• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.85-95
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an attachment improvement program for families adopting an older child. The objectives and contents of this program reflected on the experiences of adopted parents and the characteristics of older-age adoptee children with attachment disruption. The program consisted of three components: parent-child relationship building, parenting skills enhancement for adopted parents, and negative emotions mediation for the older-age adoptees. The subjects of program were eight parent-child dyads. Differences between pre- and post-test data showed statistically significant improvements in the quality of parent-child relationships, communication levels with parents, and the parents' autonomic levels. There was also a reduction in the children's social problems. The implications of this study were discussed in terms of improving parent-child attachments in families adopting an older child.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.179-190
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the mediating effects of health promotion behaviors on the correlation between self-perceived health and medical care utilization among older adults. Methods: This study used data from a. Data were analyzed with frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and hierarchical multiple regression. Mediation analysis was performed according to the Sobel test. Results: The self-perceived health and some health promotion behaviors in older adults had a statistically significant effect on medical care utilization. Only the nutritional management of health promotion behaviors had a mediating effect on the relation between the self-perceived health and medical care utilization of older adults. Conclusions: The nutritional management of older adults was confirmed as an important factor to health promotion and prevention. This study was meaningful in that it identified the political directions for establishing health care policy for the older adults.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.493-502
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• 2021

Objective: Older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are more likely to progress to dementia. Motor-cognitive training is applied as a dual-task to improve the cognitive and physical functions of older adults with MCI. The purpose of the study was to know the recent trends in motor training types and outcome measures used for motor-cognitive training in older adults with MCI. Design: Aliterature review Methods: This literature review was conducted in Pubmed, MEDLINE® and Google Scholar with the following key words: older adults, mild cognitive impairment, motor-cognitive training, cognition, and dual-task. The 7 studies were found with the search tool and all studies were randomized controlled trials. Results: In motor-cognitive training in older adults with MCI, 6 studies applied aerobic exercise. And 3 out of 6 studies also applied strengthening exercises. One study applied dual tasks without aerobic exercise. In the 6 studies, overall cognitive and executive function were used as outcome measures, and physical function was evaluated as gait performance. Memory and physical frailty were also used as measurement tools. As a result of all studies, when motor-cognitive training was applied, cognition and physical performance showed significant results. Conclusions: A recent five-year study applied mainly aerobic exercise and strength training to older adults with MCI and found it to improve cognitive and physical performance.

• Journal of Korean Gerontological Nursing
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.185-192
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• 2018

Purpose: Korea is one of the most rapidly aging countries, accompanied by an increasing number of older adults with dementia. Certified-care-assistants are the primary care workers for these older adults. This cross-sectional descriptive study compared the factors influencing care behaviors among Korean and non-Korean certified-care-assistants in Korea. Methods: Participants, 113 Korean certified-care-assistants and 71 non-Korean certified-care-assistants, completed a survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed to assess dementia knowledge, attitude and care behaviors toward older adults with dementia. To determine the differences in these two groups, t-test was used. A stepwise multiple regression was performed to identify factors related to care behavior. Results: Significant differences in dementia knowledge, attitude and care behavior toward older adults with dementia emerged between Korean and non-Korean certified-care-assistants. Factors influencing care behavior varied by group. Dementia knowledge and education level were the significant factors of care behaviors in Korean certified-care-assistants, whereas attitude toward older adults with dementia was the significant factor in non-Korean certified-care-assistants. Conclusion: Findings indicate that different factors influence the care behavior of two groups. These findings can be utilized to develop certified-care-assistants' training curriculum that needs to be tailored by nationality to improve the quality of care for older adults with dementia.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.234-242
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• 2019

Purpose: This study tries to comprehend older adults' perspectives of community supports and health services in a South Korean city and identify important sociodemographic and health characteristics that affect their perspectives. Methods: 166 older adults were involved in this cross-sectional study. Questions on background characteristics and community supports and health services criteria (categorized as service accessibility, offer of services, voluntary support, or emergency care planning) based upon the WHO's Age-Friendly Cities Guide were used. The data were analyzed using paired and independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Results: emergency care planning was rated as the most important by the participants (mean age=76.24 years, 22.9% male), while its current level of performance was lowly appraised (p<.001). The rated importance for each category differed based on individual characteristics. Depression (p=.016), older age (p=.012), and restricted network type (p=.039) were significantly related to ascribing a higher degree of importance to community services. Conclusion: Community initiatives are warranted to optimize emergency care for older adults. This planning must be based on the unique characteristics of older adults in coordination with supportive resources. In addition, comprehensive assessments are warranted before implementing action plans to ensure that the multi-dimensional problems of older adults are incorporated.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the influences of nurses' empathy and self-efficacy on nursing care of older adults in an integrated nursing care services (INCS) unit. Methods: The participants were 210 nurses caring for elderly patients in the INCS unit in Korea. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires from February 9 to February 23, 2017. The questionnaires are composed of empathy construct rating scale, self-efficacy scale and nursing care of older adults scale. Results: The mean age of the participants was 29.9 years old. There were significant positive relationships between age and clinical career (r=.78; p<.001), self-efficacy and empathy (r=.33; p<.001) and empathy and nursing care of older adults (r=.25; p<.001). The quality of nursing care of older adults were significantly different according to working experience in psychiatric unit (p=.021). Influencing factor of nursing care of older adults was empathy (${\ss}=.29$; p<.001), which explained 30% of the variance. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that attention should be given to empathy of nursing care of older adults and numerous efforts should be made to improve nurses' empathy for quality elderly care.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.451-463
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• 2022

Purpose: This study examined the reciprocal relationships between depression and income, and gender differences in these relationships among older adults in South Korea. Methods: Using 2015 to 2019 of the Korea Welfare Panel Study (KoWePS), we studied 6,070 older adults (2,394 men and 3,676 women) aged 60 years over in 2015. The generalized estimating equation was employed to explore the effect of an individual income on depression and the reverse causal link-that of depression on income. Results: The study found the reciprocal relationships between income and depression. Income has a significant impact on depression. Higher-income was linked to decreased risks of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scores among older adults (B = - 0.121, p < 0.001). Estimates of the reverse causal link show that higher CES-D scores were also linked to income reduction among Korean older adults (B = - 0.007, p < 0.001). In addition, we also observed gender differences in the impact of income on depression but not in the reverse causal link. Income has more detrimental to psychological consequence for older men (B = - 0.108, p < 0.001) than older women (B = - 0.057, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The finding implies that both psychological and social protection policies for the elderly are needed in view of gender perspective.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.428-450
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• 2023

This meta-analysis examined the surgical management of older patients (>80 years) with gastric cancer, who were often excluded from randomized controlled trials. We analyzed 23 retrospective cohort studies involving 18,372 patients and found that older patients had a higher in-hospital mortality rate (relative risk [RR], 3.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46-7.17; P<0.01) and more post-operative complications (RR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.19-1.56; P<0.01) than did younger patients. However, the surgical complications were similar between the two groups. Older patients were more likely to undergo less extensive lymph node dissection and longer hospital stays. Although older patients had statistically significant post-operative medical complications, they were not deprived of surgery for gastric cancer. The comorbidities and potential risks of post-operative complications should be carefully evaluated in older patients, highlighting the importance of careful patient selection. Overall, this meta-analysis provides recommendations for the surgical management of older patients with gastric cancer. Careful patient selection and evaluation of comorbidities should be performed to minimize the risk of post-operative complications in older patients, while recognizing that they should not be deprived of surgery for gastric cancer.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.200-207
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between digital literacy and depressive symptoms, as well as the mediating role of social support in this relationship, among older women (60 years and older) in Korea. Methods: This study analyzed data from the User Experience Evaluation Survey, which was conducted by the Ewha Institute for Age Integration Research to improve the accessibility of digital information for older adults research from May to September 2020. Survey data on depressive symptoms, digital literacy, and social support were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. Results: The factors influencing depressive symptoms among older women included work status (B=-.19, p=.01), social support (B=-.17, p<.001), self-rated health (B=-.13, p=.003), and digital literacy (B=-.10, p=.005), which had an explanatory power of 33%. In addition, social support played a mediating role in the relationship between digital literacy and depressive symptoms (B=-.05, SE=.02; 95% CI, -.09 to -.02). Conclusion: The findings of this study support the need to develop and apply interventions that promote digital literacy among older women to mitigate depressive symptoms by increasing social support.

• Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.167-175
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• 2018

Sarcopenia, a common clinical syndrome in older adults, is defined as decreased muscle mass, strength, and physical performance. Since sarcopenia is associated with the incidence of functional decline, falls, and even mortality in older adults, researchers and health care providers have been keen to accumulate clinical evidence to advocate the screening and prevention of sarcopenia progression in older adults. The factors that may accelerate the loss of muscle mass and function include chronic diseases, inactivity, and deficiency in appropriate nutritional support. Among these, nutritional support is considered an initial step to delay the progression of muscle wasting and improve physical performance in community-dwelling older adults. However, a nationwide study suggested that most Korean older adults do not consume sufficient dietary protein to maintain their muscle mass. Furthermore, considering age-associated anabolic resistance to dietary protein, higher protein intake should be emphasized in older adults than in younger people. To develop a dietary protein recommendation for older adults in Korea, we reviewed the relevant literature, including interventional studies from Korea. From these, we recommend that older adults consume at least 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight per day (g/kg/day) to delay the progression of muscle wasting. The amount we recommend (1.2 g/kg/day) is 31.4% higher than the previously suggested recommended daily allowance (i.e., 0.91 g/kg/day) for the general population of Korea. Also, evidence to date suggests that the combination of exercise and nutritional support may enhance the beneficial effects of protein intake in older adults in Korea. We found that the current studies are insufficient to build population-based guidelines for older adults, and we call for further researches in Korea.