• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.90-100
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• 2013

Background: This study examined the relationships of dementia, stroke, and combined multimorbidity with long-term care utilizations among older people in South Korea. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 10,130 older adults who used long-term care services in 2010 were analyzed. We used the 5% sample of aged 65 years or older linked with National Health Insurance Corporation registry data of long-term care insurance system. The sample was categorized into three groups: dementia only (47.6%), stroke only (36.3%), and both dementia and stroke (16.1%). We estimated the use of institutional care, home care, and total expenditure of long-term care services, adjusting for the severity of each function (such as daily life, behavior or cognitive change, nursing care needs, and rehabilitation care needs) and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Having dementia symptoms was positively associated with the use of institutional care services, on the other hand, having stroke symptoms was positively related with the use of home care. The total long-term care cost was higher in the group of having both dementia and stroke. Conclusion: Older persons with dementia symptoms and stroke symptoms have different patterns of long-term care utilization, and the multimorbidity increased the overall expenditure of long-term care utilization. These findings imply a need for differentiated management strategy targeting physically and cognitively impaired older persons, and special concerning for persons with multimorbidity conditions for long-term care insurance program in Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 2003

Objectives : Dementia has emerged as a leading public health problem in elderly persons, and its early detection is important for the treatment of curable cases, and in the educational support for other family members. Although dementia screening tests are available, they have not gained widespread use in community or primary care settings. Our goal was to validate the Tine and Change (T&C) Test, -including its validity and reliability in patients, and to assess it as a simple, standardized method for the screening of dementia in the rural elderly. Methods : The participants in this study comprised of 59 patients from an urban hospital and 405 persons from a rural community aged 65 years or older. The time test evaluated the understanding of clock hands indicating 11:10, and the change test the ability to make 1,000 Won from a group of coins, consisting of one 500, seven 100, and seven 50 Won coins. The T&C ratings were validated against a reference standard based on the physician's diagnosis of the patients. The convergent validity in relation to other cognitive measure, test-retest agreement, and inter-observer reliability were assessed. To assess the relationship between the Korean Mini-Mental State Exam (K-MMSE) and the T&C Test, the mean K-MMSE scores were compared with the results of the T&C Test in the elderly from a rural community. Results The T&C Test had a sensitivity and specificity of 73.0, and 90.9%, and positive and negative predictive values of 93.1, and 66.7%, respectively. The test-retest and inter-observer agreement rates were both 95%. The K-MMSE scores and T&C Test were significantly related in the elderly from a rural community (p<0.01), The T&C Test was not influenced by the educational status. The Time and Change Tests took a mean of 6.3 and 12.7 seconds, respectively, to complete Conclusion : The T&C Test is a simple, accurate and reliable, performance-based tool in the screening for dementia. Because it is quick, and easy-to-use, it is hoped the T&C Test will be used for the widespread cognitive screening of aging populations.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.385-389
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• 2019

As we become an aging society, the number of dementia patients increases every year (an estimated 10% of the elderly, equating to 1.27 million in 30 years). In addition, 17,000 cases of missing people with disabilities and dementia are reported annually, indicating that more than one person per hour goes missing. More than 50% of those who are lost suffer injuries (some of which are fatal) within 24 hours after going missing. This is why measures are urgently required to ensure safety of the elderly. The core function of the disappearances prevention system proposed by this research group is to identify and respond early to deviations of dementia patients from their homes or facilities by identifying the location of the occurrence of disappearance, so that real-time notifications occur when a they leave the protected area. In addition, multiple receivers and public transportation integrated terminals share information when a patient leaves and uses public transportation to ensure their safe return. Most existing beacon-based positioning service models have fixed signal transmitters and are serviced in the form of transport receivers, but the proposed service model has users wearing the BLE beacon and receivers fixed.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2007

Korean society expects to be changing into aged society more rapidly than any other countries due to low birthrate and increase in life expectancy. Increasing number of elderly and social problems of aging society have provoked increase in research on elderly environment. Elderly housing facilities and living conditions are significantly related to the quality of life for older persons. The purpose of this study is to systematically analyze empirical studies on elderly physical environments in Korea, find out research streaming and understand social backgrounds and to suggest future research problems. For this study, contents analysis was conducted. Articles of four academic peer reviewed journals published from 1986 to 2005 were units of analysis. Using a keyword through library database systems, the articles were systematically selected. As results, trends of research according to 4 periods were defined. Among them as major trends, expansion of the quantity, expansion to interior design features for older persons, more facility types for dependent elderly(assisted living facilities, facilities for elderly with dementia, long term care facilities) have appeared. This result showed some directions and implications on elderly facility planning and development.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.446-450
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• 2012

Purpose: This study is exploratory research to check the survey instrument KDSQ-C used to measure cognition for agreement between the elderly and their caregivers. Methods: Elderly persons from 170 families, who are aged over 65, have never been diagnosed with dementia, and who have caregivers in S City and K City were randomly selected by their nurses. A survey was conducted in the time from September to November, 2009 through personal interviews using a questionnaire. Results: In terms of consistency among items, there was high consistency (0.813) in the responses regarding complex task competence for the statement 'it is hard to reach a destination alone with public transportation'. There was relatively low consistency (0.63) in the responses regard memory for the statement 'they forget an appointment'. When the subject elderly and caregiver live together, as when their children or spouses responded, consistency was greater than when the caregiver lived in a different home. Conclusion: KDSQ-C showed high agreement in measurement between the subject elderly and their caregivers, demonstrating that it can be used as a measurement scale for cognition which can be directly applied to the subject elderly.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.146-156
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the experience of nursing students who volunteered as dementia partners for elderly persons with dementia. Methods: This qualitative study utilized focus group interviews to investigate the experiences of 20 nursing students who performed dementia partner activities for more than one year. Data were analysed using an inductive content analysis approach based on Elo & Kyngäs. Results: The analysis yielded the following four major themes: "becoming a dementia expert," "becoming an evangelist for prevention of dementia," "overcoming prejudices against aged with dementia," and "acquiring motivation and skills of geriatric nursing" That means the experience as a dementia partner serves as an opportunity to broaden human understanding and shows its potential as a means to complement the effectiveness of practical nursing education. Conclusion: Dementia partner experiences have changed the perception, attitude and behavior of nursing students about the aged with dementia, so there is a need to extend this kind of experience to other students in nursing. Moreover, educational policy support should be continuously provided for this purpose.

• 한국체육학회지인문사회과학편
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.387-397
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• 2018

This study analyzed the effects of participating in wholeness programs according to virtual reality(VR) viewing status on the cognitive function, depression and activities of daily living of elderly with dementia. The subjects were 8 elderly persons aged 75 years or older who were diagnosed with dementia by a neurologist who were divided into an experimental group of 4 subjects that participated in a wholeness program after 15 minutes of VR viewing and a control group of 4 subjects that participated in a wholeness program without viewing VR. Data were collected through pre and post test, and analyzed in the wholeness program conducted at K1 and K2 Senior Welfare Centers in Seoul from March 6 to April 14, 2017, twice every week for 60 minutes. As a result, there was no effect on cognitive function and activities of daily living, but there was a significant difference in depression, and it was confirmed that wholeness program activity after VR watching decreased depression of elderly with dementia.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.1-18
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• 2008

Objectives: The objective of this study is to identify the gender differences of risk factors for falls among the elderly in community dwellings. Methods: We analyzed the data on 3,278(male 1,255, female 2,023) persons, including 497 persons who have experienced falls, drawn from the 2004 National Elderly Survey. We conducted a cross-tabulation analysis, $X^2$-test and hierarchical regression analysis of the impact of the socio-economical characteristics, environmental characteristics, the number of chronic diseases, usage of supplementary devices, activities of daily living, dementia, and the severity of problem behavior. Results: For the entire sample of the elderly, gender, age, the size of the cities of residence, the number of chronic diseases, and the severity of problem behavior were identified as risk factors for falls. The number of chronic diseases and the severity of problem behavior were found to be significant for the male subsample, while age, the size of cities of residence, dwelling types, and the number of chronic diseases were found to be significant for the female subsample. Conclusion: The number of chronic diseases was identified as a common risk factor for falls in the male and female elderly. Chronic diseases were also found to aggravate the risk for falls when they concur with other diseases.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the horticultural therapy program on patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia depending on the frequency and duration of the interventions. We developed the same 15-session program to improve cognitive functions and life satisfaction and alleviate depression of the elderly women with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia. Subjects in Longer Treatment group participated in the program once a week for 15 weeks and subjects in Shorter Tratmet group participated twice a week for 7½ weeks. This study conducted pretest-posttest verification of both groups using quasi-experimental design involving 21 subjects. Elderly life satisfaction, Geriatric Depression Scale (short form), and the Korean Version of Consortium to Establish a Registry of Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-K) were used in the evaluation. As a result, both groups showed an increase in life satisfaction, and a decrease in depression. However, there was a significant difference in the changes of the CERAD-K scores between the two groups (p < .05). In Longer Treatment group, life satisfaction increased significantly (p < .001), and depression decreased at a marginally significant level (p = .068), but no statistically significant change was observed in neurocognitive function. In Shorter Treatment group, life satisfaction increased at a marginally significant level (p = .059), and depression and CERAD-K scores decreased significantly (p < .05). However, in the case of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K), there was no significant change in both groups. According to these results, when planning a horticultural therapy program for persons with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, it is effective to organize and execute the program by determining the duration of intervention as 3 to 4 months or longer, even if this reduces the number of interventions per week.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.400-413
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• 2019

Purpose: The use of video-recording offers important advantages in observing and assessing the relationship between specific behaviors in health care settings. The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate and synthesize the methodological characteristics of studies using video-technology for measuring interactions with the older persons with dementia and staff in long-term care facilities. Methods: We searched Medline, Embase and CINHAL databases for published articles in English using a video-recording method for both staff and the residents with dementia. Quantitative research design studies (e.g., descriptive or experimental studies) were included. Results: Among 5,605 searched papers, a total of 20 studies were selected for this review. Situations of video-recording were providing personal care (n=12), mealtime (n=6), and conversation (n=3). Concepts measured by video-recording were classified into two groups: 1) Staff [care practice by staff (n=13) and communication by staff (n=11)] and 2) residents [communication by resident (n=4), activities of daily life function of resident (n=8), and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (n=10)]. Conclusion: This review demonstrates that video technologies are actively used to evaluate the relationship between quality of care and health outcomes of the elderly with dementia in many international nursing studies. This study provides the foundation for a future research using video-recording technologies to examine the interactions and relationships between staff and the residents in Korean long-term care settings.