• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.165-176
• /
• 2008

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to analyze the factors that influence alcohol use disorder in elders in KyongBuk province. The results of the study will provide basic information for the development of nursing interventions to promote proper alcohol use in elders. Methods: The subjects were 626 elderly individuals. Alcohol use disorder was defined as a score of more than 15 point on the AUDIT-K(Korean version of Alcohol Use Identification Test). Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, ANOVA and logistic regression were utilized to analyze the data. Results: Overall incidence of alcohol use disorder level; normal 73.2%, problem drinking 7.5% and alcohol use disorder 19.3%. Significant factors affecting alcohol use disorder were sex (OR=6.897), religious belief (OR=1.836), smoking (OR=2.948), liver disease (OR=4.753) and depression (OR=1.779). Conclusion: Community health care nurses perform a crucial function in the screening of elderly alcoholics. Early detection and treatment of depression in elders may help to prevent alcoholism.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.237-259
• /
• 2004

The public assistance scheme plays more important role in income maintenance for poor elders than the public pension does due to insufficient coverage of the public pension resulted from late introduction of it in Korea. However, only limited numbers of poor elders are financially protected by the public assistance contrary to the general perception that the elderly population most benefits from public aids. Based on data set of 2000 from the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study, this study analysed the size, composition and characteristics of poor elders excluded from the public assistance, and determinants of the elderly's participation in it. Findings of the study can be summarized as follows: (1) More than half of poor elders are excluded from the public assistance although their economic status is similar with that of recipients, which may cause income reversal between recipients and non-recipients. (2) It was identified that non-recipient poor elders especially those with same income level of recipients of the National Livelihood Guarantees(NLG) are actually in desperate need of public aids considering their serious financial conditions. (3) Participation in public assistance among the elderly is more affected by socio-demographic factors that reflect family conditions than by economic factors, which is mostly caused by the strict eligibility criteria of the public assistance that reinforces family duty of financial support for elderly relatives in Korea. Policy implications for more effective income security for poor elders include revising inappropriate eligibility criteria of the NLG concerning family obligations, expanding the coverage of the old age allowance for poor elders to near-poor elders, and providing work opportunities to non-recipient poor elders to supplement their income deficit.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.481-489
• /
• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify health promoting lifestyle patterns (HPLP) and health perception (HP), and related factors, in elderly people using welfare service centers. Methods: Three hundred elders were interviewed using a structured questionnaire through convenience sampling at two welfare centers. Data were analyzed using the SPSS WIN 12.0 program. Results: Most of the elders had some kind of diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, or osteoarthritis. The mean HPLP score was 2.53, and significant differences were found according to the elders' general characteristics. The sub-domain nutrition had the highest mean score, and stress management and exercise, the lowest. The mean HP score was 3.38, and significant differences were found according to education level and number of underlying diseases. HPLP showed a correlation with HP. Conclusion: The results indicate that elders have poor practices in stress management and exercise reflecting need for community based stress management programs for welfare service centers elderly clients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.45-52
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of balance taping for elders suffering from leg pain. Method: This study was a nonequivalent pretest-posttest design, quasi-experimental study. There were 25 elders in the experimental group and 25 in the control group. The degree of leg pain was measured three times. Results: In the experimental group, the leg pain score before taping was 6.28, but 1 hour after the taping was applied it was 3.24, and at 24 hours after the taping was applied, 2.16. The leg pain score for elders in the experimental group decreased significantly but for those in the control group, it hardly changed. Conclusion: The findings of this study support the conclusion that balance taping may benefit individuals with leg pain. Also, balance taping therapy can be used as an independent nursing intervention.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.23-34
• /
• 2012

Purpose: Respite care is not a discrete intervention, but encompasses a range of services. This research was conducted to clarify the phenomenon of respite care for family caregivers of elders with dementia from a nursing perspective. Method: The Hybrid Model of concept development was applied to clarify the concept of respite care for family caregivers of elders with dementia. The study was conducted in the following three steps, theoretical phase, fieldwork phase, and final analytic phase. Results: The definition of respite care for family caregivers of elders with dementia was delineated through integration of data analyses in theoretical and fieldwork phase, and has three dimensions; tailored supports for caregivers, tailored supports based on physical and cognitive function of elders with dementia and community interventions related to family care function. Conclusion: Through this study, the concept of respite care for family caregivers of elders with dementia is clarified and reformulated as nursing practice phenomena in the Korean context, which indicates ways to develop caring practice forms for a family living with an elder with dementia in a community setting.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.41-50
• /
• 2012

Purpose: This study was done to identify differences in factors influencing cognitive function according to the cognition of community dwelling elders. Methods: A convenience sample of 565 community dwelling elders participated in this study and from May to June, 2010 trained research assistants collected data using structured questionnaires. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation, and multiple regression with the SPSS Win 15.0 version. Results: The elders had a slightly low degree of cognitive function. Of the 565 elders, 41.1% were in the normal group for cognitive function and 58.9% in the mild impairment group. Although there were no significant differences in general characteristics between the groups, factors influencing cognitive function were different. Factors influencing elders in the normal group were leisure activity and moderately good health status. These variables accounted for 5.7% of the variance in cognitive function. Factors influencing elders in the mild impairment group were leisure activity, depression, and education level limited to elementary school graduation. These variables accounted for 19.9% of the variance cognitive function. Conclusion: This study provides comprehensive understanding of factors influencing cognitive function in elders. Differentiated nursing interventions according to degree of cognitive function are suggested.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.1113-1128
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate toilet terms and pictograms recognized by elders living in Seoul and Incheon. Method: Data were collected from 308 elders by individual interviews using questionnaires. Result: As for the name of places for elimination, those elders responded Hwajangsil 88.3%, followed by Byeonso 49.3% and Dwitgan 44.4%. Most elders preferred Hwajangsil as the term indicating the place for elimination. The mean age of the group preferred Bunso was significantly higher than that of the group preferred Hwajangsil, whereas educational level was higher in the latter group. Of the 256 respondents, 55% preferred the pictogram of international toilet sign, while 34.8% preferred the pictogram of toilet stool. Those with no formal education tended to prefer the pictogram of toilet stool. Conclusion: The term Hwajangsil is suggested for indicating toilet for elders in general. Other terms familiar with residents need to be investigated in the facilities for elders and those terms should be used in combination with Hwajangsil. English toilet signs alone are not recommended for elders. Simple pictograms of toilet stool is suggested for elders with low educational level. Toilet signs for elders need to include both terms and pictograms.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.74-83
• /
• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the sexual life and sexual life satisfaction of elderly people. Method: The participants were 181 elders over 65 years of age. Data were collected from February 10 to December 15, 2007 by interviews and questionnaires. Results: Of the respondents 17.1% still had sex in their lives but sexual satisfaction was less than that of middle-aged adults. Further, 31.8% of the elders reported no experience of sex over the past 10-19 years. The reasons for not having sex were 'no sexual partner' or 'no sexual desire'. Finally, 27.2% wanted to have a date. The main reason for dating was to relieve loneliness and the reason for not dating was 'good as it is', 'having date is shameful'. The level of satisfaction with sexual life was 2.71. Satisfaction with sexual life was higher for elders who had a spouse and for elders who still had sex. Conclusion: This study provides bases on the usefulness of various nursing intervention programs to enhance the quality of life through better understanding of the sexual life and sexual life satisfaction of elders.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.84-91
• /
• 2010

Purpose: This purpose of this study was to determine how effective a group therapy program on geriatric depression would be for elders who were living at home. Method: The study followed a quasi-experimental design and participants chosen for the study were elders living at home who had no problems with cognitive function, but excluding those elders who were diagnosed or under treatment for depression. The participants were divided into 2 groups, the experimental group of 16 and the control group of 17. Results: The Group therapy program had significant effects on decreasing depression in the elders. In the experimental group, the level of depression was significantly decreased after the group therapy (t＝-3.873, p=.002). Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that group therapy programs have a positive effect on geriatric depression in elders who live at home. Therefore, the authors expect further studies will be done based on the schematized group program to verify the results of this study for elders living at home in other parts of the country.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.43 no.6
• /
• pp.726-735
• /
• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aroma massage on pruritus, skin pH, skin hydration and sleep in elders in long-term care hospitals. Methods: The participants were elders over 65 years old admitted to long-term care. They were assigned to the experimental group (26) or control group (28). Data were collected from May to August, 2012. Visual Analogue Scale and Verran and Snyder-Halpern Sleep scale were used to identify levels of pruritus and sleep. A skin-pH meter and moisture checker were used to measure skin pH and skin hydration. Aroma massage was performed three times a week for 4 weeks for elders in the experimental group. The data were analyzed using the SPSS Win 17.0 program. Results: There were significant differences in pruritus, skin pH and skin hydration between the two groups. However there was no significant difference in sleep. Conclusion: The results indicate that aroma massage is effective in reducing pruritus, skin pH and increasing skin hydration in elders. Therefore, this intervention can be utilized in clinical practice as an effective nursing intervention to reduce pruritus in elders in long-term care hospitals.