• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2007

According to the 2005 Korean census, the 65 and over population now exceeds 9.5% of the total population and is growing rapidly. Meeting elderly environment and care needs of this rapidly growing segment of the population becomes a major challenge for public policies and planners. Since great deal amount of elderly will reside in their houses, aging in place concept becomes important. For the success of aging in place, the quality of individual house unit, community support systems, and quality of senior center of the community are crucial. Since elderly environments and facilities serve not only medical and/or care programs but also social activity program in aging society, senior centers need to promote social activities and other care programs. The purpose of this study is to analyze characteristics of environmental affordance of a well received senior center in Tokyo, Japan. In order to analyze the characteristics, Murtha & Lee user benefit criteria and Lawton's environmental affordance approaches were used. As results, design characteristics and interior elements which provide environmental affordance were enumerated by type of space. Based on needs and user benefit criteria, those features were analyzed. This study shows design characteristics, elements, and attributes which are well received and utilized by elderly users.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.39-46
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• 2022

Purpose: Religious facilities often intend to contribute to surrounding neighborhood and local community. While motivated by religious aims, churches can play a role in social welfare for elders in local community. It is obvious that the role will be different from official social welfare services from government and this study aims to examine the possibility of churches in the role of elderly social welfare in terms of space and program. Methods: Researchers interviewed management of four existing welfare programs by churces in order to understand operation of social welfare program for elders by churches. The second step was case study of four churches in Suwon City area. The potential for social welfare space use for elders was examined. Results: Researchers found the role of churches in providing welfare relevant programs and services but its function is not well established yet. Financial support is needed and another support is need from welfare experts. Implications: While churches has not well established the role in elderly welfare in local communities, churches can further develop welfare services utilizing space, manpower, and activity programs.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.21-38
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• 2019

This study starts from the question, "Are people of the age 60 and over equally 'old?' "As the aging population has rapidly become a global issue, it is a timely question to think about whether it is appropriate to classify people aged 60 and over as senior citizens monolithically based on their chronological age. Thanks to the advancement of medical technology and ever-increasing life expectancy, there may be more differences than we thought in terms of cognitive and behavioral patterns among the elderly population. In order to further investigate this question, this study focuses on technology acceptance behavior of 132 participants over the age of 60 towards a wearable healthcare device. The results show that there were interesting behavioral differences among participants depending on their cognitive capabilities. More specifically, participants with high cognitive capability (Superagers) consider the usefulness and the social aspects (social norm and image) of using wearable healthcare technology. Whereas for those with relatively low cognitive capability (non-Superagers), usefulness of using the technology was not a significant factor, and they mainly considered social norm and image. Our findings imply that the current monolithic application of chronological age to classify the elderly population should be carefully reconsidered because people aged over 60 years old may not always share homogeneous cognitive and behavioral patterns.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.97-102
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• 2017

On May 10, 2017, Moon Jae-in's Government launched. The election pledges of Moon's Government in healthcare sector were extracted from those of president election camp and Democratic Party. The main pledges were enhancing the coverage of healthcare costs, management of healthcare costs for elderly, restructuring the health insurance contribution system, and improving the public nature of healthcare system. There are many policy tasks to realize the electoral pledge, especially, financial task is main. The National Planning and Advisory Committee are setting the policy priorities and making the detailed plans. Although this paper deals the initial evaluation of main election pledges, the precise evaluation is needed for the final plan of healthcare policy.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.809-817
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• 2020

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic factors and the unmet dental care needs of the living alone and living with family elderly groups to confirm the differences in their influence. Methods: Data from the Korea Health Panel Study of 2016 were used to analyze a total of 4,987 individuals: 4,008 in living with family group and 979 in living alone group. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS Version 22 (p<0.05). Results: We observed that 16.5% and 28.3% of the participants from the living with family and living alone groups had unmet dental care needs, respectively, indicating that the living alone group had more unmet dental care needs. Income level, residential area, and healthcare security were significant factors related to the living with family group. In contrast, medical aid for healthcare security was a significant factor related to the living alone group (p<0.05). Conclusions: The results confirmed that socioeconomic factors that affect unmet dental care vary according to the living situation. Therefore, the government should identify the number of elderly individuals living alone, which is increasing annually. These individuals are vulnerable in almost all aspects, and the government should establish and implement appropriate oral healthcare policies to support them.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.51-59
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• 2013

Purpose: At the moment, a lot of poor older people live in permanent rental housing in Korea. But many rental apartments are not suitable for elderly living because most of them have many problems related to the lack of accessibility and adaptability for older people with physical and mental disabilities. So it is necessary to upgrade the old permanent rental housing for convenience of elderly living. The purpose of this paper is to construct basic data for remodeling of worn out and small rental housing block in order to realize the concept of "Aging in Place". Methods: Questionnaires and interviews about elderly living have been conducted on 104 elderly who live in Suwon Wooman permanent rental apartment block which was constructed 21 years ago. From the collected data, dining pattern, inconvenient area, small area, satisfaction level on unit area and demand for unit expansion type have been analysed in order to find out the direction for remodeling of permanent rental apartment unit. Results: The problems of existing permanent rental apartment can be summarized into improper laundry space, small dining area, inconvenient bath and so on. According to the family size, the elderly resident has the different preference about the expansion type of his resident unit. Big families usually want to enlarge their living unit though they pay for additional monthly rental fee. Implications: Lifetime home concept adopting Universal Design has to be applied to the whole residential block especially to the social rental housing. And this concept had better be expanded to Lifetime neighbor design.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2009

The nursing home for the elderly has a weak point for evacuation from the fire because most of all the users are suffering from a dementia or paralysis. When it comes to night shift, it is much difficult to get them evacuated due to the lack of staffs. In addition to that, the nursing home for the elderly has such a strict control system for access that does not have a utility for escape opening. That is why they need the differentiated evacuation planning. This study is to consider the point at issues on the present conditions of law, system, and evacuation plans for the nursing home for the elderly that has some difficulties because of impaired functions of residences. This study dealt with the point at facilities and operations of the emergency evacuation system. First of all, for the point at the facilities, I found that it need to be considered on the characteristics of the elderly who has any difficulties of the self evacuation. And the established regulation did not reflect the characteristics of closed area of the nursing home for the elderly. The second, for the point at the operation of the institutions, it is pointed that there seems to be a lack of ways to manage to a emergency situation and educations on the operation staff. And the last, for the point at the operation, the requirement for the managers of fire prevention facilities are similar to that of a normal building. Furthermore there is a lack of corporation with the fire station.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.105-113
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• 2017

Purpose: While Japan undergoes super aged society, Japanese Elderly Facilities are trying to keep elderly residents from social isolation and expand regional interaction. Methods: This study analyzes regional linkage characteristics through 8 cases of Aichi-Elderly Facilities which realize regional interaction and symbiosis(life together) between various generations by visiting. Result: 1) Most researched facilities except SO provide and share opportunity for interaction with community and residents through space for regional interaction including cafe and various programs and interactive settings. 2) The facility which seeks regional linkage through Mixed-use of facilities can devide into (1) Mixed-use of facilities easy to found, (2) Addition of housing function (NM, SM, DM) and (3) Mixed-use with different facilities(HY, GM) 3) The characteristics of interaction and symbiosis between generations are (1) to adopt concept of life together to have interaction possibility with young generation and children: most studied facilities except SO (2) to establish elderly residence into facility to have interaction(FE, SM, GM) or place family room or single room into elderly residence (NM, DM, BN) (3) to disperse small facilities into community (FE) or facility or community realizing symbiosis through various facility arrangement (SM, GM). 4) Therefore, this study can categorize (1) Program network, (2) Temporary interaction, (3) Symbiosis residence, (4) Symbiosis community according to characteristics which regional linkage has. Implication: Regional Linkage is an important concept to improve social interaction in community-based facilities. It is a thought-provoking concept to Korean elderly facilities because Korean facilities are still far from a city and in isolated environment.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.18-22
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• 2007

Purpose: The rapid change to an aging society generates an increase in the incidence of chronic diseases. Many chronic patients have been facing their illnesses without enough preparation. In order to solve these problems, we designed and tested a public healthcare service based on ubiquitous technology. Method: Telemedicine has emerged as new medical care system of chronic disease. However, public potential of its technology is difficult to know under current traditional health care system. In this work, we developed a Personal Digital Access (PDA) phone based healthcare system by trained visiting nurses for elderly patients. A field test was performed by SeongBuk Public Health Center in Seoul, Republic of Korea (ROK). Result: Surveys were generated to assess the effects of this system compared to conventional public health system. Findings of trials demonstrate that healthcare coordination enhanced by PDA phone technology is satisfactory to the patients and nurses compared to previous one because prompt responses arouse their recognition of health. Conclusion: Ubiquitous healthcare system applied to public health service proved to be efficient and time-saving to monitor and control the chronic illnesses of large population.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.93-106
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• 2020

This study attempts to present specific technical measures and case models to meet the needs of caregivers and maximize the effectiveness of senior care facilities by utilizing Wellness IT Service. IT services for supporting elderly care need to go beyond productivity and efficiency and now require the new choice and standards to satisfy the Wellness concept of well-being and happiness. Therefore, this study explores to develop the existing human-based service into the Wellness IT Service by utilizing IT based Wellness in the elderly care facility and thereby to improve the quality of elderly care service. Therefore, this study analyzes the relevant research background and the various feasibility of technical applications of Wellness IT service, and review the new value creation in the elderly care facilities. Lastly this study provides a new foundation for Wellness architecture and a service model for using Wellness IT infrastructure of the elderly care facilities.