• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.94-106
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to verify the use of Seo's Elderly Stress Scale (SESS), which was developed in 1996. Through the modified tool, it is possible to examine the stress of Korean elders and to contribute to the welfare of them. The subjects were 350 elders over 65 years old who live in Seoul, Kwang-Ju, Yang-Ju Gun Kyung-ki Do, Ui-Jong Bu, and Young-Am Kun, Jeun-Ra Nam Do. the data of 331 elders (94%) were analyzed. Data were collected between January and March in 1996 and analyzed using the SPSS Win 8.0. The result are as follows: 1. Items with low correlation with the total items were removed. So 27 items were removed and 37 items remained. This 37 items were death in the family and/or close friends, family member's behavior not meeting expectations, marriage of daughter, marriage of son, friction with daughter- in-law, argument among children, children refuse to live with parent, children leaving home, sex injury or accident, in frequest visits from children and grandchildren, providing care for your daughter or daughter-in-law post-partum, decrease in decision making and authority in home, Lunar new year and the harvest featival, house sitting, working in the house, performing a sacrificial rite, missed birthday, not living with the eldest son, decreased eyesight, decreased strength, decreased memory, sleep pattern changes, thoughts about death, loneliness, decreased hearing, change of dental condition, change in your diet or eating style, difficulty in self care, moving because of disease or aging, argument with friend or neighbour, travel, dealing with the procedure of heritage, loss of money or property, not enough pocket money, hearing on elderly neglect in television or radio, hope of going home and ignorant from others. 2. Overlapped items were discussed by colleagues and were modified. 'marriage of daughter' and 'marriage of son' were modified in 'marriage of children'. 'self injury or accidents' and 'family accidents' were modified in to self or family accidents. 3. Factor analysis was done in order to identify validity and three factors were obtained from the result. The first factor familial relation area, included 17 items. The second factor, physical area, included 9 items. The third factor, psycho-socio-economic area, included 9 items. Cronbach coefficient alpha for the 35 items was .923. 4. Pearson's correlation was .704 between SESS and SOS (Symptoms of Stress) in order to confirm construct validity. Based on the result, the following is suggested; 1. The modified SESS needs to be reverified with elder. 2. Korean elder's health promotion can be made by development of stress intervention which was accurately measured with SESS.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.25-32
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• 2004

The use of a gym ball is becoming more popular for dynamic balance exercises. However, little is known about the effects of the dynamic ball exercises in the elderly. The purpose of this study was to compare balance and functional mobility after dynamic balance exercises using a gym ball to reduce the risk factorfor falls. All of the 15 subjects were women between the ages of 68 and 91 (mean age=79.9 yrs, SD=5.87) at anursing home in Wonju. Seven of fifteen subjects were placed in the experimental group and the others in the control group. Three clinical tests were used to determine the degree of balance and functional mobility before beginning the exercise program, after 4 weeks of gym ball exercise, and after 8 weeks of gym ball exercise. These three tests included Timed Up & Go (TUG), Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Dynamic ball exercises training for 8 weeks (5 days per week) included side stretching, prone walking, bridging, marching and opposite arm and leg lifting. There were significant differences found before the gym ball exercise program began and after 4 weeks and then 8 weeks in the experimental group (p<.05). Significant differences between the groups were shown for TUG and BBS (p<.05). No significant difference was noted between the groups for FIM. Therefore, gym ball exercises can improve dynamic balance and may be recommended to include in a therapeutic program to help the elderly reduce their risk of a fall.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.99-118
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• 2010

This thesis is to inquire into the effect of group art therapy by way of reminiscence on the depression of the elderly inpatients with geriatric illness. The subjects are 20 inpatients whose age is over sixty in the Elderly Nursing Hospital located in K county. Among them, 10 inpatients are arranged as the experimental group, and the rest 10 inpatients, as control group. The research period is from February 28, 2009 to August 21, 2009. For the experimental group, the group art therapy by way of reminiscence is carried out during 21 sessions once a week for 60 minutes per session. For both the experimental group and the control group, pre and post test is carried out, and then after four weeks, the further test is carried out. The measurement tools are KGDS(Korean Form of Geriatric Depression Scale) and KHTP. The data are analyzed by SPSS(for Windows) and SAS(ver. 9.1.2), by which one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA, and Scheffe test are carried out. The results are as follows. First, the average of the whole elderly depression levels is shown significantly in the post test and the further test between the two groups. The art therapy group is more effective on the reduction of depression of the elderly inpatients with geriatric illness than control group. Second, it is shown that there is significant difference between the two groups in the the elderly depression by KHTP. The art therapy group is more effective in the improvement of the reduction of the elderly depression in view of KHTP. In conclusion, the group art therapy is an efficient intervention which enables to reduce the depression of the elderly inpatients with geriatric illness.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.85-90
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• 2010

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between social support and quality of life (QOL) in elderly people and to examine potential cross-cultural differences. Methods: The author surveyed 82 elderly people, over the age of 65, residing in a nursing home in a Korean rural area and 73 Korean immigrants living in Houston Texas USA who were also elderly. The degree of social support was measured with 20 questions that were answered using a 5 grade scale. The quality of life was measured in 5 fields (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression, each scored using a 3 grade scale) with EUROQOL EQ-5D. Results: The mean score of social support was 65.43 for domestic Korean elderly people (range: 26 to 98); it was 73.43 for elderly Korean Americans (range: 26 to 100). The score was lower for domestic Koreans despite the traditional environment (p<0.05). Regarding QOL, 61% of domestic Korean elderly people complained of pain/discomfort and 47.5% appeared to have anxiety/depression, 30.5% complained of limitations in mobility, 20.7% reported limitations in usual activities, and 14.6% had limitations in basic self.care activity such as washing or dressing. A similar proportion of Korean American elderly had limitations in usual activities (19.2%) and self care activity (9.5%). But significantly fewer complained of anxiety/depression (16.5%, p<0.01) or pain/discomfort (38.3%, p<0.01). The major differences in psychological domains of QOL may be related to the degree of social support and the difference in the socio.cultural environment. Conclusion: Social support is a major determinant of QOL, especially for psychological domains, and these relationships are under the influence of the socio.cultural environment.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.1-13
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to understand the importance of exterior environments and to identify the design guidelines for the therapeutic garden for cognitively impaired seniors with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The data was collected from 4 Adult Day Care Centers, 2 Nursing Homes, & 1 Assisted living in the U.S.A. from 2001 to 2002 by interview and the floor plan about the outdoor space. Although some may believe that patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders are unresponsive to environment, evidence shows that environments especially designed for cognitively impaired seniors can maintain or increase their level of functioning. The use of specially designed exterior environments nay have in reducing incidents of aggressive behavior, and contributing significantly to a wanderer management program. The checklist includes 6 dimensions： safety environment, various sensual stimulations, social interactions, wandering, privacy, and support orientation and reality. The results indicated that the exterior environment have to support wandering behavior, orientation and reality.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.283-287
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• 2012

Objective: To explore the participation rates for breast and colorectal cancer screening and identify associated correlates among elderly women. Methods: Logistic regressions were conducted using data collected in 2006 from 1,533 elderly women aged 60 years or above who had completed a screening instrument, the Minimum Data Set-Home Care, while applying for long-term care services at the first time in Hong Kong. Results: The participation rates for breast and colorectal cancer screening among frail older Chinese women were 3.7% and 10.8% respectively. Cognitive status was inversely associated with the likelihood of participation in screening (breast: OR = 0.66, 95%CI = 0.47-0.94; colon: OR = 0.81, 95%CI = 0.66-0.99), as was educational level with the likelihood of participation in breast cancer screening (no formal education: OR = 0.20, 95%CI = 0.06-0.61, some primary education: OR = 0.31, 95%CI = 0.10-1.00). Conclusion: The delivery of cancer preventive health services to frail older women is less than ideal. Cognitive status and educational level were important factors in cancer screening behaviour. Tailor-made strategic promotion programmes targeting older women with low cognitive status and educational levels are needed to enhance awareness and acceptance within this vulnerable group.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.690-705
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• 2000

This ethnography was based on Kleinman's explanatory model of a health care system. It is conducted to make thick discription of illness conception of the elderly in a sociocultural context. The basic assumptions were as follows. 1) A health care system is a cultural system, and as with any other cultural system, it is a system of symbolic meanings anchored in a particular arrangement of social institutions and patterns of interpersonal relationships; 2) In all societies health care activities are more or less interrelated. Therefore, they need to be in a holistic manner as socially organized responses to disease that constitute a special cultural system; health care system; 3) Health and illness experiences are the natural process of disease. Individuals who recognized a for state of health, their family, neighbors, and communities define the state, search for causes of the health problems, and response to it. According by, they proceed to search for healing stratagies. So, understanding of the illness experience is the starting point for health care. The study participants were 12 elders aged 60 or more. The fieldwork was conducted in an agricultural clan village of Namwon city. The data collection and analysis were cyclic, from descriptive observation, domain analysis, focused observation, taxanomic analysis, selected observation, componential analysis, and finally cultural themes were all analysed. Proxemic and text analysis techniques were used according to the characteristics of the data. The data of sociocultural context and descriptive data were collected from 1990 to 1992. Informations on illness concepts were collected during 1994 using focused observation. Data confirming and contrast observations were conducted from 1997 and 1999. Illness concepts of the elderly were taxonomized supernatural cause, non-supernatural cause, immediate cause, and ultimate cause. The supernatural ones were ancestors, god of home, god of village, and ghost such as 'sal(evil force of dead man)' and 'gagqui(ghost of begger)'. The non-supernatural ones were Ki, natural phenomenones, natural objects, foods, human and human behaviors. Immediate ones were insufficiency and overflows, discretion and consolidation, disorder and out of order, cloudness and contamination, and fluctuation and stagnation of supernatural cause and non-supernatural ones. Ultimate causes were intrusion and loss of supernatural and nonsupernatural ones. The cultural themes of illness concepts of the elderly are: 1) illness concepts are not based on causality principle, but on reciprocal principle; 2) illness concepts are affected by social level and charicteristics of the patients; 3) the causes of disease are recognized as imposed both positive and negative effects on health based on interpretation of the indiviuals; 4) illness concepts reflects on principles of everyday life of the society members such as hierachial structure and group cohesiveness; 5) illness concepts are ruled on principle of reciprocity and spread; 6) illness concepts are interrelated with physical environment of the participants. It can be concluded that the illness concepts of the elderly in a traditional clan village are a component of health care system as a cultural system based on these results. The these results can be a useful basis for gerontological nursing practice and education.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.95-102
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the necessity of home visit rehabilitation therapy by rehabilitation professionals working at social welfare facilities. Methods: The subjects of this study were 227 rehabilitation professionals (social worker, nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language therapist, special education teacher, and staff of institutions for the disabled who were working at community rehabilitation centers. The data were collected over 65 days (2008. 09. 10~11. 14). The results were analysed statistically by the Chi-square test. Results: The results are as follows: Long-term care service was established in Korea by the Ministry of Health in July, 2008. But there are limits to their being able to provide various rehabilitation services for chronic patients and old people. According to a recent survey, almost all rehabilitation professionals (N=227) stated that home visit rehabilitation therapy is necessary. Conclusion: In Korea, the long-term care service has a nursing service and a service supporting physical activities of daily living, but not physical therapy. So, home visit rehabilitation services should include physical therapy, rehabilitation exercise, and pain management.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2008

Nursing Homes are different from other medical facilities, because they have a living space. And most of residents in a nursing home have dementia, therefore nursing homes are in control of outdoor activities for resident's safety and most of residents live in the living room at the daytime. The purpose of this study is analysis of spacial behaviors of residents in the living room, and reflection of the analysis into the architectural plan of nursing homes.There are two activities, individual activity and social interchange activity, in a living room and the role of a living room is semi-private space that includes both of them. Most numerous activities are watching TV and take a eat. Activities are different in accordance with the position at the living room. Individual activity and social interchange activity is same ratio in the middle and the ratio of social interchange activities are more than individuals in outside of living room. but alcove use of private.The types of living rooms are distinguished by combination of functions of livingroom, activity-room, and diningroom. The activity of use of residents have been shown different phases following the types of livingroom. The type of combination has been seen high rate of use and private activities and social communications are expressed evenly. The type of mixing has been seen low rae of use, but two activities, the above, are equal. The type of separation has been seen not only low rate of use, but also there has been only private activities.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.70 no.3
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• pp.224-234
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• 2011

Background: Little data is available regarding hospitalized patients with nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP). This is unfortunate because there is an increasing number of elderly persons who are living in nursing homes in Korea. The aim of this study was to compare clinical characteristics and treatment responses of NHAP with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: Patients with pneumonia who were admitted from eight nursing homes or from their own homes were enrolled between May 2007 and April 2009. Their clinical characteristics and treatment responses were reviewed retrospectively, and differences between the two groups were analyzed. Results: Of 110 Patients with pneumonia, 66 (60%) were from nursing homes and their median age was 84. In the NHAP group, functional performance status was significantly poorer, classical symptoms of pneumonia were less severe, and multi-lobe involvement (on chest radiographs) was more frequent than in the CAP group. Patients with NHAP more frequently showed lymphocytopenia, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, hypoxemia, and elevated blood urea nitrogen on admission. The mean CURB-65 score was 2.2 in the NHAP group, higher than 1.7 in the CAP group (p=0.004), and multi-drug resistant pathogens were also highly identified in NHAP group (39% vs. 10%, p=0.036). The mean duration of antibiotic therapy was greater for the NHAP (12.6 days) than for the CAP group (6.6 days) (p<0.001). The mortality rate was 23% in NHAP group, which was significantly higher than 5% in the CAP group (p=0.014). Conclusion: NHAP should be more intensively investigated because of the higher frequency of multi-drug resistant pathogens and mortality than the CAP.