• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.201-210
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• 2009

The purpose of the study is to examine the demographic characteristics and socio-psychological factors affecting willingness to take health foods among elderly, which is to get the basic materials of educational program for helping their desirable intake of healthy food. The data were collected from 1,032 elderly subjects and analyzed by SPSS Windows Version 12.0. About forty-one percent of the respondents were taking health foods in the period of survey. The main reason of taking health foods was to maintain and improve their health. The elderly subjects were classified into three groups: (1) a group having willingness to take healthy food, (2) a group having unwillingness to take healthy food, and (3) a group having a wait-and-see attitude. According to the results of chi-square and analysis of one-way variance, there were significant differences among three groups in the variables of 'sex', 'age', 'educational level', 'marriage status', 'monthly allowance', 'eating habit', 'concerns about health', 'self -evaluation of health condition', 'self-evaluation of health condition compared to the same age', 'concerns about health foods', and 'awareness of health foods'. In addition, the result of multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the factors affecting willingness to take health foods in the future are 'age', 'concerns about health', 'self-evaluation of health condition compared to the same age', 'awareness of health foods', and 'intake of health foods in the period of survey'.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.275-284
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to provide useful insights into community-level support services for family caregivers in Korea by comparing them with the services in the United States. Similar to most developed countries, life expectancy has led to rapid population aging in Korea over the last several decades. However, despite increased social needs of long-term care for the elderly, many elderly Koreans are still dependent on their family for the long-term care. Yet, existing support programs for family caregivers are very limited. As a result, family caregivers often suffer from a lack of financial resources and emotional support. In this study, we comprehensively review the extensive literature, including relevant studies and documents of community-level support services for family caregivers of the elderly at home in Korea and the United States. One of the most important differences is that compared to Korea, diverse services based on the law of NFCSP to support the family caregivers, such as counseling, organization of support group, and educating have been available in the United States since 2000. Additionally, the legal definition of family caregivers in the United State is broader than that in Korea, where family caregivers are limited to those who are related by blood or marriage. Therefore, more caregivers are eligible for support programs and benefit from the programs in the United States. The findings of the study suggest that policy makers in Korea should legislate for diverse and comprehensive services for family caregivers. Further, it is necessary to define legal terms for family caregivers more broadly to extend beneficiaries of the programs.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.10
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• pp.121-128
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• 2021

To investigate the relationship between mental health and oral health problems in the elderly, this study was conducted using raw data from the 7th 3rd(2018) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, targeting 753 elderly people aged 65 and over. For data analysis, complex sample analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 22.0 program. In the case of chewing problem, the odds ratio increased in the group with high stress perception and depression(p<0.05). In the case of speaking problem, the odds ratio increased in the group that received mental health counseling(p<0.05). As a result of this study, it was found that there is a relationship between mental health and oral health problems in the elderly. Therefore, it is thought that it is necessary to improve the quality of life through the development of programs to improve the mental health of the elderly and oral health problems.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.925-938
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• 2011

In this study, we investigated the effects of ageism experience of the elderly on depression, where the loneliness was mediated between ageism experience and depression. To investigate the cause and effect of factors, we purposively collected 309 samples from 16 Gyungrodangs evenly located in Jeonju and 291 samples, survived the data screening such as missing values, outliers, normality and covariance conditions, were analyzed by frequency, factor analysis, reliability, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model analysis. As the results, first, we confirmed ageism experience positively affected depression of the elderly. Second, ageism experience of the elderly also positively affected loneliness. Third, loneliness positively influenced depression. Fourth, ageism experience had effects directly as well as indirectly on depression medicated by loneliness. Based on the results, in the aged society, combating law, policy, and propaganda against ageism would be helpful to the elderly and individually customized program for ageism victim's mental health would be recommended.

• 한국노년학
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.865-885
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• 2008

This study addresses a number of issues related to suicide among older persons in Korea. The study investigates various aspects of elderly's suicide ideation, and how this quality of life and self-esteem impacts on their suicide ideation through depression. For the purpose of the study, the survey was conducted and 8,135 elderly 65 years old and over who reside in Gyeonggi-do participated. The result of the study indicated that quality of life, self-esteem and depression of the elderly showed statistically significant suicide ideation of the elderly. Participants were divided into two groups according to their physical health status. That is, to find out how quality of life and self-esteem of the elderly impact on the suicide ideation directly and indirectly through depression among elderly people with physical disease and no disease. The results showed that depression of the elderly people with physical disease was the most highly significant factors in explaining the elderly's suicidal ideation directly a comparison of elderly people with no physical disease. Therefore, depression is a major mental health problem associated with suicide. Finally, these findings of the study can improve the elderly people's quality of life and reduce suicide ideation.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.351-360
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• 2020

This study was designed to develop an online education program of elderly care service for the senior caregivers. Online survey was conducted senior caregivers who attended K cyber university from November 28, to December 15, 2019. Data were analyzed using chi-square, ANOVA and post test by scheffe method. The results showed that needs of the online education program for senior caregivers were significantly higher than nursing assistants. Social workers were significantly higher than the nursing assistants in the elderly care service online education demand. In terms of performance, 'understanding and counseling for the elderly' and 'practice of the elderly play program' were social workers, senior caregivers and nursing assistants. In conclusion, it is necessary to develop a specialized online education contents for each group according to the necessity of elderly professional care and the demand of online education for elderly care service.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.25 no.1 s.85
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• pp.127-144
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• 2007

This study was conducted for the purpose of analyzing volunteer workers' perceptions of and attitudes toward the behavior problems of the elderly residents after caring for the residents voluntarily at low-income nursing homes. Eleven male and female volunteers ranging from age 19 to 52 were asked how they felt about the elderly residents' behavior problems and what kind of behavioral problems they had experienced after doing volunteer works in the three chosen facilities. In particular, they were expected to explain what emotional changes they experienced during their volunteer service. In this study, it was observed that most of the elderly subjects experienced three categories of behavior problems: habitual, repetitious and unreasonable activities caused by the elderly residents' life span backgrounds, unexpected and/or abrupt behaviors resulting from gradual cognitive impairments, and physiological, awkward activities caused from gradual senility. The volunteers tend to believe that the elderly residents are naturally expected to act positively, since they have been provided with well- planned, regular care services such as bathing, counseling, activity programs, and religious guidances. On the other hand, some respondents stated that their experiences at the nursing homes caused them to form negative images of the elderly; they feel that the elderly are not helpful for giving advices on critical decisions, guiding and encouraging their daily lives, and offering any positive influences toward their own lives. Rather, they find themselves getting too much stressed as a result of their intimate contacts with demented or senile residents. Overall, in this study, it is proposed that education for confronting sudden abrupt behavior problems should be intensified more for female volunteers, since they tend to be more susceptible to emotional harassment resulting from the problem behaviors. It is also proposed that young volunteers who have not been systematically trained for confronting aggressive behaviors need to be separately assigned their roles in order to minimize the potential of confronting unseemly situations resulting from male residents whose mental health has deteriorated. Furthermore, it is also suggested that the combination of leisure-related activities for healthy residents and stressful intimate services for the frail residents be systematically planned and implanted for the volunteer program so that the volunteers can lessen the chances of suddenly finding themselves confronted with extremely abrupt agitations.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.59-71
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effects of empathy in relation to contact experience of the elderly and their knowledge level of ageing. For this study data was collected from 20th Dec. to 30th of Dec. 2018 355 university students from D university in J. province were surveyed. Data was analysis by using reliability test, correlation analysis, hierarchical multiful regression analysis. The statistical significance of the mediating effects was confirmed by Sobel's verification. The results of the analysis showed that the partial mediation effect of empathy was verified with regard to the relationship between elderly contact experience and discrimination of elderly people. In addition, the partial mediation effect of empathy was verified between level of aging knowledge and the perception of elderly discrimination. The results of this study confirmed the necessity of developing practical education and training programs to improve the level of aging knowledge and to increase contact experience with elderly people. There is also a need to enhance empathy in order to improve the awareness of discrimination against elderly people in health and welfare departments among university students.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.161-194
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that interrupt the use of social security of elderly North Korean refugees. As a result of qualitative content analysis using interview data, it is found that the elderly North Korean defectors have a lower access to the social security system. The main reason for hindering the use of social security system is low awareness due to limited information channels, psychological distance to South Korean society and residents. Moreover, this psychological distance is a factor that reduces the geographical accessibility of elderly North Korean defectors by preferring to use services in specific institutions for North Korean, while South Korean elderly people can use the service elsewhere. In addition, there are many cases in which the elderly in North Korean defectors do not receive sufficient social security due to low income. On the other hand, social security systems with high accessibility of older North Korean refugees are characterized by the fact that they are provided by experts who have formed sufficient rapport with North Korean refugees. Therefore, it seems possible to improve the accessibility of elderly defectors' friendly system by professional workers with cultural competence. In addition, a multidimensional approach is needed to fully cope with the complex desires of elderly North Korean defectors and a mechanism should be set up to reflect their opinion in system operation.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.225-232
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to identify the psychological characteristics of the elderly and to investigate the variables that affect the life satisfaction of the elderly. To achieve this purpose, psychological characteristics such as self-esteem, alienation, loss, and depression were selected. A survey was conducted on the elderly living in Gwangju Metropolitan City. A total of 218 copies were collected and 203 copies were analyzed, excluding poor responses. To draw the results of the research, quantitative analysis was conducted through questionnaires, and SPSSWIN 21.0 statistical program was used as an analysis tool. The analysis methods were frequency and ratio analysis, technical statistical analysis, bivariate correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis. The results of the analysis are as follows: First, the relationship between the psychological characteristics of the elderly showed significant correlations among the self-esteem, alienation, loss, depression, and life satisfaction of the elderly. Second, for the elderly, alienation and depression had a negative effect on life satisfaction, and self-esteem had a positive effect on life satisfaction. However, loss did not have a significant effect on life satisfaction. In conclusion, it suggests that it is necessary to develop and operate policies and programs to improve self-esteem and reduce alienation and depression in order to improve the quality of life of the elderly.