• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.99-106
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• 2004

This study attempts to provide the fundamental materials for space program in terms of planning a senior welfare center by means of examining and analyzing the present conditions of spatial arrangement of each section in senior welfare center for the aged. The results of the study are as in the following. 1) The demand for new service programs corresponding to the improved quality of the elderly and various social desires is relatively on the increase. Each program in senior welfare center for the elderly should be connected in an organic manner and the organization of space should be provided. 2) The section of counseling, the first step when using a welfare center, should be located in the entrance of the building and it has to be closely connected with other section. 3) The section of medical rehabilitation is a place mostly for the elderly in their frail physical condition; therefore, it is effective to use horizontal line. 4) It is important for the room for volunteers in the section for domiciliary welfare to be arranged flexibly with the office or the room for social education, and it is necessary to consider how easy daytime or short-term care is accessible. 5) The space where dynamic programs are progressed in the section of social education should be distinguished from the section of medical rehabilitation or the room for daytime care and the room for short-term care of the section of domiciliary welfare.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.1247-1263
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• 2011

The rapidly aging society entails the increases of medical service utilizations among the elderly. Medical services utilized by the elderly influence their life satisfaction. However, little is known about the effects of medical service utilizations on life satisfaction. Much less is known about whether the effects of medical service utilizations on life satisfaction tend to vary by the presence of chronic health conditions. Including 3,944 individuals aged 65 and over who participated in the 3rd wave of Korean Welfare Panel Study, the current study aims to examine (1) the relationships between medical service utilizations and life satisfaction and (2) whether the effects of medical service utilizations on life satisfaction vary by the presence of chronic health conditions. Data were processed through structural equation modeling(SEM) and multi-group SEM. Results indicate that (1) levels of both outpatient and inpatient service utilizations are related to life satisfaction, whereas levels of health monitoring service utilizations are not and (2) the effects of medical service utilizations varied by the chronic health condition status of the elderly. These results indicate that, in order to enhance levels of life satisfaction, medical services should be strategically utilized by the elderly depending on their chronic health condition status. Based on the findings, we discussed implications for practice and policy, suggesting future research directions based on the limitations of the current study.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.57-79
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• 2019

We have been experiencing an lengthened life expectancy due to rapid industrialization, economic and medical development. In particular, the elderly population was only 5.1% of the total population in 1900s when the senior centers were established, but 30 years later, the elderly population aged 65 or older reached 6.54 million in 2015 and became 14% in 2017. There is a very meaningful correlation between service quality of the senior welfare center and the life satisfaction of the elderly, where the elderly spend their leisure time on a daily basis. Accordingly, this study tried to identify the desirable conditions that the elderly think and the difference from the desired status and the actual status to identify what information and services should be provided by senior welfare centers. Gwanak Senior Welfare Center has provided senior welfare service for local seniors for 30 years since its establishment and contributed to silver welfare policy establishment based on the accumulated experiences. In the coming era of GDP 30,000 dollars, National Pension era and average life span 100 years, the new creative silver welfare programs should be introduced such as qualitative programs rather than quantitative, programs for caring minorities, complimentary or actual expense programs, creative programs rather than passive ones, and diversity of the subjects. This study would like to present the future direction for the next 30 years.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.357-371
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aims to investigate factors related to long-term length of stay (LOS) of patients with chronic diseases in Korean veterans hospitals. Methods: The subjects were 196 elderly patients with chronic disease staying in the hospital for more than 10 days, Data were collected by the survey of patients with structured questionnaires and medical records review by nurses from July 15 to August 10, 2019. Collected data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression. Results: The present and desired LOS were 37.78±32.66 days and 60.87±45.95 days, respectively. Factors affecting hospital LOS were found to be main disease (genitourinary) (p<.001), assistance in activities of daily living (p<.001), area of hospital (p<.001), payment of medical fees (p=.026), hospital satisfaction (p=.036) and the explanatory power of these variables was 26.4%. The most common health problems that need to be solved after discharge were symptom alleviation and health promotion. These problems can be solved using community-based facility services or visiting medical-welfare services (especially home care nursing). Conclusion: In order to reduce hospital LOS, the following measures are required: personalized self-management education, provision of transportation services for dialysis therapy of inactive patients, linking patients with visiting medical-welfare services including home care nursing and mobile healthcare services, operation of the case management system including the notice of the discharge date at admission, interim check of patient status, and connecting the patient with community resources or transferring the patient to long-term care facilities at discharge.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.170-186
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• 2013

As the population is getting older, medical expenses amount of the whole is keep increasing. So, the pressure of the finances, Health Insurance, Medical Care Assistance Act and etc, is getting higher. The share of healthcare-expense is increasing due to elderly illness. And it became a social problem; we analysed present state of senior healthcare in South Korea-looked into current laws and policies, and found problems. We tried to suggest improvements that drew from the current state of foreign country senior healthcare of those problems. For the result, we found the problem in relevant-law system of senior healthcare guarantee. In this study, we proposed the ways to qualitatively upgrade of medical standard that considered on elderly' features: the strengthened guarantee for healthcare, financial secure for long-term convalescence benefit, linking and functional reinforcement for elderly welfare and long-term convalescence insurance, the solution for overlapped laws about convalescence in long-term convalescence insurance and elderly welfare, a betterment of grading, and a home service consolidation. We need to secure right amount of emergency medical service budget, and effective management system for the improved level of senior severely emergency medical service. Furthermore, we suggested that South Korea needs to legislate [The Law for Senior Medical Secure] to respond to rapidly increasing senior healthcare fee.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2006

Purpose: The objectives of this study was to measure the outcomes of interventions on the health and social welfare of the elderly in a rural community in Korea. The project involved integrating services of one public health center with that of one social welfare agency, which were under different administrative structures. Method: A single group pretest-posttest design was used for this research. Seventy-five elderly residents living alone in a rural community participated in the study. All of them had coverage of free basic medical care and social welfare services by the government. Major activities for the intervention included: developing partnerships among community leaders/institutes; forming committees of community residents; educating care providers and volunteers; developing 8 integrated service programs and instruments; and organizing the networks. The 20-month intervention was care-managed by a public health nurse whom collaborated with social worker, and was assisted by volunteers. The t-test was utilized to analyze the outcome variables including the elder's health, social welfare and quality of life. A major limitation of this study was the lack of a control group. Results: The outcome of the intervention was shown by improved elder's health, social welfare needs, and quality of life. Integrating the services of public health centers with those of social welfare agencies is an effective way to improve the health of the elderly in the community. Conclusion: Developing community capacity with such integrated services will pay an important role in improving the health of the elderly who live alone.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.263-277
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate levels of self-esteem and related variables among the elderly. The data is from the Korea Welfare Panel Study conducted in 2007. The data was gathered from 2077 elderly, over 65 years old, and was analyzed by Step multiple regression analysis. The major results were as follows. First, the overall level of self-esteem was in the middle range, with an average of 28.18 points. Second, self-esteem levels showed significant differences in terms of gender, age, education level, health, spouse, health insurance, job, monthly household expenses, national pension, assets, home ownership, satisfaction with spouse, satisfaction with leisure, satisfaction with social network, economic services, medical services, and other services. Finally, Model 1 showed meaningful influences from gender, age, education level, health, spouse, and health insurance. Model 2 showed meaningful influences from education level, health, spouse, health insurance, job, and national pension. Models 3 and 4 showed meaningful influences from education level, health, job, satisfaction of spouse, satisfaction with leisure, and satisfaction with social network. In other words, the factors that had the most significant impact on self-esteem were satisfaction.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.200-218
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• 2015

The purpose of the present study was to examine daily lives of elderly welfare recipients and their experiences with social welfare services. Researchers collected and analyzed data through individual interviews with 11 elderly welfare recipients. A major theme in the time context was "Daily lives enduring physical and mental sufferings alone and mismatches of social welfare services": 'Starting same tedious days: trading diligent work for basic living assistance', 'Forced ritual of having meals', 'Struggle with depressing night: not attentive welfare services at closing hours', 'Welfare services suspended in holidays', 'Mind and body withered by economic hardship in winter', 'Social support for enduring weary lives'. In the space context, a major themes was "Inadequate welfare services and social interaction in the context of social isolation": 'Unhygienic and unsafe living environment', 'Hiding places: spending tedious days in vacant lots', 'Community welfare centers useful only for healthy elderly', 'Differences and similarities of elderly in urban and rural areas', 'Receiving restricted medical services at hospitals', 'Hard-to-reach public institutions', 'ambivalence about living as welfare recipients'. Based on the findings, the researchers proposed implications for policy and practice to improve elderly welfare recipients' quality of life.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.159-171
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• 2016

Objectives : This study was performed to investigate the characteristics and ADL(Activities of Daily Living) associated factors of elderly inpatients in long-term care hospitals. Methods : Data were collected from the nationwide data of 'Survey of Patients (2013-2014)' administerd by the Ministry of Health & Welfare. The data included in this study consisted of 27,606 cases of elderly inpatients in long-term care hospitals. Results : The survey scores for the elderly inpatients were as follows: 57.6% 'Needed much and total help' with ADL, followed by 26.6% who 'Needed much help', and 15.8% who 'needed minimal supervision' in long-term care hospitals. The ADL score was high in the following categories: women, old age, referred visit, health insurance type, not-recovered & death, transferred, corporate hospitals, small hospital size, low number of physicians per 100 beds, and high number of nursing staff per 100 beds. The inpatients with 'diseases of the nervous system', 'diseases of the circulatory system' and 'diseases of the genitourinary system' were more likely to have high ADL scores. Conclusions : The results of this study suggest that long-term care hospitals should provide active and proper care for patients with high ADL scores and improve medical personnel training as well provide more medical care.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.480-494
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• 2023

Objectives: This study sought to assess the effectiveness of community-based nutrition counseling on improving nutritional status, managing complex chronic diseases, and enhancing the quality of life for elderly individuals with chronic conditions, particularly in older adults with high levels of food insecurity and multiple chronic illnesses. Methods: Thirty elderly subjects with diabetes and hypertension who were registered at local Senior Welfare Center received individualized nutrition counseling, based on their Nutrition Quotient for the Elderly (NQ-E) index. Over a 16-week period, they received tailored counseling and underwent various health and nutritional assessments. The final analysis included 28 participants after two dropped out. Data analysis was conducted using the SPSS v28.0. Results: The subjects were over 70, with multiple chronic diseases including diabetes and hypertension and predominantly female. After 16 weeks, significant improvements were observed in the subjects' grip strength, and HbA1c levels, as well as in their NQ-E scores, indicating improved dietary balance and diversity. There were no significant improvements in the 'Moderation' subdomain of the NQ-E index, suggesting that this aspect requires further attention in nutritional counseling. The subjects' nutritional risk scores (NSI) were also significantly decreased, indicating less nutritional risk. Lastly, as measured by the SF-36K, the subjects' quality of life showed significant improvement in several domains including physical role performance and social function. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that tailored nutrition counseling, based on the NQ-E index, can improve elderly health, manage chronic diseases, and enhance quality of life. This approach potentially broadens the scope of community nutritionists' roles within an aging society. However, additional research is necessary to evaluate these interventions' long-term effects and sustainability.