• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.165-181
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• 2000

Even though enormous governmental expenses and scientists' efforts to find out definite causes and treatment methods of senile dementia have been investigated, little has been known in this area. Along with knowledge development of the etiology and treatment of the dementia, researchers have started to focus on improving the quality of life of the older adults with dementia through psychosocial intervention. This study was designed to propose a theoretical framework for establishing therapeutic environment for the older adults with dementia and for developing principles and strategies of caring. The results of this study were expected to help family members of the older adults with dementia to understand behavioral problems of the demented persons. The results can be utilized for health professionals to provide nursing interventions to reduce family caregivers' burden and to improve the quality of life of the older adults with dementia and their family. Caring principles developed from this study were as follows: 1. To minimize the stressors that can stimulate older adults with dementia. 2. To assess demented person's needs for safety and provide intervention based on the assessment. 3. To provide therapeutic environment for older adults with dementia to reduce confusion and to improve orientation. 4. To organize simple regular daily activities that older adults can anticipate. 5. To enhance demented person's self-esteem and self-confidence by providing supportive care. 6. To promote social interaction of the older adults with dementia by utilizing adequate activity programs.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.105-117
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• 2024

This is a longitudinal study of drinking older adults aged 65 and older to determine how their social activities and alcohol consumption change over time, and how social activities affect alcohol consumption among drinking older adults. The main findings are as follows First, we found a decrease in social activity and alcohol consumption among the elderly over time, but this was not statistically significant. However, individual differences in the rate of change in social activity and alcohol consumption were found, and the specific factors of these individual differences were examined in the conditional model. The results of the conditional model showed that, for social activity, the higher the initial level of social activity, the older the age, and the lower the initial amount of alcohol consumed by men than women. Next, for the amount of alcohol consumed, the better the health status, the more the amount of alcohol consumed decreased significantly for male elderly than female elderly, smokers than non-smokers, and elderly with and without disabilities. Based on the results of the above analysis, suggestions were made to promote social activities and reduce drinking among the drinking elderly in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to explore university students′ perceptions about the elderly before and after an introductory course for gerontology. Sixty-two male and female undergraduate students participated in the study as a part of the course requirement. Throughout the semester, theme students received a series of classroom lectures on gerontology, as well as participated in diverse activities to experience elderly lives. A survey was administered with the students at the beginning of the first day of class and at the end of the semester. By the end of the unit university students were more likely to have accurate conceptions of and positive attitudes toward aging and the aged. More specifically, they were more likely to (1) perceive "old" and "getting old" as a positive one, (2) seem older adults spend their time on active self-development and social activities, (3) view older adults are important, (4) change opinions about what an old person and young person do together, and (5) have a positive outlook on their own future lives as older adults.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.520-526
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• 2020

This study aimed to address the effect of poverty on depression and self-rated health in older adults living alone in Korea. In addition, this study identified the mediating effect of social participation on the poverty-depression and poverty-self-rated health relationships. The researcher conducted a secondary data analysis using the 6th wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study on Aging. The final sample was 1,093 older adults living alone. Using structural equation modeling, standardized coefficients of each path were analyzed. Then, the statistical significance of the mediating effect of social participation was addressed via analyzing direct, indirect, and total effects. Results show that older adults under poverty were more depressed and had a lower level of self-rated health than their counterparts. Moreover, frequent participation in religious gatherings, social gatherings, and leisure activities decreased depression in older adults living alone. Moreover, religious gatherings, social gatherings, and alumni meetings were positively related to self-rated health om older adults living alone. Significant mediating effects appeared in poverty-social gathering-depression, poverty-social gathering-self-rated health, and poverty-alumni meeting-self-rated health relationships. Based on the results, the researcher also discussed implications for social work practice.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.96-107
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• 2016

This study examined the relationship between leisure needs and perception of psycho-social aging among 1307 older adults aged over 60 years utilizing social services of a social welfare center for senior citizens in Seoul, Korea. A convenience sample of this study was collected for three weeks in December 2012 among older adults via paper survey. Hierarchical multiple regression was utilized to analyze collected data. The present study demonstrated that age, years of education, perception of health status, and perception of economic status were significantly associated with perception of successful aging. However, years of education and perception of economic status were no longer significantly associated with perception of psycho-social aging, when leisure needs was included. Age, perception of health status, and hobbies/entertainment activities and employment/plan of later years activities among types of leisure needs were significantly associated with perception of psycho-social aging. This finding demonstrates that leisure needs influence perception of psycho-social aging. Implications and suggestions to improve perception of psycho-social aging among older adults are discussed.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.191-200
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of participation in leisure activities on the quality of life by comparing gender and household type. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2017 Korean Elderly Survey and the participants were 7,406 people who are 65 years and above. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS (version 18.0) statistical package. Results: The result of this study revealed that participation in leisure activities has a significant effect on the quality of life of In the case of older adults who are men and live with couple, voluntary activities have a significant effect on their quality of life, while for elderly women living alone, arts & cultural activities have a significant effect on their quality of life. Conclusions: Based on these results, we suggested some implications for supporting healthy leisure activities and improving the level of quality of life among aged people.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.1-13
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• 2024

This study evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive-based interventions for elderly individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and early dementia over the past decade. A systematic review of 27 randomized controlled trials published from 2013 to 2023 focused on cognitive function, daily living activities, and quality of life improvements. The results showed that cognitive training and stimulation programs led to significant gains in memory, attention, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, improvements in daily functioning and overall quality of life were observed. Customized programs tailored to individual needs were found to be particularly effective, emphasizing the importance of personalized approaches. These findings suggest that cognitive interventions can help delay cognitive decline and maintain independence in older adults with MCI or early dementia. The review highlights the potential of such interventions in promoting healthy aging and improving the overall well-being of elderly individuals. Furthermore, these interventions can help older adults maintain meaningful social connections and enhance their emotional well-being in significant ways. Future research should aim to optimize and expand these programs for better outcomes and greater accessibility across various communities. This comprehensive review provides valuable insights for healthcare professionals and caregivers, demonstrating that cognitive-based interventions are a promising and effective approach for managing cognitive decline in older adults.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.138-145
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• 2021

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the audiologic results after cochlear implantation (CI) in older patients and the degree of improvement in their quality of life (QoL). Subjects and Methods: Patients over 65 years old who underwent CI at implant center in Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital were included in this study (n=54; 34 males and 20 females). The control group was patient over 65 years old with normal hearing (n=54; 34 males and 20 females). We administered three questionnaires [World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), World Health Organization Quality of Life-OLD (WHOQOL-OLD)], and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) to evaluate the QoL, CIrelated effects on activities of daily life, and social activities in all the subjects. Moreover, correlations between speech recognition and the QoL scores were evaluated. The duration of implant use and comorbidities were also examined as potential factors affecting QoL. Results: The patients had remarkable improvements (the mean score of postoperative speech perception 75.7%) in speech perception after CI. The scores for the WHOQOL-OLD and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire responses were similar in both the study and control groups, except those for a two subdomains (social relations and social participation). The patients with longer-term CI had higher scores than those with short-term CI use. In general, the changes in GDS scores were not significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: The treatment of hearing loss with CI conferred significant improvement in patient's QoL (p<0.01). The evaluation of QoL can provide multidimensional insights into a geriatric patient's progress and, therefore, should be considered by audiologists.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.138-145
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• 2021

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the audiologic results after cochlear implantation (CI) in older patients and the degree of improvement in their quality of life (QoL). Subjects and Methods: Patients over 65 years old who underwent CI at implant center in Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital were included in this study (n=54; 34 males and 20 females). The control group was patient over 65 years old with normal hearing (n=54; 34 males and 20 females). We administered three questionnaires [World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), World Health Organization Quality of Life-OLD (WHOQOL-OLD)], and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) to evaluate the QoL, CIrelated effects on activities of daily life, and social activities in all the subjects. Moreover, correlations between speech recognition and the QoL scores were evaluated. The duration of implant use and comorbidities were also examined as potential factors affecting QoL. Results: The patients had remarkable improvements (the mean score of postoperative speech perception 75.7%) in speech perception after CI. The scores for the WHOQOL-OLD and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire responses were similar in both the study and control groups, except those for a two subdomains (social relations and social participation). The patients with longer-term CI had higher scores than those with short-term CI use. In general, the changes in GDS scores were not significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: The treatment of hearing loss with CI conferred significant improvement in patient's QoL (p<0.01). The evaluation of QoL can provide multidimensional insights into a geriatric patient's progress and, therefore, should be considered by audiologists.

• 한국노년학
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.1083-1105
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• 2018

The present study sought to capture day-to-day fluctuation of the daily happiness among Korean urban older adults and to examine whether the within person fluctuation of daily happiness is explained by the social and physical activities the older adults experience each day. We also examined whether the within person association between daily social, physical activities and the daily happiness varies by individual characteristics(i.e. gender, age, educational level and health). In addition, we explored the relationships between the level and fluctuation of daily happiness and the level of global happiness. The data was collected by multi-method approach, which includes general survey, daily diary method and collection of physical activity data through the activity monitors. In total, 175 urban older adults participated for seven days of daily diary survey. The data about the number of steps and the time spent on sedentary activities, light intensity physical activities and moderate to vigorous intensity physical activities were also collected during the same period from 16 sub-samples using activity monitors. Hierarchical linear modeling was applied for the analysis. The results were as below. First, the level of happiness of older adults fluctuated during a week, and the patterns of fluctuation varied by the gender and the health. Second, socializing with their children and friends elevated their levels of happiness. Also the impact of contacts with siblings on the level of daily happiness was greater for the unhealthy group compare to the healthy group. Third, older adults were happier on the days when they walked more, but the level of daily happiness decreased on the days when they spent longer time for low intensity physical activities. Lastly, the higher level of daily happiness were related to the higher level of global happiness, but the degree of fluctuation of daily happiness was not related to the level of global happiness. The implications of these results and suggestions for future research are discussed.