• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.848-857
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• 2016

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate factors affecting frailty by age groups among vulnerable elders in Korea. Methods: In this secondary analysis, data were collected from records for 22,868 elders registered in the Visiting Health Management program of Public Health Centers in 2012. Health behaviors, clinically diagnosed disease, frailty, depression and cognitive condition were assessed. Data were analyzed using stepwise regression to determine the associated factors of frailty by age group. Results: Alcohol consumption, physical activity, number of diseases, DM, CVA, arthritis, urinary incontinence, depression and cognitive condition were found to be factors significantly associated with frailty among the elders aged 65~74 (F=135.66, p <.001). Alcohol consumption, physical activity, CVA, arthritis, urinary incontinence, depression and cognitive condition were found to be factors associated with frailty in the elders aged 75~84 (F=245.40, p <.001). Physical activity, CVA, arthritis, depression and cognitive condition were factors associated with frailty in the elders over 85 years of age (F=96.48, p <.001). Conclusion: The findings show that frailty of elders and associated factors were different by age group, and common factors affecting frailty were physical activity, CVA, arthritis, depression and cognitive condition. Thus, these factors should be considered in the development of intervention program for care and prevention of frailty and program should be modified according to age group.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.263-278
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• 2005

This study investigated the current oral health conditions of the elderly at home and welfare facilities in their age over 65 years around some rural areas in Gangwon province, which would expect the fewer medical benefits even with lower interest than urban areas, despite of relatively high ratio of elder populations, so that it could prepare a basic document necessary to determine certain planned quantification for the benefit of elder's oral healthcare. As of the end of December 2004 both 50 elders at home and 50 elders at welfare facilities were randomly sampled in their age over 65 years in Samcheok city. As a result of this study, it was found that the elders at welfare facilities scored 15 pts. in DMFT index level typical of oral health conditions, which was higher than the elders at home. In addition, the elders at welfare facilities scored 26.0% in the coexistence of immobile bridge and partial denture higher than the elders at home with regard to the presence of intraoral prosthetic appliance. The results of analyzing the difference in the one-year dental visiting experience of respondents hereof showed that the elders at home were relatively more in ratio(62.0%) than those at welfare facilities, while many of the former group(38.0%) had relatively more handicap in masticatory movement than the latter one with regard to the conditions of dental prosthesis in use. Besides, many of the elders at facilities(30% or more) felt subjective symptoms of periodontal disease including bleeding or swelling, which indicates higher ratio than the elders at home. Finally, the elders at home used to brush their teeth at more frequency on a daily basis than those at facilities, while the latter group suffered general body disease more than the former group. Summing up, it is concluded that a formulated oral healthcare system will become more needed in near future than now for the benefit of the elderly living in welfare facilities, while nationwide policy-level supports would be urgent for them in the aspect of national welfare.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.1093-1110
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• 2003

Purpose. The number of elders in institutions has increased as family supporting systems have changed in Korea. The purpose of this study were to understand the life satisfaction among elders in institutions and to identify the factors influencing on life satisfaction. Methods. The instruments used were Yun(1982)'s scale modified Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale for Happiness(MUNSH) in life satisfaction, ADL and IADL in activity level, Self-rating Depression Scale(SDS) in depression and Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire(NSSQ) scale in social support. Also, Perceived health status was measured by Visual Graphic Rating Scale. The subject of this study is 107 cognitively intact and ambulatory elders in 7 institutions in Daegu city and Kyungpook province. The data have been collected from May 1 to June 30, 2001. For the analysis of collected data, frequency analysis, mean, standard deviation, Pearson's correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used for statistical analysis by SPSS win(version 9.0) program. Results. Life satisfaction for the elders in institutions showed negative correlation with SDS, and positive correlation with activity level. The regression form of the stepwise multiple regression analysis to investigate the influencing factors of life satisfaction for the elders in institutions was expressed by y =90.988-0. 733x1-0.188x2-0.069x3-0.565x4 (xl: SDS x2: Social support x3: Activity level x4: Monthly pocket Money) and 57.9% of varience in life satisfaction was explained by the model. Conclusion. The factors influencing on life satisfaction among the elders in institutions were SDS, social support, activity level and monthly pocket money. According to the results of this study, depression, social support and activity level are considered the prime causal factors for life satisfaction.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.741-750
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of cognitive impairment, behavioral problems, and the state of mental health for elderly Korean people who have been institutionalized. Methods: A cross-sectional, nationwide survey was performed using an anonymous questionnaire. The participants in this study were 2,521 institutionalized elderly Korean people. A proportional stratified random sampling method was employed. Results: 1) Elders admitted to subacute hospitals and long term care (LTC) facilities showed a higher level of cognitive impairment compared to elders admitted to acute care hospitals. 2) Elders confined in LTC facilities showed a higher level of behavioral problems compared to elders in acute or subacute hospitals. 3) Elders admitted to subacute hospitals and LTC facilities showed more serious mental health problems, such as depression or suicidal ideation, compared to elders in acute care hospitals. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the severity of cognitive-behavioral or mental health problems do not match well with type of care setting. Therefore, health personnel working with elderly people should be provided guidance on detection and management of cognitive-behavioral and mental health problems. The necessity of a decision support system for eligibility and placement in long-term care is also discussed.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.54-64
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• 2014

Purpose: This study is to measure oral health literacy levels and to identify oral health literacy related factors in elders. Methods: The research design for this study was a descriptive survey design using convenience samples. Data collection was done by using a self-report questionnaire with 321 elders from three welfare centers for the aged and two senior centers located in three cities. Data were analyzed by using percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Scheff$\acute{e}$, Pearson's Correlation Analysis and hierarchical multiple regression with the SPSS Win 18.0 Program. Results: The oral health literacy scores of male elders were higher than those of female elders (t=9.73, p=.002). In hierarchical multiple regression analysis, education levels, smoking and oral health statuses were significant predictors and accounted for 29.8% of the male elders' oral health literacy. For female elders, education levels, health statuses and oral health statuses were significant predictors and accounted for 47.7%. Conclusion: These results suggest that interventions for improving oral health literacy are necessary to enhance elders' ability of self-care management. Also, these results could be used in developing oral health literacy programs.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.840-850
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• 2013

This study examined influencing factors on the attitudes toward elders with a focus on empathy. Data were gathered from 291 nurses working at 14 geriatric hospitals in Kyunggi-Do, Chungchung-Do and Incheon. In analyzing the data, Pearson correlation coefficients, t-test, ANOVA, and regression analysis were adopted. Attitudes toward elders were neutral on the average; those nurses revealed both positive and negative aspects such as friendly, good, kind, conservative, sick and dependent. Of the four empathy scales, only empathic concern revealed significant correlation with the attitudes toward elders. Regression model included empathic concern and the nurses' characteristics. Empathic concern was significant in predicting the attitudes toward elders after controlling for the effects of the nurses' characteristics. Experience of voluntary work for elders was the only predictor among individual characteristics. Explanatory power of the model was 10.7%. We need to develop intervention programs raising empathy among nurses. The instrument measuring empathy needs to be examined.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.50-59
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influencing factors on the quality of life of elders. Methods: Data were collected from August 25, September 1, 2014, and participants were 300 elders who were using senior welfare centers. Descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression were used for data analysis. Results: Elders who were more painful, highly perceived health status, self-esteem and social support, and lower depression showed relatively higher quality of life. Also, there were strong correlations between quality of life and depression (r=-.737) /perceived health status (r=.709). Factors predicted quality of life of elders were perceived health status (${\beta}=.349$), depression (${\beta}=-.267$), social support (${\beta}=.172$), self-esteem (${\beta}=.170$), pain (${\beta}=-.130$), income (${\beta}=.113$), and level of education (${\beta}=.064$). These 7 factors explained 78.2% of the variance in quality of life of elders (F=154.49, p<.001). Conclusion: Therefore, in order to improve the quality of life of elders, a systematic approach is necessary through multilateral cooperation among comprehensive sectors.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.92-100
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• 2004

Purpose: This study was to provide basic data for comprehensive nursing care for elderly people and to compare the spiritual well-being and perceived health status between elderly people who have above average income and those who have low income. Method: The data were collected from 80 elders with above average income and 81 with low income through face-to-face interviews. An elder was defined as a person over 60 years of age. The data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, ANCOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and Scheffe test. Result: The mean score for spiritual well being for elders with above average income was 2.90 of a total possible score of 4 and for elders with low income, 2.49 and the difference was significant. The mean score for perceived health status for elders with above average income was 8.93 of a total possible score of 14 and for elders with low income, 7.47 and the difference was also significant. There was a statistically positive correlation between existential well-being and perceived health status for the total sample of elderly people and for the elders with low income. Conclusion: Spiritual nursing care should be included in comprehensive health care programs for elderly people in Korea. Especially, it is important to develop nursing interventions for elders with low income that will increase their spiritual well-being and help them to develop positive thinking towards perceived health status.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.355-379
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• 2007

This study examined the role of social support and mastery in the effects of hopelessness and depression on suicidal ideation in order to identify elders' suicide and it's related factors. Especially, it focused to find out whether the hopelessness excluding depression has an independent effect on elders' suicidal ideation, and psychosocial factors such as social support and mastery has an interaction effects with elders' hopelessness variables and depression on suicidal ideation. This study recruited 297 elders over 65(older persons in the elder education programs of senior welfare center in Masan, Changwon and Jinhae) and employed a self-administered survey method during January, 2007. The following are the major results of the study. First, the level of hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideation related elders' suicide indicated differences according to their educational level, marital state, income, and their chronical disease numbers. Especially, the lower income and higher chronical disease numbers showed higher level of hopelessness, depression and suicidal ideation among the elder subjects. Second, interaction effects of social support and depression were significant in suicidal ideation, the more level of social support in elder' subjects, the lower the suicidal ideation. While, interaction effects of social support and hopelessness, and mastery and depression/hopelessness in suicidal ideation were not statistically significant. Third, psychosocial factors such as social support and mastery on elders' suicidal ideation have a significant effect when other relevant variables are controlled. From these results, hopelessness is other significant factor predicting suicidal ideation(suicide) among elders. Also, social support and mastery is very significant factor influencing to prevent or decrease suicidal ideation among elders.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was done to examine the effects of 4% hypertonic saline solution mouthwash and tooth brushing education on the oral health of elders living in long term care facilities. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, the participants were assigned to a 2% experimental group (n=20), a 4% experimental group (n=20), and a control group (n=20). Data were analyzed using ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, Fisher exact test, Chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis test and multiple response analysis with the SAS program. Results: Regular tooth brushing and use of 4% hypertonic saline solution mouthwash by elders provided better oral health by decreasing xerostomia, oral tongue plaque, halitosis, and the number of oral bacteria. Conclusion: The results indicate that regular tooth brushing with continuous 4% hypertonic saline solution mouth washing education promotes oral health for elders in long term care facilities, thus the dental care described in this study is recommended for elders in long term facilities.