• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.71-83
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• 1991

This study examines a pattern of family caregiving and its effect on life satisfaction of disabled elderly people. Data were gathered through the use of face-to-face interview method from a sample of 135 elderly aged over 60. One-third of the elderly respondents have no family caregiver. Most of caregivers provide routine household chores and physical help, but persnal care such as bathing and changing clothes was taken by elderly people themselves. The caregiver in an elderly couple is most likely the wife. When a spouse is unavailable, daughters-in law usually assume the role of a primary caregiver. Sex difference has been found in the most comfortable caregiver for the elderly. The most comfortable caregiver for the elderly men is shown to be their spouse, whereas the one for the elderly women is show to be their daughter-in-law. Most of the disabled elderly are emotionally dependent on their son(usually their eldest son), but physically dependent on their spouse, daughter-in-law, or daughter. The caregivers are dominated by women. Among those elderly receiving care from their children, the relationship between the aged their caregiver is found to be closer than the past when the aged were healthy: however, this relationship is found to be almost the same as the past among those elderly receiving care from their spouse. Finally, the degree of family solidarity, satisfaction with received cares, and the relationship with caregivers are found to be closely related to life satisfaction of the elderly respondents.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.58-64
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• 2019

Background: Communication is important for the elderly to maintain existing social relationships while creating new relationships based on good communication skills to lessen psychological and emotional distress and lead a healthy life in advanced age. Aims: This study identifies the difference between the social network-based quality of communication life and the overall quality of life in the elderly and how much the quality of communication life affects the overall quality of life. Methods: This research includes a survey of the elderly aged 65 and over living in small cities of South Korea. Data sets of 201 elderly were analyzed. Results: This study found a significant correlation between the quality of communication life and the overall quality of life. Religion also influences the elderly's quality of communication life. The elderly's quality of communication life has 40% explanatory power of the overall quality of life. Conclusion: Consequently, senior citizens' quality of life will be improved through the enhanced quality of communication in addition to financial and health conditions by participating in various community activities similar to those provided by religion to increase opportunities for communication.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.31-49
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• 2008

This study has been performed to explore verbal and behavioral expression of sexual desires among male elderly residents who have been living in long tenn care facilities. There are three topics covered in this study; first, in what situations and how seriously do care workers encounter expression of sexual desires of the elderly residents? Second, what kind of negative consequences do they believe those sexual behaviors will lead to? Third, how can we implement defensive measures against the sexual behaviors? In this study, twenty three care workers working full time in five retirement and care facilities were asked about their experience and perception of the above study agendas, and answers of the qualitative interview were drawn as follow; first, the elderly residents apparently show a variety of sexual harassment and provoking behaviors such as sticking to specific women, physically touching and attacking, and induce obscenely activities against female residents, care workers, and volunteer visitors. Second, their sexual behaviors are often influenced by their isolated and abandoned emotionality as well as living situation in rural areas. Third, their sexual behaviors often critically affect care work plan and facility managements by severely discouraging female care givers and community supporters. Therefore in this study, suggestions and defensive measures were made as follows: first, education and counselling programs toward female workers and volunteers need to be developed, and the programs should cover psychological and behavioral mechanism of sexuality in later life. Second, self control plans need to be empowered toward the elderly residents; in the plans, the elderly residents shall be encouraged to evaluate primary cause and proper solutions of sexual behaviors of their peering residents. Third, combination of healthy housing and care facilities for frail elderly need to be integrated in a neighboring location, so that when residents and workers encounter extreme episodes of sexuality of healthy residents in a housing facility, the problematic sexual residents are partially transferred into a neighboring care facility and thereafter other residents and cafe givers are relieved from stressful contacts with the extremely sexual residents.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.124-136
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• 2002

As the elderly population has increased in recent years in Korea chronic degenerative diseases prevalent in the aged have garnered attention in relation to food behavior. In general, dietary intakes of elderly Koreans were inadequate in quality as well as in quantity. Especially, intakes of Ca, vitamin A, and riboflavin along with total energy were insufficient. They tended to consume high carbohydrate and low fat energy rates which may be resulted from long standing vegetable-based flood patterns. Relationships between dietary intakes and indices of cardiovascular diseases revealed that blood pressures and serum lipids patterns tended to be poor in individuals having high abdominal fat accumulations which seemed to be related with dietary consumption of high carbohydrate and insufficient intake of many nutrients. These results suggested that a nutritionally balanced diet including animal sources floods is needed in order to prevent an abdominal obesity and cardiovascular diseases. The bone health status of the Korean elderly appeared poor. It was more serious in women recording a higher prevalence rate of osteopenia and osteoporosis than in men. There were strong associations between dietary factors and bone health status. Bone mineral density was found to be higher with higher intakes of protein energy rate, the total amount of feeds, and many nutrients including Ca and p, indicating that a good quality diet is essential in maintaining healthy bone status in later life. mental health condition of the elderly as measured by cognitive function and the degree of depression was also inadequate and had strong association with dietary consumption. The positive results were obtained in individuals having an adequate dict. Therefore, it could be summarized that the physical as well as mental health in elderly Koreans are highly related with their dietary patterns. Thus, the older adults need te consume nutritionally well balanced diet in sufficient amount, which contains various flood items including significant amounts of animal source floods in a daily diet in order to maintain healthy condition.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.1-10
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to compare the oral health status of elderly people living in nursing home with private home in Busan, Kimhae and Jinju in Gyeongnam province for development oral healthy policy of elderly people. 253 elderly subjects aged more than 65 in a hall for the aged and special medical treatment hospital are made up questions. The date was analysed using the SPSS 13.0 program. The obtained result were as follows. 1. 39.5 percent elder people recognize that their subjective oral health is not good. In the case of above three times in brushing tooth a day, 29 percent people are less their oral health is good. As the number of times of brushing tooth decreases, the percent feeling their oral status good decrease(p<.05). 2. The respondents who have visited the dentist within one year are less than people with no visit. Also the percent having a mind that their oral health status is good is higher in the respondents having scaling than them without scaling(p<.05). The respondents who answer that their diet is not bad is most in the ratio of people feeling subjective oral health status good(p<.001). 3. The portion of people feeling their oral status not healthy is highest in the respondents without tooth(p<.05). 4. Among the respondents answering their subjective oral health is not good, the some problem of conversation due to no tooth or denture and relation with others is issued each(p<.001). This study suggests that perceived toothbrusing frequency and periodic scaling with oral health among the elderly. The finding of this study will helpful to policy makers to design plants to increase the oral health related quality of life among the elderly.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.347-358
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to verify if metropolitan area and non-metropolitan area have an influence on health of the elderly and estimate and compare the difference between the two areas. To achieve this purpose, the study was conducted on 4,714 elderly people aged 65 or more among source materials of "The 3rd Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing in 2010" using OLS regression analysis and Oaxaca's decomposition method. Major results of the study are as follows. First, the elderly living in metropolitan area were found to have better health than the ones in non-metropolitan area(${\beta}=-.044$, p<.01). Second, in the result of looking into 'area' effect alone, which was decomposed to investigate actual effect of the difference between metropolitan area and non-metropolitan area, the elderly living in non-metropolitan area were found to have lower health status than the ones living in metropolitan area, confirming that the health gap among the elderly also originates from the characteristics of residential area(non metropolitan area-metropolitan area: 223.92, 109.50%; metropolitan area-non metropolitan area: -267.18, 130.66%). Through the results of the study, practical and policy implications and future study direction were suggested.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.380-387
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• 2011

This study was to investigate the effects of music-combined respiration and oral motor training on the voice of healthy elderly. 27 women attending a senior center in Seoul participated and were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 16) and the control group (n = 11). Subjects attended music program(25 minutes per session) once a week for 4 weeks. For both groups, Fundamental Frequency (F0), Maximum Phonation Time (MPT) and Sequential Motion Rates (SMR) were measured using the Praat speech analysis program before and after the training. The results showed statistical significance in scores of intensity, F0, MPT, and SMR in the experimental group while only intensity was statistically significant in the control group. Considering that, the increasing life expectancy and growing number of older adults, their quality of life has been important. So this study suggests that the respiration and oral motor training would be effectively incorporated into training and services for this population.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.290-299
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Spirulina is a known a functional food related to lipid profiles, immune functions, and antioxidant capacity. Circulating monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) level is associated with inflammation markers. Single nucleotide polymorphism in the MCP-1 promoter region -2518 have been identified and shown to affect gene transcription. Gene variation may also impact functional food supplementary effects. The current study investigated the interaction of MCP-1 -2518 polymorphism with spirulina supplements on anti-inflammatory capacity in Korean elderly. SUBJECTS/METHODS: After genotyping, healthy elderly subjects (n = 78) were included in a randomized, double blind, and placebo controlled study. Baseline characteristic, body composition, and dietary intake were measured twice (baseline vs. week 16). For 16 weeks, subjects consumed 8 g either spirulina or placebo daily. Plasma MCP-1, interleukin (IL) -2, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-${\alpha}$, complement (C) 3, immunoglobulin (Ig) G, and Ig A concentrations and lymphocyte proliferation rate (LPR) were analyzed as inflammatory markers. RESULTS: In the placebo group with A/A genotype, MCP-1 level was significantly increased, but the spirulina group with A/A genotype was unchanged. IL-2 was significantly increased only in subjects with spirulina supplementation. TNF-${\alpha}$ was significantly reduced in subjects with the G carrier. C3 was significantly increased in the placebo group, particularly when A/A increased more than G, but not when spirulina was ingested. LPR was significantly different only in subjects with A/A genotype; there was a significant increase in phytohemagglutinin and lipopolysaccharide induced LPR in the spirulina group. CONCLUSION: In healthy Korean elderly, spirulina supplementation may influence different inflammatory markers by the MCP-1 genotype. These results may be useful for customized dietary guidelines to improve immune function in Koreans.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.303-318
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• 2004

This study was conducted to develop and propose a model for an organizational system and management strategies for Healthy Families Centers. As baseline research, the organization of comparable institutions such as the Social Welfare Center, Women's Development Center, Elderly Welfare Center, Child Welfare Center, and Childcare Information Center was analyzed. Based on the results of baseline research and the draft version of Healthy Families Act, this study proposed a management model for Healthy Families Centers. This proposed model suggests the city, county, and district level centers to be organized with three divisions: 1. family counseling team, 2. family education team, and 3. family life team. Concrete assignments for the teams are also proposed. Finally, a networking system for more effective management of the healthy families centers was also proposed.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.119-126
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• 2012

1. Objectives Sasang constitutional medicine is unique in Korean traditional medicine. It diagnoses and treats patients based on his/her Sasang constitution (SC). Skin properties have been used as an effective diagnostic component in the classification of SC types in clinics. In this paper, we investigated the SC-based health relevance of skin elasticity and wrinkle properties. 2. Methods The skin elasticity and wrinkle of forearm and dorsal hand were measured in 299 elderly female subjects. To determine the subject's Sasang constitution, we adopted the classification results from a newly developed SC diagnostic tool. The health states of the subjects were scored by two Korean traditional medical doctors, by whom each subject was categorized either into the healthy state or the unhealthy state. 3. Results As a result, the elasticity hysteresis of forearm (E_HYS), the visco-elasticity (VE_MEAN), and the wrinkle frequency energy of backhand (W_HAND) showed significant differences between Taeum-in group and Soeum-in group. In case of the Soeum-in on unhealthy state, VE_MEAN was decreased significantly (p<.05). W_HAND and W_ARM_H of the healthy Taeum-in were less than those of the unhealthy Taem-in. 4. Conclusions In this study we showed that, for an elderly female population, skin elasticity and viscosity were significantly different not only between each SC type but also between healthy group and unhealthy group in each constitution. In particular, Soeum-in subjects were inferred to be superior in retaining skin softness when they were healthy, and Taeum-in subjects were easy to lose their firmness of skin surface when they became unhealthy.