• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.211-220
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to identify the relationship of trait anger, health state, physical symptoms. and general characteristics to physical symptoms and to identify factors affecting physical symptoms of elderly in urban areas. Methods: The research design for this study was a descriptive survey design using a convenience sampling. Elders (n=276), who agreed to participate in this study completed a self-reporting questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. Results: Study participants reported low trait anger (M=18.61), physical symptoms (M=7.15), and moderate health state (M=3.30). The 45.4%of variance in physical symptoms was significantly explained by emotional function health state (${\beta}$=-.284, p=.013), which is one of the sub-domain of the elderly health state, and trait anger (${\beta}$=3.841, p<.001). Conclusion: Findings of this study provide that the most important factors in explaining physical symptoms for the elders in Korea were emotional function health state and trait anger. Based on the findings of this study, further nursing practice and nursing research for the elders with physical symptoms should be focused on emotional support.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.536-546
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether walking exercise improved physical function in elderly people using meta-analysis. Methods: Medical and nursing literature databases were searched to identify the studies on the effectiveness of walking exercise on physical function. In the databases, there were 16 articles reporting 21 interventions. Overall effect sizes for three outcome variables, elders' physical function in lower limb muscle endurance, whole body endurance and upper body flexibility, were calculated. Effects of study characteristics on outcome variables were analyzed. Results: The meta-analysis showed that walking exercise generally had positive effects on CST (chair stand test), 6MW (6 min walking), and SRT (standing or sitting reach test) with overall weighted effect sizes of 1.06, 0.41 and 0.29 respectively. This study also showed that the chronic disease status of the elders, intervention methods, and type of residence had different effects on CST, 6MW and SRT. Conclusion: The results indicate that walking exercise improves physical function in elders. Walking exercise which can be done at any time and any location is indeed a very effective exercise for elderly people.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.589-598
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that increase of the risk for falls in low-income elders in urban areas. Methods: The participants were elderly people registered in one of public health centers in one city. Data were collected by interviewing the elders, assessing their environmental risk factors, and surveying relevant secondary data from the public health center records. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression were performed using SPSS version 14. Results: Stroke, diabetes, visual deficits, frequency of dizziness, use of assistive devices and moderate depression were statistically significant risk factors. The comorbidity of chronic diseases with other factors including depression, visual deficit, dizziness, and use of assistive devices significantly increased the risk of falls. From multiple logistic regression analysis, statistically significant predictors of falls were found to be stroke, total environmental risk scores, comorbiditiy of diabetes with visual deficits, and with depression. Conclusion: Fall prevention interventions should be multifactorial, especially for the elders with stroke or diabetes, who were identified in this study as the high risk group for falls. A fall risk assessment tool for low-income elders should include both the intrinsic factors like depression, dizziness, and use of assistive devices, and the extrinsic factors.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.107-115
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of an exercise program on frontal lobe cognitive function in seniors. Methods: The participants were 42 seniors using a health center in Seoul (experimental group) and 28 seniors using a facility for elders in Seoul (control group). The exercise program was carried out for 16 weeks from April to August 2007. The frontal lobe cognitive function, which includes short term memory, attention, immediate memory, delayed memory, verbal fluency and motor function, was measured by the Digit Span Forward test, Trail Making test, Immediate recall words test, Delayed recall words, Controlled oral word association test and Finger tapping test. The collected data were analyzed by Fisher's exact test, Chi-square, t-test, and ANCOVA using the SAS program. Results: The major findings of this study were as follows: Attention (p=.009), immediate memory (p=.005), delayed memory (p=.009), and verbal fluency (p=.004) improved after the exercise program. Conclusion: In this study, the exercise program was effective in improving frontal lobe cognitive function in elders. So it provides basic information for further nursing education on exercise programs which will be effective for prevention of early cognitive function decline in normally aging elders.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.382-390
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to identify the relationship of perceived health, coping strategies, dependency, suicidal ideation and depression widowed elders, and to identify predictors of depression in this population. Method: The research design for this study was a descriptive survey design using a convenience sampling. Data collection was done using self-questionnaire with 162 elders from welfare centers for senior citizens located in 3 cities, Seoul, Gangneung and Seosan. Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression with the SPSS Win 12.0 Program were used to analyze the data. Results: Depression had significant negative correlations with perceived health (r=-.525, p<.001), and coping strategies (r=-.253, p=.005) and positive correlations with dependency (r=.430, p<.001), and suicidal ideation (r=.473, p<.001). The explained variance for depression was 47.5%. Of the variables, perceived health (${\beta}=-.237$, p=.003), suicidal ideation (${\beta}=.398$, p<.001) and dependency (${\beta}=.341$, p<.001) significantly predicted the degree of depression. Conclusion: Findings from this study provide a comprehensive understanding of depression and related factors for widowed elders in Korea. However, further study with a larger random sample and more a detailed research design is necessary.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.173-181
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• 2010

Purpose: The aim of this study was to gauge the social willingness to pay for cognitive enhancement program for elders. Methods: The subjects of this study were 77 subjects >65-years-of-age. The data were collected by direct interviews. The measures of willingness to pay were open-ended question and referendum format. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, $x^2$-test, and multiple regression. Results: Respondents were willing to pay 18,573 won for one use of a cognitive enhancement program for elders. The Monthly income was the only factor that statistically significantly affected willingness to pay. Conclusion: The findings will contribute to policy formulation regarding community based nursing program for elders.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.337-347
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• 2011

Purpose: Purposes of this study were to develop a community-based respite program for family caregivers and to test the effects of the program. Methods: Focus group interviews were performed to extract meaning of respite care for family caregivers (13 participants) and a survey was done to identify respite needs of family caregivers (157 participants). The community-based respite program for family caregivers was developed based on results of the focus group interview and survey. The program was used with 41 participants (19 experimental and 22 control). Independent t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used to test differences between control and experimental groups for respite needs, burden of caregivers, subjective wellbeing, social support, fatigue and functional status of elders with dementia. Results: There were statistical differences in caregiver burden, subjective wellbeing, and social support after the program, but, none for respite needs, fatigue and functional status of elders with dementia. Conclusion: The results indicate that a respite program can be useful to decrease burden of caregivers and increase subjective wellbeing and perceived social support of family caregivers in community settings. Further intervention research is needed to increase the functional status of elders with dementia and decrease fatigue in caregivers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.351-360
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was done to compare demographic characteristics, comorbidity, and health habits of elders with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and elders with cognitively normal function (CNF). Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted using data from the Database of the Seoul Dementia Management Project for 5,773 adults age 60 and above. Results: The MCI group showed an older age distribution, but there was no significant education difference between the two groups. Elders with MCI had more diabetes and stroke than elders with CNF. In subgroups, the same findings were observed in women, but not in men. While more men with MCI had hypertension compared to men with CNF, there was no significant difference in hypertension between the two groups for women. Elders with MCI, men in particular, had a lower prevalence of obesity than men with CNF. MCI individuals did less exercise compared to individuals with CNF. While there were no significant differences in alcohol consumption and smoking between MCI and CNF groups, the over 80's subgroup with MCI reported more alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Findings from this study could be helpful in designing community-based dementia prevention programs and health policies to reduce the prevalence of dementia or related cognitive impairments.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.481-490
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify from the International Classification of Functioning model, factors influencing quality of life in elderly persons and to describe the concrete pathway of influence and the power of each variable. Methods: The sample included 334 elders who lived in 5 districts of D Metropolitan City. A structured questionnaire was used and the collected data were analyzed for fitness, using the AMOS 18.0 program. Results: This model was concise and extensive in predicting the quality of life of elders. The research verified the factors influencing quality of life for elders as direct factors such as activity of daily living (ADL) (${\beta}$=.13, t=2.47), leisure activity (${\beta}$=.55, t=5.04), social disengagement (${\beta}$=-.25, t=-2.25), and depression (${\beta}$=-.62, t=-10.86). Indirect factors including economic status (${\gamma}$=.17, p=.009), type of residence (${\gamma}$=.19, p=.004), ADL (${\gamma}$=.12, p=.027) were important factors in predicting quality of life for elders. These variables explained 75.6% of variance in the prediction model. Conclusion: The findings indicate a need for the nursing scientific community to develop intervention programs considering these variables to improve the quality of life for elders.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.371-381
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• 2005

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to develop the day care program for the demented elders and to determine the effects of multiple activity therapies on the physical, emotional, cognitive, social function and physiological indicators of dementia elders in day care center. Method: A total of 13 elders with mild dementia in the data care center were participated. Manual and guideline of data care program was developed. Data care program was composed of movement/exercise, foot massage, music therapy, horticultural therapy, and art therapy. Data care program was performed by trained intervener for 32 weeks. Instruments were physical functioning such as hand grip strength., vital capacity, chiar stand test, sit and reach test, one leg standing, Berg' Balance scale, 6m Walk Velocity, stair climb, ADL, GDS-K, MMSE-K, Integrative Social Functioning Scale, cortisol, Ig A and Ig G. These were measured at the baseline, 16-week, and 32-week post-intervention by the trained nurses. Data were analyzed as Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: For Hand grip, balance, and vital capacity, there was a significant difference between baseline and 16-week post-intervention(p<.05). For one leg standing, 6m velocity, there was a significant difference between 16-week post-intervention and 32-week post-intervention(p<.05). For Stair climb, there was a significant difference between baseline and 32-week post-intervention(p<.05). For depression and social functioning, there was no significant difference among baseline, 16-week, and 32-week post-intervention. For cognitive functioning, there was a significant difference between baseline and 32-week post intervention(p<.05). There was a significant difference of cortisol, and Ig G between baseline and 32-week post-intervention(p<.05). Conclusion: It would appear that physical fitness, functional performance, ADL, depression, social and cognitive functioning, and physiological indicator of community dwelling elders with dementia can be improved through day care program using multiple stimuli.