• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors increasing fall risk in the residential environment risk and the perceived fall risk among the older adults who received home care services to provide information for developing a comprehensive falls intervention program. Methods: The subjects were 227 community-dwelling elderly aged 65 years and over who were taken care of by home-visiting nurses of the national health centers. The data were collected from July to August in 2012 using the Choi's residential environmental risk scale (2010) and the Hong's fall risk scale (2011). Results: Requires an assistive devices to walk, modified residential environment, health security, approval certificate of LTC, residential safety perception, residential environment risk, and perception of fall risk were statistically significant risk factors. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that room & kitchen, physical perception, medication & ADL perception, floor-related environmental perception, and daily living tool-related perception were statistically significant predictors of fall. Conclusion: The results showed that the residential environment and the perceived fall risk were associated with fall experiences among the elderly. It is necessary to develope multifactorial intervention programs considering both environmental and perceived risk factors as well as physical risk factors to reduce and prevent falls among the elderly.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.810-818
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was done to explore factors relating to number of falls among community-dwelling elders, based on gender. Methods: Participants were 403 older community dwellers (male=206, female=197) aged 60 or above. In this study, 8 variables were identified as predictive factors that can result in an elderly person falling and as such, supports previous studies. The 8 variables were categorized as, exogenous variables; perceived health status, somatization, depression, physical performance, and cognitive state, and endogenous variables; fear of falling, ADL & IADL and frequency of falls. Results: For men, ability to perform ADL & IADL (${\beta}_{32}$=1.84, p<.001) accounted for 16% of the variance in the number of falls. For women, fear of falling (${\beta}_{31}$=0.14, p<.05) and ability to perform ADL & IADL (${\beta}_{32}$=1.01, p<.001) significantly contributed to the number of falls, accounting for 15% of the variance in the number of falls. Conclusion: The findings from this study confirm the gender-based fall prediction model as comprehensive in relation to community-dwelling elders. The fall prediction model can effectively contribute to future studies in developing fall prediction and intervention programs.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.9
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• pp.389-397
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• 2018

This study identified the knowledge, attitude and degree of prevention behaviors on falls of the elderly and analyzed the relationship among them as well as their effects on fall prevention behaviors. This study was targeted at 167 elderly attending senior welfare centers and data collected by interview was analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program. As a result of correlation analysis, positive relations were identified between knowledge and attitude on falls, as well as attitude and prevention behaviors on falls. Factors that had significant effect on fall prevention behaviors were gender and attitude and showed 21.1% of explanatory power (F=8.41, p<.001). The study further suggests intervention programs on fall prevention focusing on the improvement of attitude on falls for enhancing fall prevention behaviors of the elderly to be developed and applied based on the results of this study.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.161-170
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in elderly patients admitted to hospitals after falls. Methods: The study surveyed 283 patients 65 or older admitted January 1-December 31, 2016. Data were collected from electronic medical records, and medications administered immediately prior to admission were examined. PIM use for patients was investigated using the Beers criteria, and data were analyzed by Chi-square test and independent ttest. Results: The average age of participants was 79.42± 8.16, and the study included 226 women (79.9%) and 57 men (20.1%). The average number of self-administered medications daily was 4.94± 3.68, and 55.1% took five or more medications. PIM use was found in 107 patients (37.8%). There was a significant difference in polypharmacy according to age, and the proportion of medical aid beneficiaries and prevalence of cardiocerebrovascular, endocrine, and other chronic diseases were higher in the polypharmacy and PIM use patients than in the non-polypharmacy and non-PIM use patients. The number of chronic diseases and medications taken were significantly high among polypharmacy and PIM use patients. Conclusion: It is necessary to minimize polypharmacy and PIM use, and establish a system for systematically evaluating and managing medication use to prevent falls in the elderly.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2017

It is very important for the elderly to maintain their independence and to live safe and comfortable daily lives in order to lead an independent life. The bathroom in the house has the greatest number of fall accidents and has a great influence on the independence of the elderly. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a bathroom design method that improves the independence of the elderly whose physical function is deteriorated through preventing falls. In this study, first of all, we investigated the causes of falling in bathrooms based on the previous studies, and identified the intelligent services that can prevent falls and selected them according to individual needs. Secondly, we investigated the bathroom size of the apartment among the various housing type, analyzed the type of the bathroom, and developed a standard type of the bathroom. Thirdly, we analyzed the design guidelines for the elderly residents in Korea and proposed improvement directions. We also divided the intelligent sanitary appliances and fall-prevention products and proposed the installation method and directions. Therefore, the comprehensive bathroom design standards and proposals proposed in this study will be the basis of bathroom design to prevent falls and improve independence of the elderly, and it will be easy to understand and help the designer in designing. Finally, this study is meaningful in that it provides independence of the elderly through fall prevention and increases the easiness of hygiene action and suggests direction to maintain self-sustaining life of the elderly.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.55-65
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• 2022

Elderly people with Parkinson's disease have higher rates of physical and mental risk factors for falls than non-Parkinson's disease elderly. The purpose of this study is to investigate this by using national data that includes the entire population of the elderly in Korea. As a secondary analysis study using data survey on the elderly by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2017, there were a total of 103 elderly people with Parkinson's disease, and a total of 96 subjects were analyzed excluding missing values. In the elderly with Parkinson's disease, the factor most influencing the fall was IADL, and IADL is related to motor control function. Decreased motor control limits physical movements essential for daily life, and even affects self-protective behavior in emergency situations, affecting falls. Based on the research results that IADL can affect falls, various exercise therapies for fall prevention interventions in the elderly with Parkinson's disease can be suggested.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2021

Considering that the aged population increases and the mobility problem is pointed out as a factor that indisposes the quality of life, cognition, and mood, it is important to understand and evaluate the elderly's mobility. Factors that deteriorate mobility in the elderly include physical senility, various health changes including chronic diseases, polypharmacy as well as anticholinergics. Common mobility problems in old age are reduced gait speed, increased gait variability in walking length, careless walking, and frequent falls. Several studies have reported that decreased mobility and deterioration of gait can predict cognitive decline and emotional problems. Aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, and balance exercise are suggested as therapeutic interventions for mobility problems. Active correction for factors that reduce mobility in the elderly and prescribing physical activity can conserve the elderly's quality of life and help improve cognition and mood. There is a need for related research in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.61-71
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• 2017

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of whole body vibration exercise on balance, muscle strength and falls efficacy in the elderly. METHODS: In this blinded randomized allocation study, 27 elderly were assigned to a whole-body vibration exercise group (n=14), consisting of 25 min structured exercises for 2 days per week for 6 weeks and a control group (n=13) performing the same program without vibration. At baseline and after the 6-week intervention, balance was measured using the Korean version of the Berg balance scale (K-BBS), timed up and go (TUG) test and functional reach test (FRT). Muscle strength was determined using the 30-s chair stand test (CST). Fear of falling was assessed using the Korean version of falls efficacy scale (K-FES). Paired t-test and independent t-test were used for within and between group comparisons, respectively. RESULTS: After the intervention, the experimental group showed significantly higher changes in all the parameters (K-BBS score, TUG test, CST, K-FES score) (p<.05) compared with the control group. However, there was no significant change in all parameters in the control group (p>.05). CONCLUSION: The whole-body vibration exercise program may be helpful to improve balance, mobility, muscle performance and fear of falling in the elderly.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.1483-1490
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• 2004

Community-based centres were surveyed to determine the frequency of and risk factors for falls among elderly Koreans. We examined fall-related risk factors, including physiological and physical health, psychosocial functions, self-reported physical capacity and activity, vision, and the use of medication, among 351 elderly people aged 65 years or older, with ambulatory. Forty-two per cent of elderly Korean subjects reported at least one episode of falling in the previous 12 months, $38\%$ of whom had consequences that required either the attention of a physician or hospitalization. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of falling were a restricted activity during the previous five years (adjusted OR 1.3), use of alternative therapy (adjusted OR 2.7), low knee flexor and extensor-muscle strength (adjusted OR 1.21 and 1.20), and poor balance with closed eyes (adjusted OR 8.32). We conclude that falls among older persons living in the community are common in Korea and that indicator of bad health and frailty or variables directly related to neuromuscular impairment are significant predictors of the risk of falling.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.185-196
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• 2021

Objective: Falling is one of main accident to facilitate the physical injuries in order adults. The purpose of the systematic review was to determine the effects of postural balance training whether the recovery of falls in elderly with normal physical function or not throughout summing the selected studies quantitatively. Design: A systematic review Methods: MEDLINE and other four databases were searched up to April 20, 2021 and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating postural balance approaches on fall risks in elderly. The researched studies excluded the double studies, titles and abstract, and finally full-reported study. The selected RCTs studies were extracted characteristics of the studies and summary of results based on PICOS-SD (population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and setting- study design) model to synthesize the papers qualitatively. Results: The review involved 22 RCT reports with 4,847 community older adults aged 65 years or over. Nineteen of the selected RCT studies reported dual or multimodal exercises show the beneficial effect for older adults compared to one-type treatment or no intervention. All of selected showed low risk in the selection, attrition, and reporting bias. However, detection bias showed low risk at 75% records of the involved RCTs and performance bias was low risk at only three records. Conclusions: The results of the systematic review propose that a standardized therapeutic approach and the intensity are needed for improving risk of falls in older adults.