• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.747-755
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the degree of dry mouth and oral health-related quality of life and to identify factors contributing to oral health-related quality of life for community-dwelling elders. Methods: A descriptive correlational study design was used. Participants were 156 older adults from two senior welfare centers. Data were collected on February 21, 22 and 29, 30, 2009 using structured questionnaires. Enter type multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing oral health-related quality of life according to general and oral health characteristics. Results: There were significant differences in oral health-related quality of life according to living arrangement, insurance, smoking, number of natural teeth, and denture type. The oral health-related quality of life had significant correlations with the number of chronic disease, number of medications, and dry mouth. Factors influencing oral health-related quality of life for community-dwelling older adults were dry mouth, number of chronic disease, and medical aid, which explained about 47.9% of total variance. Conclusion: These results indicate that in order to promote oral health-related quality of life for older adults, prevention or management of chronic diseases as well as oral health and dry mouth are needed for this population, and especially economically poor elders.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.296-303
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depression and suicidal ideation in elders with dementia and to identify factors influencing their suicidal ideation. Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March, 2011. The participants were 298 older adults whose MMSE-KC score was 15 to 23. Collected Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. Results: According to the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) classification criteria, 86.2% of the elders in this study exhibited depression (GDS=5), and 31.5% manifested severe depression. The mean score of suicidal ideation was 5.70 (range 0-20). The risk factors for suicidal ideation were depression, suicidal attempt experience, present location for care, and activities of daily living. Conclusion: The results of this study can be utilized in the development of suicide prevention programs for older adults with dementia. In particular, depression should be screened and managed to reduce suicidal ideation of older adults with dementia.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.377-388
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was to examine the relation between diabetes and cognitive function in older adults. Methods: Eighty community-dwelling patients with diabetes and 506 subjects without diabetes were studied with cognitive function test. Cognitive function was measured by Full-scale IQ, Basic IQ, Executive IQ, Attention Function Index, Working Memory Index, Language Function Index, Visuospatial Function Index, Memory Function Index, and MMSE-K1. Results: In model controlling for education, the diabetic group showed significantly lower scores than the non-diabetic group in in Full-scale IQ (p=.012), Basic IQ (p=.034), Executive IQ (p=.014), Attention Function Index (p=.002), Working Memory Index (p=.037), and Memory Function Index (p=.043). The diabetic and non-diabetic groups that were matched for gender, age, and education showed similar differences in 7 out of 9 cognitive measures. The impairments of Full-scale IQ and Memory Function Index in the diabetic group were, respectively, 2.7 and 2.8 times greater than that in the diabetic group. Conclusion: These results showed that diabetes should be considered to a factor of cognitive impairment in older adults.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.426-440
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• 2015

Purpose: This qualitative study aimed to understand older adults' perspectives on successful aging and develop a model of a successful aging process, within the Korean socio-cultural context. Methods: This study used a Grounded Theory approach. Through theoretical sampling, 14 participants were selected from older adults at a public health center and a volunteer institution in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Results: The basic social process identified was "expanding the aging self", which was preceded by three phases, namely, adjusting to the changes, developing the valuable self, and embracing the environment. Participants used 2-3 strategies for successful aging in each phase. For adjusting to the changes, participants used strategies such as "adopting a positive attitude", "accepting the changes", and "being at the center of life". To develop the valuable self, "re-identifying capacities", "having something to do", and "advancing to a healthy lifestyle" were used. Participants embraced their environments with "sharing with others" and "embracing younger generations". The causal condition for expanding the aging self was the changes in participants' physical, mental, or psychosocial situations. Conclusion: These findings suggest a theoretical foundation for the development of potential nursing interventions to promote self-care management and the interpersonal relationship for successful aging among Korean elderly individuals.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.139-147
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• 2011

Purpose: An integrative literature review was done to identify the best interventions for older adults with dyslipidemia in an effort to promote nursing involvement in the prevention of statin-induced symptoms (SIS). Such awareness could increase the capacity of interventions by geriatric nurses using evidence-based practices in the reassessment of statin therapy. Methods: CINAHL, Pubmed, and ProQuest were searched using these terms: dyslipidemia in, elderly, statins, adverse effects, and quality of life. Eleven articles fitting the inclusion criteria were identified and analyzed. Results: The findings indicate no evidence for the benefit of statin therapy for morbidity/mortality in a high-risk primary prevention set-up, specifically in the elderly population. Although SIS prevails among older adults, there are limited data that confidently support this observation along with nursing interventions specifically for the geriatric nursing community. Conclusion: Future research is necessary to shift nursing intervention with statin users (specifically in older adults) from an illness-based intervention to a preventive care plan to provide optimal care based on evidence. It is essential to involve self-reporting, cooperation, and communication with health care professionals, specifically with geriatric nurses. Additional studies are needed to further direct practice interventions in elderly statin users.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.1591-1595
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• 2018

The number of healthy older adults is rapidly increasing recently owing to the increase of the elderly population. Therefore, programs for improving the cognitive functions of these healthy seniors are actively being expanded. This study aimed to prevent the decline of cognitive function due to aging by applying a program enhancing cognitive functions to healthy older adults. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Korean computer-based cognitive rehabilitation program (CoTras), which is commonly used in cognitive therapy for the aging, on the memory of the elderly. The subjects had scored at least 24 points in MMSE-K. CoTras was applied once a week (30 minutes) for one month. Electronic pegboard programs were used as an evaluation tool: order memory (difficulty=low) and location memory (difficulty=medium). The order and location memories were compared before and after the intervention. The Wilcoxon signed rank-sum test was used for the study at the significance level of ${\alpha}=.05$. The results showed that CoTras significantly improved order memory and location memory. Therefore, CoTras can be applied to the healthy elderly for improving that memory improvement training has a positive impact on healthy older adults result in the development of memory enhancement programs can be expanded in the future.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.90-101
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was aimed to describe older adults' experiences of living with urinary incontinence and using diapers for its management in long-term care facilities. Methods: Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with 22 participants in long-term care facilities. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Three themes and six categories were emerged. Participants navigated through those three categories as stages, including the initial stage of confronting the unacceptable reality, transitional stage of physical and emotional suffering, and adaptive stage of accepting the diaper usage as a part of life and hoping improvement. Six categories were feeling terrible with unavoidable use of diapers, being frustrated by nursing staff shortage and unsatisfactory care for urinary incontinence, physical discomfort from of wearing diapers and remaining unchanged, emotional difficulties due to using diapers, accepting and adapting to diaper usage as a part of life, hope for gender-specific quality care for urinary incontinence. Conclusion: The findings suggest that using diapers should not be mandatory to manage older adults' urinary incontinence in long-term care facilities. It is also critical to establish policies to address issues of nursing shortage and financial support for qualitative care to manage urinary incontinence in long-term care settings.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.63-71
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• 2019

Purpose: This descriptive study investigated the mediating and moderating effects of fear of fall on the relationships between health belief on fall, fall-related knowledge and fall prevention behaviors among older adults Methods: We enrolled 229 older adults residing in a senior citizen hall and community welfare center, and investigated their health belief on fall, fall-related knowledge, fall prevention behavior, and fear of fall. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and t-test were used to analyze differences in variables. Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used to investigate mediating and moderating effects of the fear of fall on the relationships between health belief on fall, fall-related knowledge, and fall prevention behaviors. Results: The fear of fall significantly mediated the health belief on fall and fall prevention behaviors, but there was no significant mediation between knowledge of fall and fall prevention behaviors. The fear of fall did not have a moderating effect on the relationships between health belief on fall, knowledge of fall, and fall prevention behaviors. Conclusion: It is important to investigate and implement health belief on fall and fear of fall among older adults to improve their fall prevention behaviors.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2014.10a
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• pp.871-874
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• 2014

Promoting nationwide informatization by means of personal computer and wired Internet since the mid-1990s, the Republic of Korea has systematically dealt with the digital divide of older adults which has been lessened year by year. However, since the introduction of smartphone in Korea in 2009, the smartphone digital divide of older adults has been serious again. Therefore, this research will focus on the present situation and problems of smartphone digital divide of over-65 years old people and will suggest the proper policy solutions such as the enforcement of policy infrastructure, the expansion of smartphone education, the development of UI and contents, and the expansion of silver fare system and silver smartphone.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.243-255
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine effects of a multifactorial program for preventing the frailty of older adults and effects of a follow-up program applying a capacity building strategy. Methods: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used for the nonequivalent control group. The follow-up group (n=75) and non-follow-up group (n=68) received the same multifactorial program comprising muscle strength exercise, cognitive training, and psychosocial programs for 12 weeks. After completion of multifactorial program, the follow-up group took follow-up programs applying the capacity building strategy for following 12 weeks. The data of physical function, cognitive function, and psychological function, and self-rated health were collected from both groups three times: before intervention, after intervention, and 12 weeks after intervention. The data were analyzed using $x^2$ test and t-test. Results: In comparison with the non-follow-up group, the scores of Timed Up & Go Test, and physical activities energy expenditure were significantly improved in the follow-up group. Conclusion: These results indicate that a multifactorial program with follow-up adapting the strategies of capacity building for the older adults group is feasible to prevent the physical frailty in community.