• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.260-270
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate nurses' sexual knowledge, attitude and sex education needs of the elderly. The participants were 235 nurses who were working at hospitals, geriatric hospitals and nursing homes at I city, K city and J city in Jeollabukdo province. A survey was conducted using self questionnaire scale from December 1, 2012 to December 10, 2012. First, the mean score of sexual knowledge was $15.91{\pm}6.43$. It was statistically significant according to marital status(p=.024), workplace(p<.001), duration of work experience(p=.006), sex education needs(p<.001), sex education acceptance(p<.001). Second, the mean score of attitude was $38.26{\pm}4.41$. It was statistically significant according to workplace(p=.033), living with the elderly(p=.009), sex education needs(p<.001) and sex education acceptance(p<.001). Third, the mean score of sex education needs was $35.97{\pm}6.28$. It was statistically significant according to age(p=.023), living with the elderly(p=.014), sex education needs(p<.001) and sex education acceptance(p<.001). Nurses' knowledge on the elderly's sexuality showed a significantly positive correlation with attitude(p<.001) and sex education needs(p<.001). This study indicated that general education on sexuality of the elderly for undergraduate nursing students and registered nurses is essential. More active nursing care on the elderly's sexuality is required when providing them with health assessment and nursing interventions.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.260-269
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• 2018

This study investigated the needs of the elderly with dementia from the perspectives of patients and caregivers in long-term care facilities. A total of 145 older adults with dementia and 62 nurses from 3 geriatric hospitals were enrolled in this study. The cognitive function, behavioral and psychological symptoms, activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were measured. The mean number of needs reported by the elderly with dementia was 11.94 and those with unmet needs were 2.91 on average. Nurses showed that the mean number of needs and unmet needs of the elderly with dementia was 14.71 and 1.94, respectively. The largest number of older adults with dementia (42.2%) perceived that the needs for daytime activities were unmet. On the other hand, only 24.1% of nurses evaluated that the needs for daytime activities were unmet. The factors influencing the needs of the elderly with dementia were dependency in ADL and IADL. Therefore, caregivers in long-term care facilities need to take the perception of older adults with dementia into consideration when evaluating the met and unmet needs of the elderly with dementia. In addition, sufficient assistance to IADL and ADL would help reduce the needs of people with dementia.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2010

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to find out cognitive function of the patients with subjective memory complaint. Material and Methods : From March 1st 2005 to May 31st 2009, 155 normal individuals without any medical illness who visited Yeungnam University Hospital to undergo medical checkup with neurocognitive test was enrolled, and checked by using Cognitive Assessment & Reference Diagnostic System. Results : 107 of the patients had normal cognitive function, 21 patients (about 15%) were diagnosed with dementia, and 10 patients (about 7%) were diagnosed with considerable psychiatric illness, such as depression, anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder. In amnesia, agnosia, aphasia, attention, calculation, dysexecution, Dementia group and Psychiatric illness group has worse score than Normal individuals group. But, in apraxia, Dementia group has worse score than Psychiatric illness group and Normal individual group. Conclusion : Because the patients with subjective memory complaint can be diagnosed as any psychiatric illness as well as dementia, sensitive screening test and early psychiatric approach is needed.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.107-113
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• 2014

Objectives Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder characterized by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations in the legs and an urge to move the legs, usually at night. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence of RLS in patients with late life depression and its influence on various clinical outcomes such as severity of depression, sleep quality, cognitive function, and quality of life and accordingly, to elucidate the clinical significance of RLS in patients with late life depression (LLD). Methods This study enlisted 170 depressive patients aged 65 years or older from an outpatient clinic. Structured diagnostic interviews were performed using the Korean version of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. All patients completed the questionnaires, including the International RLS Severity Scale, the Korean version of Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The severity of depression was evaluated by the Korean form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS) and the level of global cognition was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination in the Korean version of The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet (MMSE-KC). Results The incidence of RLS was 17.6% in LLD patients. RLS was more prevalent among the subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) than those with minor depressive disorder or subsyndromal depressive disorder. The RLS group showed higher score in the KGDS than the Non-RLS group but the difference did not reach the statistical significance (p = 0.095, Student t-test). The mean PSQI score was significantly higher in the RLS group than in the Non-RLS group (p = 0.001, Student t-test). The MMSE-KC score was also lower in the RLS group than in Non-RLS group (p = 0.009, analysis of covariance). But, there was no difference in the score of SF-36 between the RLS group and the Non-RLS group. Conclusions RLS is common in LLD patients, especially in the patients with MDD and is associated with poor sleep quality and cognitive dysfunction, indicating that RLS is clinically significant in patients with LLD. Therefore, RLS should be considered as an important clinical issue in the management of LLD.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to analyze the dietary habits and food intake status according to the prevalence of depression in adults. Methods: A total of 496 subjects, 224 men and 272 women aged 50 to 100 years were recruited from more than 13 cities in Korea. The questionnaires consisted of general characteristics, dietary life status, food intakes, the mean mini dietary assessment and satisfaction with food-related life questionnaire of the subjects to ask according to the degree of depression. Depression status was evaluated according to the Korean form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (K-GDS). Results: All subjects were divided into depression or normal groups; the prevalence of depression was 13.8% (male) and 23.9% (female). People aged 65 or older were more likely to have higher prevalence of depression and to be bereaved. People in the depression group had poor appetite, almost never dined-out, and ate alone. The food intake of miscellaneous cereals, beans, tofu, chicken/duck meat, cabbage, carrot/amber, fungi, apple, pear, strawberry, grapes, and banana was significantly higher in the normal group compared with the depression group. In particular, significantly higher intake of vegetables and fruits was observed in the normal group. In addition, subjects in the depression group ate more fatty meat and were more dissatisfied with food-related life than those in the normal group. Conclusion: The results of this study imply that the prevalence of depression may affect the dietary habits, food intake, and dietary behaviors in the older adult population.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.557-563
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• 2017

This study aims to obtain information about the ADL and I-ADL functions of people with dementia living in the community and nursing care facilities regarding their dementia stages for the purpose of supporting occupational therapists working in dementia care centers. The information was collected from 100 people with dementia living in the community and 100 people with dementia staying in care facilities from October 1 to November 20, 2015. 15 facilities participated in this study, including nursing homes, day care centers, health centers, geriatric hospitals and metropolitan dementia centers. All of the assessors were trained in the use of the instruments, ADCS-ADL, S-IADL, S-ADL and MMSE-K, by the researcher before conducting any evaluations or interviews. In order to compare the differences in the levels of ADL according to the dementia stage, an analysis was made via the post-hoc test after conducting a one-way ANOVA. An analysis of the residence type and dementia stage was made through the independent t-test. The comparison of the level of ADL between the people with dementia living in the community and those living in nursing homes showed differences in the moderate level of dementia for all items of the I-ADL and ADL (p<.01). The post-hoc test showed that there is a difference among the minimum, mild, and moderate levels. When the differences in ADL according to the residence type were examined, there were no significant differences in any of the stages (p>.05). Considering these results, it may be critical to identify the changes in the I-ADL rather than those in the ADL for the outcome index when conducting future intervention studies on dementia.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.325-332
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the oral health status of elderly under visiting health care and their oral health-related quality of life. The subjects were 300 elderly under visiting health care program over 65 years old in Asan city and they were interviewed. The result showed that average Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) score was 37.36 and the lowest scored question was 'never satisfied with the oral condition'. In GOHAI related to oral health behaviors, unmet dental treatment experience was statistically significant (p<0.001). In overall GOHAI, number of remaining teeth (p<0.001) and the age had statistical significance and men had higher score in pain and discomfort (p<0.05), under age of 74 limited function factors score was high (p<0.01). The number of remaining teeth had statistical significances in most factors except pain and discomfort (p<0.001). The factors affecting GOHAI were age (p<0.05), number of remaining teeth (p<0.001) and perceived health state (p<0.001). In order to improve oral health-related quality of life of elderly receiving visiting oral health care services, it is necessary to increase denture support by securing budgets and developing oral health promotion programs at the local government level.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.359-374
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• 2002

Objectives : To develop a physical functioning instrument for older adults living in the community. Methods : A representative sample of 979 people aged 65 years or over were interviewed in-person. Of these, 199 people also completed a detailed in-hospital examination. The scale items were selected based on the frequency of endorsement, along with the item-total and inter-item correlations. The associations of the scale with their physical performance and clinical examination were analyzed to evaluate the criterion-related validity. Construct validity was assessed using factor analysis, and internal consistency through Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlations. Test-retest reliability was measured by agreement between the household survey and the repeat survey at the in-hospital examination. Results : Initially, 23 items on the level of difficulty, ranging from no difficulty to an inability to complete a task, with the specific mobility and self-care tasks were included. Those with a high frequency of endorsement and a low inter-item or item-total correlations were excluded, resulting in a 10-item Physical Functioning (PT) scale. Equal weights were given to each item and a summated score was calculated. Significant associations were found between the PF scores and the physical performance, surrey and clinical data. The scale revealed a 2-factor (mobility and self-care) structure. Cronbach's alpha was 0.92 and the item-total correlations were in the 0.63 to 0.78 range. Pearson's correlations for the test-retest ranged between 0.56 and 0.61. Conclusions : The newly developed Physical Functioning (PF) scale showed good psychometric properties in older people. Further work, however, is needed to improve its sensitivity to discriminate higher levels of functioning, in addition to assessing its predictive value in detecting changes in health.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.69-83
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• 2022

Objective : This study aimed to confirm the possibility of the clinical application of oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) protocol and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in patients with Wallenberg syndrome. Methods : One patient with Wallenberg syndrome was treated with OMFT and NMES applied 40 times each, 5 days a week, twice a day for 4 weeks. The Comprehensive Oral-Facial Function Scale (COFFS), Korean-Mann Swallowing Ability Assessment (K-MASA), and Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) were used to compare the changes before and after the intervention. Data analysis was used to compare the score changes before and after the intervention. Results : Orofacial function and swallowing ability improved after the intervention in the individual who participated in this study. Among oral motor functions, relatively greater functional improvement was observed in tongue movement compared to other functions, which was evaluated to the extent that pharyngeal swallowing was possible. Conclusions : Early swallowing rehabilitation using systematic OMFT and NMES of exercise intensity confirmed the possibility of improving oral motor function and dysphagia. In the future, complementary studies on the effects of interventions applying the OMFT and NMES will be needed.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.61-77
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• 2023

Objective : This study analyzed the correlation between cognitive function and oral health-related quality of life (OHQoL). Methods : Demographic and clinical characteristics were extracted and utilized for subjects aged 45 years or older who participated in the 8th Korean Longitudinal Study on Aging in 2020. The dependent variable was the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index, and the independent variable was the level of cognitive function classified by the Mini-Mental State Examination scores. The analysis method used inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Then, the association between cognitive function and OHQoL was analyzed by multiple regression analysis. Results : Among the participants, 4,367 (71.40%) had normal cognition, 1,155 (18.89%) had moderate cognitive impairment, and 594 (9.71%) had severe cognitive impairment. As a result of analysis by applying IPTW, there was a negative correlation between the cognitive function group and OHQoL (normal vs. moderate: β = -2.534, p < .0001; normal vs. severe: β = -2.452, p < .0001). Conclusion : After propensity score matching, mild cognitive impairment showed a more negative association than severe cognitive impairment. Therefore, patients with cognitive impairment require oral health management education to improve OHQoL regardless of the level of cognitive impairment.