• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.380-391
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• 1998

This study was conducted to develop a theoretical model for the determinants of activities of daily living in Korean rural elderly people. The theoretical model was derived from Lawton's Ecological Model to explain human behavior. The model includes determinant variables for functional status such as age, sex, physical status, cognitive status, physical environment, social environment, and depression. Data for this study was collected from 189 elderly people in a rural district near Chonju City. The data was analyzed with SPSS PC/sup +/4.1 and LISREL 8. The analysis of the data showed that the first proposed theoretical model did not fit the collected data well. In order to increase the fit of the model to the data, the model was modified by deleting the exogenous variables of sex, physical environment, and social environment. The fit of the modified model to the data was increased and was move suitable. The results of this study show that the determinants of the activities of Korean rural elderly people were age, perceived physical condition, cognitive status, and depressional status. Age has a significant direct and indirect effect on the activities of daily living of rural elderly people. Perceived physical condition has a significant indirect effect through depression on activities of daily living. Cognitive status also has a significant indirect effect through depression on functional status. Depression has a significant direct effect on the functional status. Physical environment and social environment showed reversal relationships to functional status. In conclusion, the results of this study show that personal characteristic factors are more important than environmental characteristic factors for functional status of elderly people. However, the importance of depression to functional status in Korean rural elderly people and the reverse relationship between social environment and functional status, reflect Korean specificity. Korean nursing needs to focus more on this Korean specificity in order to develop nursing knowledge and practice appropriate to Korean people.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.111-123
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• 2015

This study aims to suggest 'an eco-friendly residential housing design guideline as an elderly housing alternative' by mixing the concept of a 'senior citizen community' housing environment with the concept of an 'eco-friendly' housing environment, based on the directivity of an elderly housing alternative for surviving in a super-aged society and the directivity of a sustainable housing environment for providing against global warming. Basically, this study considered the directivity of 'an eco-friendly residential building as an elderly housing alternative' by analyzing housing environment elements and elements to be considered in an elderly housing environment and setting the directivity of an elderly housing environment, which reflects the change in the design paradigm. In relation to the concept of universal design, for considering the perspective of elderly users, existing elements were compared and major planning elements were applied to the scope of complex planning, communal space and housing unit space. In relation to the concept of eco-friendly design, also, a guideline was re-organized and planning elements were applied to each category by comparing domestic and foreign green building certification systems. Based on domestic and foreign authorized guidelines of universal design and green building certification systems, this study was focused on suggesting an eco-friendly residential housing design guideline as an elderly housing alternative to make users perceive the need for a specific indoor environment design guideline and system.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.53-66
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• 2003

This study was performed to assess the perception and need for the elderly meal service program of the Korean elderly. The purpose of this study was to assess the dietary environment factors which are related to the perception and need for such service. Subjects of this study were 800 elderly persons of whom responses were received from 769(male: 26, female: 543) aged over 60 years. Their mean age was 7.51 $\pm$8.1 years. Seventy two point two percent of them lived with their family and 54.5% of them were supported economically by their children. Among their meal management behaviors, food purchasing was hard to perform and the most aid-needed activity. In their dietary environment, 47.1% of them were supported by their children. The percent of the subjects who were aware of the elderly meal service program was 48.4%. Men were more aware of the meal service program than women(p<0.01). Elderly who were supported by government were more aware of this service than others. Elderly who were in poor dietary environment, were less affluent or had trouble preparing meals expressed better perception this service than others (p<0.05). Those who requested meal services had poor dietary environment than those who did not (p<0.001). The elderly who were younger, with higher income, and lived with a spouse had more demand for home delivered meal service. This study showed that the poorer the greater desire for meal services. Therefore, the need for urgent improvement and expansion of meal services for elderly is suggested by this study.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2023

Purpose: We investigated the association between empathy for the elderly, the nursing work environment, person-centered care, and geriatric nursing practice among university hospital nurses and factors that affect geriatric nursing practice. Method: We administered questionnaires to 178 nurses between May 23 and June 21, 2022 at a university hospital in city D. We used descriptive statistics, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, the scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression analysis for data analysis. Results: We observed a statistically significant positive correlation between nurses' geriatric nursing practice and empathy for the elderly, the nursing work environment, and person-centered care. Empathy for the elderly was positively correlated with the nursing work environment and person-centered care, and the nursing work environment showed a statistically significant positive correlation with person-centered care. Empathy for the elderly and the nursing work environment significantly affected geriatric nursing practice. The overall explanatory power of the regression model was 33.4%. Conclusion: Greater awareness and implementation of various educational programs that promote empathy for the elderly are necessary to improve nursing care for the elderly population. Furthermore, adequate manpower and material support are important to improve the nursing work environment among nurses employed at university hospitals.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.21-29
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• 2008

To investigate the actual conditions on the living environment of group-homes for the elderly and their living environment, 4 group-homes were surveyed. As the results, conditions of location for the group-home of the elderly looked positive, on the other hand, safety for criminal prevention, accessability and convenient facilities were not on level satisfied. The average area of each space in the group-home indicated that the bed room was $11.21\;m^2$, the living room $28.13\;m^2$, the kitchen $23.59\;m^2$, and the bath room had an integrated type of bath room and toilet $7.63\;m^2$. The physical environments of each space in the group-home were investigated, In bed room, door, windows and illumination were relatively good but safety was extremely inferior. Living room mostly looked good except the doorsill which needs refurbishment. In kitchen, cooking table, windows, illumination, ventilator were somewhat satisfactory but gas-warning device should have been installed. In addition, in bath room and toilet, location, door, window, illumination and finished material were satisfactory. But the stepped difference between the bath room and other space, safety-bar, emergency bell and floor heating system were seriously deteriorated and must be improved for the safety of the elderly. Conclusively, living environment of group-home for the elderly is mainly satisfactory but it was necessary to take a consideration for their safety.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.141-153
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• 2009

This study is focused on the residential spaces that the elderly wish to renovate and their willingness to improve residential environment as they grow old. The analysis shows, first, the most inconvenient places as they grow old are the stairs, following by the toilet and the bath. Second, the place that the elderly most wish to renovate is the floor, upgrading floors with non-slippery materials. And they wish to remove the height differences on the floor to protect them from tripping over, upgrade the floor plan for their convenience and renovate the storage and working spaces at the kitchen and dining areas. The more the government supports the costs of the residential renovation service, the more the elderly are willing to use the renovation service. The factors influencing their willingness to residential renovation are health, residential environment, experience to accidents and their allowances. The elderly who experienced accidents inside their residence are more willing to renovate their house. Even though the elderly wish to renovate their houses, it's not carried out due to the financial difficulties and the lack of information. Thus, the government should share the useful information about residential renovation for the safety of the elderly and find a way to raise money to cover the costs of the renovation.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.81-89
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• 2010

This study focuses on a concrete understanding of the characteristics of perceptions and needs about healthy housing of the elderly, who represent the most vulnerable group of people in society, on the four evaluation dimensions of healthy housing as part of the research for evaluation indicators development for housing health performance in apartments. First, it was found that the elderly perceive an environment where their physical health is well supported as the most important factor for healthy housing. Additionally, the management support of the housing was perceived as the second most important consideration. Second, the most frequently used area for the elderly is the living room and a desired place to be added to indoor spaces was a room of their own or a 'living room', which clearly indicates the importance of the indoor environment for the elderly. Third, the biggest factor for the interior environment that affected the satisfaction level of the elderly in their housing was largely based on the convenience factor that helped lesson the discomfort in their daily life due to the physical aging process, and also on factors related to the pleasant indoor surroundings. Based on the concepts discovered in this study on healthy housing, more concrete items should be developed in the future for an extensive indicator for health performance evaluation, and actual research on the general public should follow suit.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.152-161
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• 2024

Although hearing loss in the elderly is one of the common symptoms of aging, as the aging population continues to grow, policies such as home care and welfare housing for the elderly are implemented with a focus on mobility, often overlooking the issue of hearing loss in the elderly. In this study, our aim is to enhance the quality of life for the elderly by improving the auditory environment within residential spaces, which plays a pivotal role in determining their overall well-being. We have proposed a technique that focuses on reducing reverberation, minimizing noise levels, and enhancing sound quality to improve the listening environment for the elderly, and we have verified its effectiveness. Building upon this, we have developed an acoustic design model for residential facilities catering to elderly home care.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.296-308
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• 2022

In the COVID-19 crisis, the elderly over 60 have various psychological health problems such as depression, anxiety, and fear, and the community has become the only space for senior activities. To this end, this study presented a therapeutic aging-friendly community environmental design evaluation system using theoretical review, FGI interview, and hierarchical analysis AHP. The evaluation system is a three-dimensional space, with 10 upper layers and 68 lower layers. In addition, the weight of each index of the evaluation system was distributed through expert survey and SPSS program analysis. First, the material space environment design must satisfy the comfort and health of the elderly when they are active in a common space for their daily life. Second, the design of social space environment is designed to promote exchange and social connection among the elderly. Third, the operating space environment design considers the operating system of the community operating company as important. Through this, it is expected to improve the psychological health of the elderly by providing systematic technical basis and action guidelines for the development of the residential environment of the elderly.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.49-59
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• 2015

Purpose - This purpose of this research is to verify the influence of the care workers' environment on their job satisfaction and on their voluntary behavior. Research design, data, and methodology - Data were collected from care workers at elderly medical and home care facilities in Korea in Seoul and Kyung-ki. Of 367 total respondents, 285 responses were used. This study performed exploratory factor analysis in order to verify the validity and credibility of the data. Regression analysis was conducted to verify the influence of the working environment, which encompasses the worker's relationship with the agency and with the elderly, on job satisfaction. Results - The hypothesis results were: First, from analyzing the influence of the working environment on the worker's job satisfaction, both relationship with the agency (p<.001) and relationship with the elderly (p<.05) positively affect job satisfaction; second, the exploratory analysis verifies the influence or the working environment on job satisfaction. Conclusions - The results indicate that the relationship with the agency (p<.001) and relationship with the elderly (p<.001) both positively affect the voluntary behavior of the workers.