatus (Sup), biceps brachii (Bi), triceps brachii (Tri)). The dependent variables were movement time(s), modulation ratio, working ratio, and the co-contraction ratio of the hemiplegia, elderly, and healthy at the reaching task. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA (2-heights) was analyzed with the LSD post hoc test. Results: The study results were as follows: (1) The movement time to the target during reaching movement was significantly longer for the hemiplegia and elderly groups compared to the healthy group. (2) The modulation rate was significantly higher at eye height than the xiphoid height in AD, PD, Pec, Inf, Bi muscles, and the hemiplegia group and elderly group were significantly lower than the healthy group. Additionally, the modulation ratio showed a significant interaction between heights and groups. Conclusions: It is expected that the variables using the muscle contraction characteristics, the evaluation method of this study, can be used as an electromyography-based feedback method that can be objectively evaluated and quantified in clinical practice.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.69-76
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• 2018

The elderly are at increased risk of developing dysphagia due to aging and illnesses. The aim of the current study was to analyze, via an acoustic study, the change in the voice quality of normal elderly people after a 3oz water-swallow test. Subjects included a group of 60 normal elderly people (age: $mean{\pm}SD=76.9{\pm}6.66$) and 60 healthy young adults (age: $mean{\pm}SD=25.1{\pm}2.36$). Every participant produced a five-second /a/ phonation pre- and post-swallowing, and the fractioned two-second sections were analyzed using the MDVP (multi dimensional voice program) analysis. The elderly group demonstrated a post-swallowing increase in the following related acoustic parameters: fundamental frequency, fundamental frequency variation, amplitude-variation, and noise in both two-second sections. However, the younger group showed an increase only in frequency related acoustic parameters (i.e., STD ) in the first two-second section. The significant changes in values in the post-swallowing parameters might indicate temporary irregularities in pitch and amplitude along with higher amounts of noise in the voice. The results could be attributed to water residues in the vocal fold and vocal tract, as well as a deterioration of the motor and sensory functions caused by anatomical and physiological changes that result from aging.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.391-399
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to examine factors influencing loneliness in the elderly living in nursing homes. Method: The participants for this study were 150 adults, age 60 or over who had lived for one year or longer in two nursing homes in Gwangju. The questionnaires consisted of measurements of activities of daily living (ADL), social support and loneliness. Frequencies, percentages and means were used with Pearson correlation coefficients, t-test, ANOVA, and Scheffe test to analyze the data. The analysis was done with SPSS 12.0 Stepwise multiple regression was used to identify significant factors influencing loneliness in the elderly living in nursing homes. Results: Significant correlations were found between level of ADL and loneliness (r=-0.379, p<.001), support from friends and loneliness (r=-0.472, p<.001), and support from significant others and loneliness (r=-0.449, p<.001). Loneliness was significantly influenced by support from friends, ADL, and support from significant others. This regression model explained 29% of the variances in loneliness. Conclusion: The findings in this study suggest that improvement in support from friends and ADL can lead to a reduction in loneliness in the elderly living in nursing homes.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.71-80
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• 2011

The growth of the aging population in Korea will challenge health and social services. As Korean society changes, the U.S. models of end-of-life care and geriatric care for frail older adults may have increasing relevance for the Korean healthcare system. This article reviews three U.S. models of care for frail older adults: hospice and palliative care, the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), and the transitional care model. We describe the strengths and limitations of each model and discuss ways in which these models could be adapted for the Korean healthcare system.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.71-78
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was performed to identify the effects of a health management program on health-promoting lifestyle and depression for the elderly living at home. Methods: Study design was a quasi-experiment with one group pre-test and post-test. Twenty-four elderly were participated in this study. The health management program for the elderly consisted of health education, health consultation, and exercise. The program was conducted for 60 minutes, once a week for 10 weeks. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-test with SPSS/WIN 18.0 version. Results: After the health management program, health-promoting lifestyle (t=14.14, p<.001) and depression (t=-4.78, p=.001) in the elderly were significantly improved. Conclusion: The health management program was effective for the elderly. Further research is needed to validate the effects of this program including control groups and a larger sample.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.184-193
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• 2018

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine a path model on the relationship among social capital, physical activity and subjective health status in the community indwelling elderly. Methods: The study was conducted utilizing the 2014 Seoul Survey, in the method of analyzing cross-sectional design and secondary data. Among 45,497 participants in total, the data of 4578 adults aged 65 or above was analyzed. Social capital was measured by social trust and social participation. Physical activity was measured by regular exercise. Additionally, a numerical rating scale was used to assess subjective health status. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients and path analysis. Results: Social participation and physical activity showed a direct effect on subjective health status in community indwelling elderly while social trust and physical activity showed an indirect effect on their subjective health status. The hypothetical path model of community indwelling elderly's subjective health status was proved correct. Conclusion: Findings from this study indicate that health-promoting intervention for community indwelling elderly should consider social trust and participation.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.1-14
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• 2004

Although the proportion of frail elderly among the elderly population has been rapidly increasing, there is little preparation to provide housing alternatives for them in Korean society. Long-term care facility a housing alternative for frail elderly that enables them to receive social and medical care services that enhance the quality of their life. This research was conducted to study the opinions of middle-aged Koreans about long-term care facilities for the frail elderly. This study provides useful suggestions for the development of user-paid long-term care facilities in the near future. A survey questionnaire was administered to 600 adults in their 50s to collect data. The sample was stratified according to region, gender, and housing structure type. The results showed that most of the respondents were aware of long-term care facilities for the frail elderly; but they were relatively unwilling to live in these facilities, as compared to other housing alternatives. However, a larger number of respondents said that as they became very frail, they would be willing to live in these facilities. The respondents expressed a high level of need for user-paid long-term care facilities as an alternative to hospitalization. Also, they wanted to have a variety of long-term care facilities that are designed for different levels of disability. The education level of respondents and their spouses, average monthly income, subjective economic level, and religion were major variables that differentiated significantly the opinions about long-term care facilities for the frail elderly.