Abstract
Aging society and aged society are determined by the component ratio of the elderly to the whole population; aging society is defined as a society whose ratio of the elderly population is less than 7%, and it is called aged society when the ratio is over 14%. Korea's aging process is so fast and unprecedented over the world according to many statistical data and investigations. The purpose of this study was to provide guidance and basic data to educate the elderly for the proper use of medication and health functional food. This study was carried out on 80 subjects of age 65 or older in Cheong Jusi in Choogncheongbuk-do. They answered questionnaire that was prepared for this study. The data were collected from August 4, 2008 to August 18, 2008. The collected data were analyzed by using the SPSS 12.0OK (for window) program and Microsoft EXCEL. The following is a summary of the results of this study. First, in the aspect of purchasing, the majority of respondents bought OTC drugs and health functional food for health and illness prevention. Purchasing places of drugs were diverse. Second, in the aspect of taking drugs, the older answerers were, the higher the number of drugs being taken was. Third, in the aspect of proper storage of drugs, most respondents have no specific spaces. Finally, regarding recognition of drug abuse and disposal, most people have little awareness or have no idea.
