• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.276-285
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand levels of both mental health literacy of depression and intention of help-seeking, and then to identify the relationship of them in Korean older adults. Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional survey were 395 persons over 65 years old receiving customized home visiting health care services at Chungnam province. Data were collected through interviews by visiting nurses in 2011. Results: The proportion of participants with depression was 61.8% ($6.7{\pm}3.6$). 78.2% of subjects appeared to have help-seeking intention for solving depression. The proportions of participants with ability to recognize depression was 69.1%. Although the level about knowledge and belief in self-help interventions were varied according to questionnaires, subjects understood self-help intervention of smoking accurately (86.3%) and physical activity (85.5%). Ability to recognize depression, knowledge and belief about self-help managements, and opinion of medication for treatment among health literacy variables measured in this study were related to help-seeking intention. In addition, women, visual impairment, and lower depression scores were related to help-seeking intention. Conclusion: Results demonstrate that it is necessary to improve depression health literacy to manage effectively depression of vulnerable elderly in communities. These results could be used in developing mental health literacy programs.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.36-50
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• 2009

Korean Government had performed three pilot programs to introduce the long term care insurance system. Persons aged 65 or older who are dependent on others for daily living could use long term care services in the pilot program. The long-term care insurance covered nursing home services, home care services and cash benefits. The cash benefits are included that for elderly at home and for patients in geriatric hospital. This study investigated whether there had been any change in the medical care utilization according to cash benefits for geriatric hospitalization. This study used National Health Insurance claims and Long term Care Insurance claims 2003 through 2006. Data were composed of subjects who undertook both insurance coverage. The subjects was divided into two groups. Case group included participants with the cash benefits of geriatric hospitalization. Control group included persons without the cash benefits selected by random sampling according to the distribution of case group. This study showed that the amount of medical care utilization of the case group is more significantly increased than the control group after adjusted their health condition and functional condition. This result will be helpful for making decisions on whether the cash benefit of geriatric hospitalization can be introduced into long term care insurance system.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing quality of life of caregivers using day care services. Methods: Data were collected from 14 different day care services in D city, with a total of 146 female caregivers as participants. All participants were at home caregivers whose patients were senior citizens older than 65. Data were collected from September 1 to 30 of 2008 and analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression. Results: Quality of life among caregivers of day care services differed significantly according to state of health, other caregivers, job, and family income. Quality of life among caregivers showed correlation with caregiving burden. The significant predictors affecting quality of life were state of health, other caregivers, job, and family income and caregiving burden. A combination of these predictors accounted for 43.5% of the variance in quality of life. Conclusion: These findings show that quality of life of family caregivers using day care services is influenced by caregiving burden. Development of day care service programs is necessary in order to reduce caregiving burden of family caregivers for the elderly.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.13-29
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to describe about elders with dementia, their families, and their living environment by visiting the households where demented elders resided. The findings will be used as a basis to develop future individualized adjustment programs for demented elders and their families living in communities. The study participants were 64 demented elders and their families who were registered to a dementia counseling center at Nam-Gu community health center located in Inchon, Korea. Data were collected for two months, from May to June 2001. The length of data collection for each home visit ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Conclusion are as follows based on these study findings: Those demented elders had more than one chronic health problem in addition to their pre-existing dementia condition. Two thirds of the demented elders were not receiving any specific treatment for dementia. They showed a moderate level of independence in basic ADL, but were mostly residing at home because of lack of ability to perform more delicate and complicate routine daily activities by themselves. In addition, the primary caregivers were not well adjusted to the care-giving activities for their demented family members due to the lack of knowledge and information about dementia. The caregivers were mostly women including daughters-in-law, woman spouses and daughters, over a half of whom perceived their physical and mental health status as poor. Their image toward the demented elders was considerably negative. while their level of knowledge on dementia was moderate. The burden for the care-giving was high, whereas their coping method was passive. As the difference in image toward elderly before and after the onset of dementia in their family member increases, the caregiver burden also increased. The main resource of social support for the caregivers was their children. The caregivers showed high level of needs for knowledge and information on dementia, and day care service was the most preferred type of service by the caregivers. There was lack of safety in the living environments for the demented elders and their families, and in the surrounding environments to prevent dementia-related symptoms. Considering that home-based family care-giving is the most culturally appropriate model of providing care for the demented elders in Korea, we need to develop and apply an individualized adjustment program for the demented elders and their families.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.95-105
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• 1996

This study was uncertaken to find an effective management modality for patients with hypertension. Patients 60years or older were selected for this purpose from a general hospital and a welfare center in Pusan and from a public health clinic in Cheju Island. During the month of October in 1984. the management modality for hypertension. the incurred medical expenses. and knowledge about the hypertension were analyzed and compared. The following results were obtained: 1. The a erage total medical expense per year was highest at the general hospital followed by the public health clinic and the welfare center. 2. It was found that the patients chose the public health clinic for its low medical cost. the welfare center for its proximity as well as for its low medical cost. and the general hospital for its quality medical services Also. the study has shown that the prescription of drugs was the major service provided by the public health clinic whereas the blood pressure measurement. the prescription of drugs. and family planning were the primary service offered by the welfare center. Drug prescription and blood pressure measurement were two of the most important services by the general hospital. 3. It was shown that the knowledge of hypertension was highnest at the welfare center whereas the management of hypertension was highest at the public health clinic. Based on above results and considering the chronic nature. it is believed that family awareness of the illness was one of the most important aspects for effective management of the hypertension for the elderly patients. In addition. the health care clinics at every level should come forward to execition of the educational programs and home nursing schomes for the effective management of the hypertension patients.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.425-440
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to understand the ability of the elderly to activity of daily living, assess their quality of sleep and level of depression at home and analyze how such relate health related quality of life. The subject was 223 senior over 65 years old who lived in B Metropolitan City. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation and stepwise multiple regression were performed using SPSS WIN 14.0. The major findings of this study are as follow: 1) 34.1% of the respondents experienced a degree of sleep disorder and 57.8% were vulnerable to depression. 2) Activity of daily living, quality of sleep and depression were related to health related quality of life to a statistically significant degree. quality of sleep, activity of daily living positively related to health related quality of life. level of depression related to health related quality of life. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed the most powerful predictor of health related quality of life was depression. While age, level of education and quality of sleep were also found as significant predictor variables. Based on these results, it is necessary to perform more studies on health related quality of life and related factors according to that in various settings. Especially, to develop a program intended to improve the health related quality of life of the elderly at home, we need to consider not only physical factors but also psychological factors.

• CELLMED
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.12.1-12.4
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to suggest that compassion is used as a mechanism to improve immunity by activating people's parasympathetic nerves. Compassion is pity and heartbreak for the misfortune of others. The instinctive emotion of compassion is the basis for humans to achieve and develop society. This is also linked to the laws of nature and the factors of evolution that Kropotkin, famous for his "mutual assistance (mutualism)" that all things help each other. Compassion is an individual's instinctive emotion and at the same time a driving force for forming and developing society. If the Hopeful World (希望世上) performs Korean traditional music healing at a nursing home, first, it will have a positive healing effect on the elderly in the nursing home, who are the audience. Second, positive healing effects can also be expected from performers. The stronger the compassion, the greater the healing effect. Third, people who watch the performance also enjoy the healing effect. This seems to have brought about a synergistic effect by combining the feelings felt while looking at the excellent behavior felt by seeing the poor person. It seems that this effect can be named the compassion effect that developed the Mother Teresa effect. The Mother Teresa effect refers to a significant improvement in the body's immune function just by volunteering or seeing good things. By expanding this Mother Teresa effect, it can be inferred that a pitying heart, helping behavior, and being with good behavior will all help improve the human immune system. This can also be called the compassion effect. Therefore, we think having compassion activates the parasympathetic nerves, improving your mood, and increasing your immunity.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.128-137
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was performed to identify the effects of oriental herbal tea on the brain function elders at the day care center and the nursing home. Methods: This study used a pre-post quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group. Total 38 of elderly population (20 of experimental group and 18 of control group) was recruited. 100 mL of a type of oriental herbal tea developed for purpose of this study was given to each subject 3 times a day for 30 days (from May to Jun 2013). The brain function quotient was used to measure brain function. The data were analyzed by SPSS/WIN 18.0. Results: After drinking the oriental herbal tea, more significant improvement on attention quotient (AQ), anti-stress quotient (ASQ), emotion quotient (EQ) and brain quotient (BQ) were found in the experimental group than control group. Conclusion: This study shows that oriental herbal tea can be a health promotion option in elders. Therefore the tea can be utilized as an effective intervention for the health of elders in health facilities.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.766-779
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the burden on families who live with an elderly person suffering from senile dementia, and the degree of their depression. There were 400 participants in this study, staying in the Seoul and Kyonggi areas from August 1, 1997 to February 28, 1998. Among the group, 100 participants took care of their patient at home, and another 300 participants left 100 patient at a day-care center, 100 sanatorium for senile dementia(asylum for helpless elderly people), 100 an infirmary for elderly people. Eventually 242 subjects out of the 400 were selected for the data analysis. The Zarit (1980) tool was employed to measure the degree of burden and Zung's(1965) “Self-Rating Depression Scale” was employed for the data analysis. The data was analyzed, and the percentage, t-test, ANOVA and Person's Correlation Coefficient were calculated. The results are as follows : 1. The average degree of burden that care-giving families felt was 49.13, which is somewhat high. 2. The average degree of depression that care -giving families felt was 51.95, which is relatively high. 3. The degree of burden was directly affected by the relation with the patient(F＝2.48, P＜.05), and the socio-economic status of the family(F＝5.17, P＜.05). Its also affected by the patient's educational status(F＝2.17, P＜.05). 4. The degree of depression of the family was significantly dependent on sex(t＝-2.05, P＜.05), age (F＝2.99, P＜.05), the relationship with the patient(F＝3.65, P＜.01), socio-economic status (F＝7.74, P＜.001), occupation(t＝2.82, P＜.01), health status(F＝4.42, P＜.01), and the place of residence(F＝4.30, P＜.01), The patient characteristics was significantly dependent on his/her educational status(F＝3.85, P＜.01), the period of suffering from senile dementia(F＝2.47, P＜.05), and smoking habit(F＝6.17, P＜.001). 5. The relationship between the degree of burden and that of depression reads r＝0.43, which is statistically positive correlation in the high significant level. Upon analyzing the entire summation, most care-givers for elderly patients suffering from senile dementia lack time in caring for themselves. They also experience chronic fatigue and mental discomfort caused by the isolation from society, curtailment of certain activities, a sense of responsibility for their patients, and limits of their endurance in taking care of their patients over time. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the necessity for the following propositions : 1. In order to measure the degree of burden that Korean care-giving families undergo, a new tool must be developed on the basis of Korean culture. 2. An educational program based on the demands that care-giving families undergo must be developed, and its clinical effect also has to be examined.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.397-406
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• 2022

This study is an experimental study on the single group pre-post test design for the effects of the exercise program combined with telephone coaching on postural balance, grip strength and depression of the elderly living alone. The subjects of this study were 20 elderly living alone who registered at a senior welfare center located in S City, Gyeonggi-do. A total of 12 session programs were applied from July 3 to October 14, 2021. Before and after the program, the participant's home was visited and 4 stage standing balance test(4 SBT), grip strength and depression were measured. The contents of the intervention consisted of elastic bands and grip balls, and weekly telephone coaching interventions were provided. In the result of this study, the exercise program combined with telephone coaching were statistically significant differences in 4 SBT(3stage)(t=-2.37, p=.029), 4 SBT(4stage)(t=-2.46, p=.024), right grip strength(t=-2.18. p=.042) and depression(t=2.82, p<.001). Therefore, it is expected that the exercise program combined with telephone coaching can be applied as a nursing intervention to improve postural balance, grip strength and reduce depression in the elderly living alone in the community.