• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.172-178
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• 2018

Objectives : This study aimed to describe the use of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and to identify predictors for their use in the elderly living alone. Methods : This is a cross-sectional study that enrolled 1,099 subjects. Data regarding socio-demographic status, medical condition, cognition, mood disorder and use of OTC drugs were collected using self-administered questionnaire and from a specific semi-structured interview by a trained nurse. Data regarding use of OTC drugs were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Logistic regression analysis was applied to examine factors associated with the use of OTC drugs. Results : The use of OTC drugs were reported by 35.4% of the subjects. Analgesics (13.6%) was the most frequent drugs. Depression (OR=1.10, 95% CI=1.10-1.87) and comorbidities measured by cumulative illness rating scale (CIRS) (OR=1.08, 95% CI=1.03-1.12) were significantly associated with the use of OTC drugs in the elderly living alone. Conclusions : Depression and severity of underlying medical conditions could be a predictor of the use of OTC drugs in the elderly living alone. The clinicians should be vigilant regarding the potential use of nonprescription medications in the elderly.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.243-256
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was to investigate fear of falling and related factors in elderly living alone based on fall experience. Methods: Participants were 404 elderly women(faller=148, non-faller=256) over 65 years who were homebound living alone in Jeollanam-do Province. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using questionnaires from April $23^{th}$ to June $9^{th}$ 2013. The questionnaires consisted of demographic variables, fall experience, Fear of falling questionnaire(FOFQ), Falls Efficacy Scale(FES) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression(CES-D). The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS version 14.0. Results: The fear of falling and the influential factors were different according to fall experience. Regression model for fear of falling in fallers significantly accounted for 46.1%(F=6.71, p<0.001); difficulty of performing activity, depression, fall-efficacy, static balance and assistive devices. Regression model for fear of falling in non-fallers significantly accounted for 55.2%(F=15.16, p<0.001); fall-efficacy, environmental hazards, difficulty of performing activity, risk of nutrition, housing type, dizziness and assistive devices. Conclusion: Results demonstrate that fall is an important health problem for elderly women living alone, and show fall experience for factors influencing fear of falling. These results could be used in the developing fall prevention programs.

• 재활복지
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.17-43
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• 2016

This study is on understanding the reality of disabled seniors and investigation of factors that affect overall life satisfaction, making a proposal to improve their life quality. Situation data for the disabled, gathered by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) in 2014, was used to perform the study, and the target group is 3,181 people with disability, above the age of 65. Descriptive statistics was presented for data analysis and logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate factors that affect life satisfaction. It was concluded from the analysis that gender, age, presence of spouse (demographic factors), house income, possession of house, presence of pensioner, registration to public pension plan, social discrimination (social-economical factors), level of disability, subjective health status, level of help needed for daily living, presence of care-giver, sufficiency of help, ability to go out by oneself, difficulty of using public transportations, and presence of medical checkups (disability and health factors.) make meaningful effects to life satisfaction of disabled seniors. Based on the derived results, this study suggests intensive interests and care-giving service for disabled seniors that live alone, institutional complementations to guarantee income security, including public or private pensions, improvements to social recognition and environments for discrimination of the disabled, organization of health and medical treatment service and health care system, comprehensive service provision to social welfare for both the disabled and seniors, and comprehensive service provision to both health care and social welfare.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.69-83
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• 2024

Objective : This study investigated the prevalence of dysphagia in older adults in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and its impact on Quality of Life (QoL) and educational needs. Methods : A cross-sectional survey was conducted from August 1 to 15, 2023, with 207 cognitively normal older adults from three senior welfare centers. Data included general characteristics, Korean-version of the Eating Assessment Tool (K-EAT-10), Swallowing-QoL, and educational needs related to swallowing disorders. Dysphagia was defined by a K-EAT-10 score of 3 or higher. Participants were divided into normal and risk groups for analysis using chi-square and Independent t-test. Results : The prevalence of dysphagia risk (K-EAT-10 score of 3 or higher) was 41.5% (86 individuals). Among the 92 individuals reporting dysphagia symptoms, 64 (69.6%) were at risk. QoL was significantly lower in the risk group, especially among those living alone or with denture discomfort. The most preferred educational need was training in eating solid foods (Mean = 4.27), with higher needs in the dysphagia risk group. Conclusion : This study underscores the prevalence of dysphagia, its impact on QoL, and the need for educational programs. Emphasizing prevention, public awareness, and early detection, along with the role of dysphagia rehabilitation experts and community collaboration, is essential for supporting healthy aging.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.140-151
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• 2015

This study apply concept mapping to realize of client participation and self-determination in social welfare program for the mental disorders. They are relatively easily marginalized in decision-making process of their program. But realization of client participation and self-determination is directly connected with effect of service. For this reason, we confirmed the applicability of concept mapping in program planning that support client participation. Case of this study is social welfare program of B community psychiatric rehabilitation center located in the A city. This program is community interchange service for the mental disorders. Interchange type is to have a food with the mental disorder and the solitary elderly. We took advantage of the concept mapping to derive the outcomes that are expecting the mental disorders and mental health social workers. Concept mapping was proceeding in six steps; preparation stage ${\rightarrow}$ idea collection stage ${\rightarrow}$ structuralization stage ${\rightarrow}$ analysis stage ${\rightarrow}$ interpretation stage ${\rightarrow}$ application stage. Participants were a total of 25 people including the mental disorders and community psychiatric rehabilitation center employees. The participants produced 42 statements. Sorting results, the mental disorders produced 6 clusters; community psychiatric rehabilitation center employees produced 3 clusters. The mental disorders classified better detail than community psychiatric rehabilitation center employees. Two group were found gap of expected outcomes each other, went narrowed it. They agreed 3 expected outcomes finally. We identified empirically the usefulness of concept mapping to realize self-determination and program participation.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
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• 2009.05a
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• pp.382-385
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• 2009

본 논문에서는 최근 정보통신의 다양한 분야에서 응용되고 있는 USN과 LBS 기술을 이용하여 사회복지 인프라를 위한 서비스 체계화, 상대적 소외계층을 위한 안전체계 구축, 첨단 IT 기술 접목의 복지통신정책 실현, 공공 u-Wellbeing 서비스 시스템 구축을 목적으로 u-Care 서비스 시스템을 설계 구현하였다. 이 서비스는 독거 또는 치매노인, 장애인을 위한 사회복지 서비스로 거주지 실내 활동 현황 모니터링이 가능하며, 초소형 GPS 기반의 위치추적 단말기를 이용하여 실시간 위치정보 및 상태 정보에 이상이 생겼을 시에는 사회복지 관련 기관, 경찰, 119, 가족 등에게 SMS로 자동 발송하는 서비스 방식이다.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 2015

Objective : Positive psychotherapy is based on the premise that positive thoughts and satisfaction with life are determinants for improving the symptoms of depressive disorder. This article highlights the effectiveness of group positive psychotherapy on the elderly living alone with depressive disorder in Korea. Methods : A total of 25 Korean elderly living alone with depressive disorder participated in group positive psychotherapy. The participants completed the Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAMD) and the Positive Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) before and after the group positive psychotherapy. Results : The HAMD and PTQ scores of the participants after the group positive psychotherapy were higher than before the psychotherapy. A correlation between the age of patients and improvement of symptoms after group positive psychotherapy was found : the older the patients were, the better the improvements were. Conclusion : The study shows that group positive psychotherapy in the elderly living alone is effective in improving the symptoms of depressive disorder. The participant's age was found to be a factor that affects the improvement of depressive disorder symptoms.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.57-65
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• 2011

Voluntarism as an ethics standard for the human race in the 21st Century, suggest to us partical and realistic measures as well as an ideological framework which can solve the problems in the national area. Volunteer activities in the society by university and university students are very important within the nation, provincial communities as well as in the country area. This study focuses on voluntary activities of university students of all the local university on gyungsang buk do after looking in to the present situation of voluntarism and issues and seeks to search into the policy issues that university students voluntary activities should be directed towards. For the active execution of college students voluntary activities, it is necessary to establish partnerships between local communities and university, policy support from the university authorities, program development and expansion of the boundaries of volunteer avtivities, and connections between university Health voluntary health center.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.11
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• pp.3170-3175
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• 2009

In this paper, we developed u-Care service system using technologies of USN and LBS to help construct social welfare infrastructure and social safety net for lone seniors and handicapped people. This service not only monitors the in-house and outdoor activities of those disabled people but also sends the messages, whenever abnormal behaviors are detected, to the people related to them as well as the social welfare organizations and public safety institutions such as police and emergency services and etc in order to alert them.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.137-142
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• 2019

This paper Various services exist to detect and monitor abnormal event. However, most services focus on fires and gas leaks. so It is impossible to prevent and respond to emergency situations for the elderly and severely disabled people living alone. In this study, AI model is designed and compared to detect abnormal event of heart rate signal which is considered to be the most important among various bio signals. Specifically, electrocardiogram (ECG) data is collected using Physionet's MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database, an open medical data. The collected data is transformed in different ways. We then compare the trained AI model with the modified and ECG data.