• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.97-111
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• 2002

Despite the substantial increase of the elderly population in Korea, welfare policies such as housing programs have not been developed enough to meet the diverse needs of the aging people. Particularly, caring for elderly dementia patients is becoming a serious social problem in Korean society. Families are still primarily responsible for taking care of the elderly dementia patients, and thus are suffering from tremendous caregiving burdens. In many Western countries, group homes, which are small-scale care facilities with home-like atmosphere, have become common housing alternatives for elderly dementia patients. Group homes effectively create a therapeutic environment while helping reduce the elder care burdens for the families. This article proposes to review group homes as a housing option for the elderly with dementia in Korea. The purpose of this article is to make suggestions for housing policies, separately or as a part of more general welfare policies. Based on the questionnaire survey conducted on 912 persons currently residing in Seoul and five different provinces, various possible policies and suggestions to promote establishing group homes and other facilities for elderly dementia patients are discussed in this article.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.136-142
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• 2017

Background: Dementia is one of important social and economic healthcare issues in the aging age. Therefore, it signifies to analyze the relationship between chronic disease or cardiovascular drug use and the incidence of dementia to establish a basis for increasing or preventing the risk of dementia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the prevalence of chronic diseases and the use of cardiovascular drugs in patients diagnosed with dementia. Methods: In this study, we used data from sample of elderly patients from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. We analyzed by logistic regression analysis with age, gender, and medication as covariates. KCD-7 was used to diagnosis of the disease, and drugs were analyzed using ATC codes and Korean standardized drug classification codes. Results: A total of 1,276,331 patients were analyzed in the sample of the elderly population, of which 532,075 (41.7%) were male and 744,256 (58.3%) were female. The patients have the higher risk of dementia in the older, women, and lower socioeconomically status. Cerebral infarction and ischemic heart disease increases risk of dementia. Patients taking statins, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ARB) showed low incidence of dementia. Conclusion: This study has been shown that ACEI, ARB, and statin drugs may associate with lower incidence of Alzheimer's and other dementia except vascular dementia.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.601-614
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the present conditions and problems of oral health care in senior citizens with dementia using a qualitative research method, through focused group interviews. Methods: Data was collected for approximately one month from May 2019. The subjects were divided into two groups: care workers and family caregivers. Fifteen participants were included in the study. Results: In-depth interviews with the care workers revealed the following three categories: characteristics of senile dementia patients, oral health care in senile dementia patients, and oral health care education. In-depth interviews with the family caregivers revealed the following four categories: characteristics of senile dementia patients, oral health care in senile dementia patients, oral health care education, and burden of care. The central themes common to both the care workers and family caregivers were the challenges owing to the characteristics of senile dementia patients, poor health condition of the senile dementia patients, difficulty in oral health care of the senile dementia patients, the desire to receive oral health care education and related information, and to access the information more easily. Additional central themes specific to the care workers were, the applicability of the intervention programs, variability between the facilities, and the problems of oral health care education. An additional central theme specific to the family caregivers was the burden of care. Conclusions: It is necessary to provide oral health care education and information to care workers and family caregivers of senile dementia patients, and to manage and support the dental health professionals ready to care for senile dementia patients. In addition, support to the family caregivers should not be limited only to the financial aspects, but also consider the psychological and emotional difficulties.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.705-712
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore factors that influence care dependency of institutionalized patients with dementia. Method: This study utilized descriptive correlational design. The convenience sample was composed of 110 residents with dementia of two long-term care facilities in Korea. Stepwise multiple regression was used to identify significant factors influencing care dependency in patients with dementia. Care dependency was measured using the Care Dependency Scale, Korean version(CDS-K). Cognition was measured by the MMSE-K. Functional disability was measured by the PULSES Profile. Behavioral dysfunction was measured by the modified E-BEHAVE AD. Result: Care dependency was significantly influenced by cognition, functional disability, behavioral dysfunction, and duration of dementia. This regression model explained 61 % of the variances in care dependency. Cognition explained 37% of the variances, and functional disability explained 21% of the variances. Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that professional caregivers intervene more effectively in caring for their patients with dementia by recognizing the patients cognitive, functional, behavioral disability, and its periodic change. Individually, remaining abilities-focused intervention should be applied to enhance patient to be dependent and to prevent unnecessary independency.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.217-223
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate cognitive function, performance of activities of daily living, and recognition on oral health with the cognitive function testto dementia or dementia-suspected patients in the outpatients. Methods: The subjects were 94 dementia or dementia-suspected patients visiting C University hospital for the dementia test. Study instruments included Korea Mini-Mental State Examination KMMS, The Bayer-Activities of Daily Living Scale; B-ADL, Seoul-Instrumental Activities of Daily Living; S-IADL, Global Deterioration Scale; GDS, Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire; KDSQ, and underlying diseases. Results: Dementia or dementia-suspected patients were 42 by KMMSE test, 25 patients had impaired functioning of daily living by B-ADL test, 27 patients showed the presence of depression by GDS test, and 45 patients showed impaired functioning of daily living. There was a statistically significant difference in the subjective recognition on oral health conditions. There was a statistically significant difference in the subjective recognition on oral health conditions by ADL. There was a positive correlation between the cognitive function and ADL performance. Higher cognitive function is proportional to ADL performance. Conclusions: The cognitive function was closely associated with ADL and subjective oral health conditions.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.285-292
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• 2018

Background: Long-term levodopa therapy relieves the motor dysfunction associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), but has various effects on non-motor symptoms, including cognitive dysfunction, hallucinations, and affective disorders, and can exacerbate certain aspects of dementia-like cognitive dysfunction. Here, we investigated the relationship between levodopa treatment and development of dementia in patients with PD. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 76 consecutive patients with PD who had taken levodopa between 2011 and 2015. The participants were initially free of dementia and had initial daily levodopa doses of below 600 mg. Patients who did and did not develop comorbid dementia were compared in terms of potential predictor variables, including PD onset age, sex, levodopa doses, and non-dementia comorbidities. Results: Of the 76 patients, 21 (27.6%) developed dementia, which was followed by hallucinations and insomnia. The independent predictors of incident dementia were PD onset age and second-year and third-year average levodopa doses that were higher than the first-year average levodopa dose. Patients who developed dementia had significantly higher average daily levodopa doses and levodopa dose increases over the 6-year treatment period than those who did not develop dementia. In addition, patients with higher levodopa doses were more likely to experience hallucinations. Conclusion: These results suggest that increases in levodopa doses may be associated with a greater risk of cognitive impairment in patients with PD. Therefore, motor and cognitive functions and levodopa dose increases should be evaluated regularly during long-term levodopa therapy in patients with PD.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.1373-1384
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• 2019

This study is a descriptive research to analyze the factors affecting the care burden of dementia patients in the community. The data was collected from 223 dementia patients in the community for 10 days from November 30 to December 9, 2018. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in caring burden according to demographic characteristics according to the age group of the main caregivers, the relationship with dementia patients, the duration of caring for dementia patients, and the difficulty of caring for dementia patients. Had a negative correlation with dementia knowledge(r=-.145, p=.030). The factors affecting the care burden of dementia patients were as follows: dementia care period(β=.408, p=.006), difficulty in caring for dementia patients(β=-.307, p=.023), relationship with dementia patients(β=-.299, p=.013), and age group of primary caregivers of dementia patients(β=-.265, p=.007). Therefore, in order to alleviate the burden of caring for dementia patients in the community, a practical and continuous care intervention program is needed

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.141-151
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• 1997

As concerns about dementia patients increase gradually in society, the nursing of them becomes more and more important. For intervening in dementia patients effectively, the most fundamental thing is to understand their characteristics and to increase the ability of assessing them. The assessment data supply us with the foundations of Nursing diagnosis and nursing plan. The reaseons why the assessment data are especially important to dementia patients are as follows; First, dementia patients have great differences among them in intellectual, physical ability. And their condition varies from time to time. Second, the intervention without planning results in the deficiency of consistence, and it rather embarrasses and makes dementia patients uneasy. Third, nursing of dementia patients requires participation of multi-disciplinary team because of characteristics of that disease. The development of an unitary assessment tool is essential for all members of the team to have close relations between them and care for dementia patients. Fully understanding the importance of assessment data, this study investigate the content to be included in the assessment before developing assessment tools to be used in community. It points out that the assessment should include the informations about patients, their family, and main care-giver. And it sets up items that can supply with detailed information on each person. In the future it is necessary to transform the contents of this study to more concrete items and develope the assessment tools for dementia patients. And recording paper for follow up should be supplemented to check any changes in family caring for dementia patients and describe the changes in detail. To make assessment tools is one of the fundamental works in controlling dementia patients. Therefore the official assessment tools should be provided as soon as possible. This study aimed at presenting the guiding principles for developing that assessment tools.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.386-391
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• 2012

The purposes of this study were to investigate the difference on activities of daily living(ADL), instrumental activities daily of living(IADL) and quality of life of aged woman with dementia reported by aged woman with dementia and caregivers. From December 2009 to February 2010, 64 subjects in the institutionalized aged woman with dementia, 22 caregivers were surveyed through structured questionnaires. There was no difference ADL and quality of life of aged woman with dementia reported by aged woman with dementia and caregivers. But, there was significant differences in IADL. Also, ADL was positively related to IADL in aged woman with dementia and caregivers. ADL and IADL were negatively related to quality of life in aged woman with dementia and caregivers. In daily activity and life quality, there is no difference recognized by aged woman with dementia and caregivers. So it's not matter for the nursery to recognize the demand of the aged woman with dementia and to care them. It is necessary to study the elderly with dementia at home, and to compare the patients in accordance with severity.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.34-42
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• 2022

This study is a cross-sectional survey study aimed at collecting basic data for the development of a program to cultivate a positive attitude toward dementia among people caring for dementia patients. For this study, data were collected from March 1 to March 7, 2022 as a structured questionnaire, and 232 study participants were in their 20s to 60s. The collected data were derived from chi-square test, t-test, and simple regression analysis using the spss 18.0 program. As a result of the analysis, women had higher treatment knowledge for dementia than men, men had higher attitudes toward dementia than women (p<0.01), and people living with dementia patients had higher attitudes than those who gave birth (p<0.01). Attitudes toward dementia were more positive in the family than those with dementia patients (p<0.01). Dementia-related knowledge consists of disease knowledge, treatment knowledge, and nursing knowledge, of which only positive dementia attitude affects dementia treatment knowledge (t=5.29, p<0.01). Based on these results, it is suggested that the provision of accurate knowledge about dementia treatment should be planned first as a nursing program for dementia patients.