• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.195-213
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to explore and understand the meaning of 'Good Death' that the Korean aged people are generally thinking based on their values and the sentiments. For this purpose, we carried out individual and in-depth interviews with 40 aged persons living in Seoul taking their genders and social-economic status into consideration from March to May 2003. We applied qualitative research method to this study. Eight graduate students were responsible for the interviews. They majored in gerontology or had experiences of field work with old persons. It took an average of one and a half hour and maximum of two hours for each of the interviews. All of the processes of each interview were tape-recorded under the agreement with each interviewee. The main and sub themes from the data can be classified to seven categories according to the Phenomenological Approach designed by Colaizzi(1978). The main theme of good death that most of the interviewees considered was 'Blessed Death', very similar to 'Death Fortune' in the five good fortunes found in Korean tradition and the Confucianism. Also, the main concept is classified to seven sub-themes: (1) Not seeing their children's death; (2) Dying in front of their children; (3) Not to be a burden of their children during their lives; (4) Dying after doing all of their duties as parents; (5) Dying with no pain; (6) Completing the natural span of their lives; and (7) Prepared death. Thus, 'Blessed Death' that Korean aged people consider seems to be very closely related with the lives, health, happiness and success of their children. Based on the findings, we concluded that both social policy makers and social service providers are required to keep in mind the meanings of 'Good death' that most of the Korean aged people consider in order to help them enjoy successful aging during their remaining lives.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.188-195
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• 2015

Purpose: We examined the effects of a well-dying program on nursing students in terms of death preparation, death recognition and perception of well-dying perception. Methods: The design of this study was quasi-experimental and non-synchronized with a non-equivalent control group. The study was conducted with nursing students: 32 in the experimental group and 36 in the control group. The well-dying program was consisted of five sessions: introduction, thinking about meaning of death, organizing things to do before dying, looking back on my life, and leaving a trail of my life. Descriptive analysis, t-test, ${\chi}^2$ test and ANCOVA were used with SPSS 18.0 program to analyze the data. Results: After attending the program, a difference was observed in death preparation of the experimental group (t=2.61, P=0.014). The death recognition (F=154.15, P<0.001) score of the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group. There was no significant difference between the groups in perception of well-dying (F=0.11, P=0.747). Conclusions: The well-dying program helped nursing students build positive death recognition. Therefore, this study is expected to contribute to development of a death education program for nursing students.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.137-144
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the perception of dying with dignity and the quality of life based on the opinions of the Korean populations. The participants were selected using a stratified proportional allocation method and 1,000 adults aged between 19 and 74 years from 17 municipalities and provinces in Korea. The questionnaire consisted of 2 demographic items; 26 items on the quality of life scale; and 57 items on the perception of dying with dignity. The statistical methods used included frequency analyses, independent sample t-tests, and correlation analyses. The results showed that the quality of life was highest for the social life quality item, and that the participants who had experienced a death in the family were more likely to have statistically lower quality of life in physical, psychological, environmental, and social areas. In terms of the participants' perception on dying with dignity, the score for death preparation was the highest; specifically, the score for psychological/economic burden reduction was the highest. The quality of life of the participants showed a positive correlation in all aspects of the perception of dying with dignity: physical symptoms and control, death preparation, death environment, family and social relations, hospital treatment, psychological dignity, and spirituality. Other studies conducted with middle-aged populations showed that their quality of life was higher when they perceived the acceptance of death is important and were willing to participate in death preparation education. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of life and have a positive influence on the participants, educational programs on death preparation and dying with dignity considering all the areas of the perception of dying with dignity should be provided.

• 한국노년학
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.785-808
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• 2016

This study portraits the way of self-preparation for death among the elderly and examines the meaning and values attached to the elderly-care by their family and friends through the analysis of Kyung-ran Jo's novels. First, the author describes the difficulties and inner conflict of women who provide care for the elderly, especially those facing death in the near future. She also describes how the acceptance of death and self-discovery among the caregivers can be developed from the experience of long term care. These are consistent with the arguments by Ecofemnist on positive sides of providing caregiving in an aging society. In her novels, caregiving from young women is not described as the consequences of internalized gender norms of traditional Confucian culture. Rather, it is depicted as attitude toward a life in a commune where the meaning of life and death of elderly is shared between generations. In addition, struggles of the elderly figures against diseases and the process of their death provide an opportunity for young caregivers to overcome the trauma of other's death witnessed in their childhood. They lead the young caregivers to reflect themselves by raising ontologistic questions on life and death. The author shows the communication between generations presenting the self-preparation of death from the old generation undergoing irreversible aging and caregiving activities of significant others from the young generation. In doing so, the author points out the ethical grounds for diseases and death in old age given the condition of personalization of death in the modern society.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.227-234
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was done to analyze how a death preparation education program have the effects on awareness of hospice palliative care and withdrawing life sustaining treatment in older adults. Methods: This study employed a non-equivalent control group design among quasi-experimental designs. The experimental group was comprised with 35 adults and the control group with 40 adults. The death preparation program consisted of five two-hour sessions and was administered once a week for five straight weeks. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ${\chi}^2$ test, Fisher's exact test, and ANCOVA using SPSS version 18.0. Results: The mean age of the participants was 66.2 years. A significant difference between the experimental and control groups was observed in withdrawing life sustaining treatment (F=3.380, P=0.040). However, no significant difference was found in awareness of hospice palliative care (F=0.163, P=0.850). Conclusion: The study results indicate that death preparation training could positively affect people's awareness of withdrawing life sustaining treatment. More studies should be conducted to explore effects of death preparation education for all ages and help people better understand hospice palliative care.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.142-150
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was to identify the attitude of Korean HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)-positive men toward death. Methods: A Q-methodology was performed with 20 HIV-positive male individuals. Participants were asked to select and answer questions among a set of 40 Q-statements using a 9-point scale. The collected data were analyzed using the PC QUANL program. Results: Participants' attitudes toward death were categorized into four types. Type I was characterized by respect for life, type II by reality orientation, type III by pain evasion and type IV religious beliefs. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop an assessment tool and an intervention program for HIV-positive individuals.

• 한국노년학
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.305-323
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• 2019

In recognition of the increasing social attention paid to the notion of how to die well, this study explored what it is that middle-aged and older Koreans think of as "dying well." Specifically, it was aimed at classifying the perceptions people middle-aged and older have regarding dying well. To this end, we used data from the National Survey on Well-Dying, which was conducted in 2018 by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, and employed Latent Class Analysis. The demographic characteristics of each of the classified subgroups were identified through technical statistics. The types identified were multilayered depending on the imminence of death, perspectives of the last stages before dying, and the meaning of death in the context of social relationships. These types differed according to gender and subjective health conditions. Based on our findings in this study, we put forward policy suggestions about awareness improvement of personal and social levels, promoting on comprehensive death preparation, providing a system to reduce the cost of medical and nursing expense at the end of one's life, promoting of the right to self-determination regarding death, raising social attention to groups that are least prepared for dying well.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.325-347
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• 2010

To provide a satisfactory life for the elderly females who are the most impoverished among the elderly social strata, this study is geared towards, and focused on, the exploration on their attitudes towards death. For the purpose of this study, in-depth interviews with females aged 65 and over, who are officially classified as the beneficiary of national fundamental livelihood security, have been conducted. Then, the results from these interviews have been compiled and analyzed through qualitative research methods. As a result of this research, the attitudes of the destitute elderly females towards death are categorized into several themes, such as 'Feeling close to the death through a hard life', 'Positive acceptance of the death', 'Relying on funeral services from government and religious organization', 'Hoping for a death with dignity'. The attitudes of death means to them that 'they can get out of a hard life', and elderly female beneficiaries were positive in their acceptance of this meaning. Those who could obtain funeral services as a part of assistance from government and a religious organization did not feel stressful about their funeral arrangements. However, there were individuals who didn't know if their funeral services would be covered by the government. They were unsure if a funeral service would be held for them, or they would have nobody to hold a funeral for them. Accordingly, they were worried about that. The poor elderly females were unhealthy and indigent, and so, they had death anxiety. Therefore, based on the study results above, some ideas regarding elderly welfare are proposed to enable poor elderly females to face their deaths with dignity.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.91-107
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• 2010

This study was conducted to grasp senior education programs with the purpose of providing senior education services and researching program development of public libraries for elderly population of an aging society. Senior education programs provided by 33 Senior Welfare Centers and 41 public libraries in Seoul were compared in terms of, 6 subjects such as health, literacy/education, information education, death preparation education, hobbies and employment/volunteer. The Senior Welfare Center provided much more senior programs, whereas the public libraries appeared that the number of institutions participating in senior services was very few, and the program provision for elderly population appeared to be extremely insufficient. A specific course schedule of the program of 'making of a happiness map' of death preparation education, which is one theme among them, was developed.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.12
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• pp.469-475
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• 2014

This study analyzed the studies and their trends, specifically 124 master's and doctoral theses, as well as research papers on the topic of education on death published from 1990 to 2014. The study's findings are as follows. First, in terms of trends by year, there were only 8papers in the 1990s but this figure saw a dramatic jump from 2005 to 2009 to a total of 50papers(40.3%). The majority of them, 59papers in total, were master's theses(47.6%). Second, in terms of the study field, theological studies took the lead and studies on social welfare accounted for 29papers(28.4%) which was the largest share. Third, in terms of study subjects, senior citizens were used in the majority of papers or 35papers(40.7%) in total. Fourth, in terms of methodology, literature studies accounted for 61papers(49.2%) which was the largest share. Fifth, for mediation programs education on death, the preferred method of study was to have a before-after design using a control group and experiment group. The most common number of total sessions was 5-8sessions with one session per week and each session lasting for about 100-120minutes. Sixth, as for the effect variable of mediation programs for education on death, death anxiety was the most frequently studied variable at 23 papers(31.5%).