• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.891-901
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• 2007

Purpose: This study was done to develop and examine the effects of a self-management program(SMP) on physical, psychological functions, and symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease(PD). Methods: In a two-group pre-and post-test design, a total of 40 patients were assigned to the experimental group(21) or the control group (19). The experimental group received eight weekly 2-hour sessions for 10-15 literate adults of all ages, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Results: The experimental group showed significant improvements in muscle strength, balance, self-efficacy, depression, quality of life(QL), quality of sleep, and discomfort of constipation. It also reduced the number of participants using assistive walking devices. There were no significant changes in fear of falling and duration of sleep. Conclusion: The eight week SMP in patients with PD was found to be significantly effective in enhancing muscle strength, balance, self-efficacy, QL, and quality of sleep. It also decreased depression, discomfort of constipation, and assistive walking devices. These results suggest that a SMP can have effects on physical, psychological functions and symptoms in patients with PD. Further research with a larger sample and for a longer follow up period is needed to expand our understanding of the effects of a SMP for patients with PD.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.32-39
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• 2019

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of whole body vibratory stimulation on muscle strength, balance, and fall efficacy among super-aged women. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Twenty-eight super-aged women over 80 years of age were assigned to either the experimental group (n=14) and control group (n=14). The experimental group received an exercise program that used the whole body vibratory stimulation with a frequency of 30 Hz and amplitude of 3 mm, and the control group received an exercise program without vibratory stimulation. Intervention was provided for 4 weeks, 3 sessions per week, and 30 minutes per session. In order to measure lower extremity muscle strength the 30-second chair stand test (CST) was used. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was used to measure dynamic balance. Static balance was measured by tracking the path length, velocity, and area of the center of pressure (CoP). The Falls Efficacy Scale (FES) was used to measure the subjects' fear of falling. Results: Both the experimental and control group demonstrated statistically significant increase in muscle strength, dynamic balance, and fall efficacy (p<0.05). Only the experimental group showed significant improvements in static balance before and after the intervention (p<0.05). The experimental group showed significantly greater improvements in CST, BBS, and CoP (path length, velocity) than control group (p<0.05). Conclusions: Whole body vibratory stimulation exercise is shown to be a safe and appropriate physical therapy intervention method to enhance muscle strength, balance, and fall efficacy of super-aged women.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.778-783
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to determine the basic materials needed for nutrition and health programs for aged people. In order to set up these programs, the nutritional habit, nutritional knowledge and functional health status (mobility, functional assessment, and falls efficacy) of the aged were measured, and their relationships were determined. Data was collected on 57 aged individuals that participated in the 'Exercise Program for the Aged' conducted by the National Health Insurance Corporation. These 57 subjects were interviewed and tested by direct measurement prior to conducting the program. The data was analyzed using the SPSS 13.0 Package. According to the results, the nutritional habit ranged from 24-50 out of 50, and the average was 37.2, which was above the middle level. The average nutritional knowledge was of 4.02 out of 5, which was considered reasonably high. Especially, more than half of these subjects were uneducated, but they had a high interest in nutrition. The average mobility was determined to be 9.2 seconds and the falls efficacy was 64.2 out of 100. In addition, subjects answered that they had a fear of falling due to low confidence, which indicates that safety education for the prevention of falls should be provided to aged individuals in the future. The results showed that notable counter-relations between nutritional habit and functional health status existed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.105-112
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• 2020

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of Interactive Metronome training on the plantar pressure and fall efficacy in chronic stroke patients. METHODS: Twenty-two hemiplegic patients were allocated randomly to an experimental group and control group. The experimental group received conventional physical therapy and emphasized weight-bearing interactive metronome training, whereas the control group received conventional physical therapy. The training was performed three times per week, 40 minutes per each session, for a total of seven weeks. The plantar pressure was assessed using the contact area and contact pressure, whereas the fall efficacy was assessed using the FES (Fall Efficacy Scale), ABC (Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale) and FOFQ (Fear of Falling Questionnaire). RESULTS: After training, a significant increase was observed in the paretic side of the contact area and the paretic and non-paretic side of contact pressure in both groups (p<.05). The between-group differences in the changes before and after training were statistically significant in the paretic side of the contact pressure (p<.05). After training, both the FES of the between-group and ABC of the experimental group were increased significantly (p<.05), but the between-group differences in the changes before and after training were not statistically significant in the FES, ABC, and FOFQ (p>.05). CONCLUSION: Interactive Metronome training is considered an effective treatment for improving the contact pressure of the paretic side in chronic stroke patients.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.19-24
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• 2011

Background: The elderly are likely to fall due to physical and mental atrophies, and experiencing falls may result in fear of falls and lack of self-confidence, which also leads to hesitation to physical activities and changes in walk and balance, the major variables in independent daily life. Methods: In three senior citizen centers located in D city, 22 elderly women aged 65 or older were chosen, and they filled in the questionnaire which included their agreement to voluntarily participate in the survey and medical histories. As to whether they had falls experience, the medical history items in the questionnaire asked them if they had falling down or falls once a year, twice for the three years. The objects were divided to NFE (non-falls experience) and FE (falls experience). Results: 1. As to walking abilities, significant difference was found between NFE and FE regarding walk width, stepping with two feet, and stride length while there was no significant different in terms of cadence. 2. As to balancing abilities, was significant difference between NFE and FE in terms of the physical body center area. As to the sit-to-stand, tandom gait test, no significant difference was found, and neither in the timed up and go test. Conclusions: The elderly with falls experience has inferior walking and balancing abilities to those without falls experience, and thus they are more exposed to the risks of falls.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.242-253
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with physical activity in older adults living alone. Methods: This is cross-sectional, correlational study used secondary data from the 2019 Community Health Survey. The participants were 19,134 older adults aged 65 years or older and living alone. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the 𝜒² test, and linear regression with the SPSS/WIN 27.0 program. Results: The participants' average amount of physical activity was 1,359.32 MET-min/week; 50.7% were inactive, 38.6% were minimally active, and 10.7% were health-promoting active. Demographic factors that predicted physical activity were gender, age, education level and monthly income, whereas health behavior factors included subjective health status and high risk drinking (R²=.055, p<.001). Psychological factors were sleeping time, stress, depression and fear of falling, and social factors included social contact with neighbors or friends, and participation in social or leisure activites(R²=.070, p<.001). Conclusion: It is important to determine the level of physical activity in older adults living alone. Demographic characteristics, health behaviors, psychological factors, and social factors should be considered in the development of specific and integrated nursing interventions to increase physical activity in older adults.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.119-128
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was done to determine the risk factors for recurrent fallers (2+falls) compared to single fallers. Methods: Participants were 104 community-dwelling people 65 yr of age or older. The data were collected from June 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 using the Residential Assessment Instrument-Home Care. Results: Over the past 90 days, 55.7% of the 104 participants fell once, and 44.2% experienced recurrent falls (2+falls). In comparison of recurrent fallers with single fallers, there were significant differences in scores on the following factors: gender ($X^2$=4.22, p=.040), age ($X^2$=5.74, p=.017), educational level ($X^2$=5.22, p=.022), living arrangements ($X^2$=35.02, p<.001), cardiovascular diseases ($X^2$=17.10, p<.001), hypertension ($X^2$=4.43, p=.035), diabetes mellitus ($X^2$=4.44, p=.035), glaucoma ($X^2$=13.95, p<.001), Minimal Data Set (MDS)-Pain (t=-2.56, p=.012), fear of falling ($X^2$=4.08, p=.034), reduced vision (t=-3.06, p=.003), MDS-activity of daily living (t=3.46, p=.001), MDS-Instrumental Activities of daily living (t=3.24, p=.002), cognition (MDS-Cognition Performance Scale) (t=3.40, p=.001), and 'difficulties entering and leaving the house' ($X^2$=4.53, p=.033). Conclusion: It is important to assess the risk factors for recurrent falls and develop differentiated strategies that will help prevent recurrent falls. Additionally, utilizing a standardized tool, such as RAI-HC, would help health professionals assess multi-variate fall risk factors to facilitate comparisons of different community care settings.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.387-401
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a Korean version of the Falls Efficacy Scale (K-FES), which is used to measure the fear of falling, that is conceptually equivalent to the original and culturally adaptable to the Korean population. Methods: A five-step translation and adaptation process was employed to create the K-FES, adhering to the established guidelines for cross-cultural rehabilitation outcome measures. The content validity was then evaluated by 22 rehabilitation professionals (15 males and 7 females) with an average clinical experience of 201 months at neurological rehabilitation centers. The content validity ratio and index were used as a basis for judgment. Results: The translation process identified inconsistencies with the terms "objects" and "telephone" in the original Falls Efficacy Scale, which were subsequently resolved in the final K-FES version. The content validity ratios for the original, second, and third versions of the K-FES ranged from -0.27-0.91, -0.27-0.91, and -0.27-0.91, respectively. Correspondingly, the content validity index values for the original, second, and third versions of the K-FES ranged from 0.77-1.00, 0.68-1.00, and 0.63-1.00, respectively. Conclusions: The K-FES was rigorously developed through translation, adaptation, and validation processes, making it a reliable tool for Korean stroke rehabilitation professionals. It is expected to be instrumental in clinical and research settings to assess postural stability and fall risk in patients with strokes and brain injuries.

• 한국노년학
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.311-323
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• 2020

Older adults are at a high risk of falling, causing severe injuries and increased hospital stays and treatment costs. This can be a burden not only on the family but also on the national economy. Thus, fall prevention is very important in nurses' and nursing assistants' work. This study intended to grasp the real situation faced by nurses and nursing-assistants working at geriatric hospitals in J province, Korea. The researcher interviewed thirty-six nurses and nursing-assistants in four geriatric hospitals and performed four focus group interviews. Data were analyzed through an inductive content analysis based on Elo & Kyngäs's approach. Three categories and five subcategories were identified. Categories were patients, environmental, and personal factors. Patient factors included patients' impaired cognitive function. Environmental factors included lack of personnel support and assignment of inpatients without regard to fall risk. Personal factors included hopelessness regarding improvement and fear of being blamed. Promotion of fall prevention practice needs a gradual increase in nursing staff at geriatric hospitals, a system for assigning hospital room according to fall risk, and education and support system to reduce nursing burden.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.34-48
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• 2019

Background: Fall-related injuries in older adults are a major health problem, and the risks and mechanisms of these injuries should be affected by race, culture, living environment, and/or economic status. Objects: Research articles have been systematically reviewed to understand fall-related injuries in older adults in South Korea. Methods: 128 published research papers have been found through the Korea Citation Index and the Korean Studies Information Service System, and reviewed in various perspectives, including incidents, fall death rates, medical costs, causes, injury sites and types, locations where falls occurred, prevention strategies, scholarly fields interested in fall injuries, and the role of physical therapy. Results: Fall-related injuries were found to be more common in women than in men, and the number of incidents increased with age, with the highest rate found in individuals over 85 years old. Risk of fall injury was associated with education level, comorbidities, and fear of falling. Common places where falls occurred included the bathroom, living room, stairs, and hallway. Common types of injury included bruises, fractures, and sprains in the lower extremities. Intervention strategies included exercise programs, education, and protective clothing. Scholarly fields interested in fall-related injuries in older adults included medicine, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physical education, pharmacology, oriental medicine, biomedical engineering, design, clothing, and textiles. Physical therapy intervention using proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation has been used to improve one's balance. Conclusion: Any movement during the activities of daily living can lead to a fall. Physical therapists are highly educated to analyze human movements and should be involved in more research and practices to solve fall-related injuries in older adults.