• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.56 no.5
• /
• pp.440-448
• /
• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess predictors of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elderly Asian American and non-Hispanic White cancer survivors. Methods: We conducted cross-sectional secondary data analyses using the combined datasets from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program and the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey. Results: Elderly Asian American cancer survivors reported a lower mental HRQoL but a comparable physical HRQoL relative to elderly non-Hispanic White cancer survivors. Stress factors, such as comorbidities, difficulties with activities of daily living, and a history of depressive symptoms, along with coping resources like self-rated health and the ability to take the survey in English, were significantly associated with mental and physical HRQoL. Among elderly Asian American cancer survivors, a significantly lower mental HRQoL was observed among those taking the survey in the Chinese language. Conclusions: The findings suggest that race exerts a differential impact on HRQoL. Interventions should be designed to address the distinct cultural, linguistic, and systemic needs of elderly Asian American cancer survivors. Such an approach could assist in reducing cancer-related health disparities.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.420-424
• /
• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTS: When the functions involved in the ingestion of food occurs failure, not only loss of enjoyment of eating, it will be faced with protein-energy malnutrition. Dysmasesis and difficulty of swallowing occurs in various diseases, but it may be a major cause of aging, and elderly people with authoring and dysmasesis and difficulty of swallowing in the aging society is expected to increase rapidly. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this study, we carried out a survey targeting nutritionists who work in elderly care facilities, and examined characteristics of offering of foods for elderly and the degree of demand of development of easily chewable and swallowable foods for the elderly who can crush foods and take that by their own tongues, and sometimes have difficulty in drinking water and tea. RESULTS: In elderly care facilities, it was found to provide a finely chopped food or ground food that was ground with water in a blender for elderly with dysmasesis. Elderly satisfaction of provided foods is appeared overall low. Results of investigating the applicability of foods for elderly and the reflection will of menus, were showed the highest response rate in a gelification method in molecular gastronomic science technics, and results of investigating the frequent food of the elderly; representative menu of beef, pork, white fish, anchovies and spinach, were showed Korean barbecue beef, hot pepper paste stir fried pork, pan fried white fish, stir fried anchovy, seasoned spinach were the highest offer frequency. CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide the fundamentals of the development of easily chewable and swallowable foods, gelification, for the elderly. The study will also illustrate that, in the elderly, food undergone gelification will reduce the risk of swallowing down to the wrong pipe and improve overall food preference.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.37 no.5
• /
• pp.62-73
• /
• 2022

This study investigates the working conditions of shift workers according to age group by analyzing the sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey's data. A total of 1,323 shift workers were extracted from the dataset. Three age groups (A: 20s-30s, B: 40s-50s, C: 60s and above) were statistically compared in terms of health problems, emotional hazard exposure, work-life imbalance, and satisfaction with working conditions. Elderly shift workers (those in their 60s and above) had significantly more severe health problems and work-life imbalance, greater exposure to emotional hazards, and lower satisfaction with working conditions than young shift workers (those in their 20s-50s). The study's findings reveal the characteristics of working conditions for elderly shift workers and would be useful for improving shift workers' quality of life, as well as safety and productivity in the workplace.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.43-50
• /
• 2016

Purpose: It is well known that old age is a risk factor for postoperative complications. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the risk factors for poor postoperative surgical outcomes in elderly gastric cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Between January 2006 and December 2015, 247 elderly gastric cancer patients who underwent curative gastrectomy were reviewed. In this study, an elderly patient was defined as a patient aged ${\geq}65$ years. All possible variables were used to explore the risk factors for poor early surgical outcomes in elderly gastric cancer patients. Results: Based on multivariate analyses of preoperative risk factors, preoperative low serum albumin level (<3.5 g/dl) and male sex showed statistical significance in predicting severe postoperative complications. Additionally, in an analysis of surgery-related risk factors, total gastrectomy was a risk factor for severe postoperative complications. Conclusions: Our study findings suggest that low serum albumin level, male sex, and total gastrectomy could be risk factors of severe postoperative complications in elderly gastric cancer patients. Therefore, surgeons should work carefully in cases of elderly gastric cancer patients with low preoperative serum albumin level and male sex. We believe that efforts should be made to avoid total gastrectomy in elderly gastric cancer patients.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.233-242
• /
• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to verify influencing factors affecting service quality provided by caregivers working for the elderly with dementia. Methods: Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire from 214 caregivers in a long-term care facility in D city. The data were analyzed with service quality, dementia knowledge, work value, and job performance confidence. For data analysis, the descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression were performed using SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. Results: There were significant differences in service quality depending on the health status. Factors influencing service quality were work value, and job performance confidence with R² value of 38%. The highly influencing factors were work value, and job performance confidence. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the effort to improve the service quality of caregivers should focus on work value and job performance confidence.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.3-20
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study was diagnosed to grasp the needs for the elderly-elderly care activity in rural areas. The research was conducted in questions and case studies in 7 farming villages. The major findings of this study as follows: First, the senior citizens in rural areas were not in good health, and the illnesses were revealed to be arthritis, high blood pressure, and diabetes. At the occurrence of an illness, they complained about the discomfort in doing daily life routines and expected eir spouses or offsprings to te care of them. Elders in the rural community responded that they had difficulty and financial problems in family maintenance. Leisure activities included watching TV, playing card/board games, or spending time without any specific activities. Second, recipients of elderly-elderly care expected to receive services from a woman in her 50s $1{\sim}2$ hours, once to twice a week. Third, the service providers wanted to be elderly-elderly care takers, hoping to work once a week for $2{\sim}3$ hours. They wanted the education for the elderly-elderly care to be once a week for 3 hours, with understanding the elderly, consultation, preventing senile dementia, and health as the contents.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.79-88
• /
• 2019

Purpose: This study was conducted to understand the client relationship experience of the physical therapists working at elderly care facilities and to lay the foundation for finding the identity of physical therapists. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted on eight incumbent physical therapists who had experienced working in elderly care facilities for at least one year. Data collection was conducted between June and September 2017, and the interview took an hour to an hour and a half to complete. After an in-depth interview, it was arranged as a file and analyzed according to the four steps of the phenomenological research method of the Giorgi. Results: Data were collected and analyzed; 19 categories, 6 themes and 5 domains were derived. Six themes were presented according to the 5 domains; the subject of relationships included 'diversity elderly'; context of relationships included 'the world of elderly nursing homes I did not know'; influence of relationships included 'the physical therapist is heartbroken because of the tormenting elderly'; condition of relationships included 'a reality that is tied to work'; aspects of relationships included 'how to reestablishing relationships with the elderly' and 'recognized and identified as a physical therapist'. Conclusion: This study shows that physical therapists working in elderly care facilities generally tend to fulfill their responsibilities and interact with clients; we found that identity of physical therapists was primarily defined by relationship experiences with patients.

• International Journal of Contents
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.7-11
• /
• 2018

Digital technology has been changing everyday life of ordinary people let alone the structure of world industry. The elderly care service is also going through changes influenced by the unavoidable impact from torrents of digital technologies. There are numerous reports and news about the digital technologies increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of care service yet lacking systematic understanding of the sources of such improvement. This study aims to present a new classification framework for digital elderly care service innovation to fully utilize the power of digital technologies drawing on insights from innovation studies and service studies. First, 4 features of digital technologies are identified as sources of new value in service innovation. The co-creation of value by users and producers in service and technology development is discussed to illuminate users' contributions to service innovation. Communication of needs and ideas with producers and application of new technologies into everyday practice of life are identified as the source of new value which can be attributed to the elderly. Customization along with efficiency gains is the key to digital elderly care service innovation. The classification framework, thus, incorporates the needs of the elderly as one axis of criteria in the conventional technology-centered framework. The new classification framework would help give due weight to user-driven or demand-driven innovation in the elderly care service R&D activities.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.59 no.3
• /
• pp.175-199
• /
• 2007

The study analyzes the characteristics, work stress, satisfaction and attitudes toward dementia of social care work force for dependent elders in Korea. Data were from 502 staffs including social workers, nurses, and direct care workers from 45 diverse type of nursing facilities in Busan and Daegu area. The results of the analysis indicate that they are low paid and overloaded in general. The respondents espoused highly hopeful and person-centered attitudes toward dementia and the elderly, while they showed low level of satisfaction related to work. The stress levels were higher in sub scales concerning care tasks and physical environments in work places. In addition, the results of multiple regression denote that those have higher level of satisfaction who are nurses, have no intension to quit, have more experiences of work education, and working in facilities with more frail elders. Stresses were closely related to higher level of education and the intension to quit. Person centered attitude was more often reported by those who have more elderly clients to take care of and are working in facilities with more elders who are demented and over 80. In particular, the association was consistent between higher level of job satisfaction and the person centered attitude. Several practical suggestions linked to the analysis were made including improving the welfare for staffs working in nursing facilities and providing continuous professional training and education for them particularly on person-centered care. In addition, it was emphasized to raise the morale of social care work force considering the rapidly increasing need of long term care and the important influence that care work force has on older persons' quality of life from now on.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.20 no.9
• /
• pp.459-464
• /
• 2019

This study examined the relationship between resilience, emotional work, and attitudes toward caregivers caring for the elderly. Data collection was conducted from November 01, 2018 to December 31, 2018. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS Win 21.0 program. The attitudes toward caring for geriatric subjects were $3.56{\pm}.90points$ out of 5, $3.23{\pm}.74points$ out of 5 for emotional work, and $3.94{\pm}.40points$ out of 5 for resilience. The attitudes toward caring for geriatric patients were related to resilience (r= .294, p<.001). Resilience (${\beta}=.360$, p= .002) and work type (${\beta}=-.282$, p= .001) had a significant effect on the attitudes toward caring for the elderly (F=7.5355, p<.001). The explanatory power of these variables was 15.6%. The results of this study suggest that interventions may be necessary to improve the attitudes of the caregiver toward caring for the elderly.