• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.69-87
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• 2018

Purpose: This study has been started with the awareness that light and color are the main visual sensors of the multi-sensory stimulation environment to achieve the therapeutic environment for demented elderly. The purpose of this study therefore is for clarifying the application characteristics of therapeutic light and color for dementia care facilities. Methods: Internal and external literature reviews have been conducted for the investigation into a)disorders and visual system in demented elderly, b)therapeutic effects of light and color, c)heliotherapy, light therapy and color therapy to deduce the therapeutic characteristics of light and color for demented elderly, and finally into d)the application characteristics of it for dementia care facilities. Results: The application characteristics of the therapeutic light and color for dementia care facilities are classified into both qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Qualitative application characteristics of light represented using of daylight, using of lighting approximate to daylight, expansion of iluminance level, equality in iluminance Level, reduction of shadow, and as well as exclusion of blare. Quantitative application characteristics of it represented iluminance level, color temperature and color rendering index prescribed in international lighting standards. Qualitative application characteristics of color represented non-monochromatic color, color contrast, long wavelength of yellow-red colors, exclusion of short wavelength of blue colors and patterns, and as well as different colors for idenfication. Quantitative application characteristics of it represented kontrast(K) prescribed in DIN32975:2009 and light reflectance value(LRV) prescribed in BS8300:2009. Implications: To form dementia care facilities as therapeutic environment both qualitative and quantitative application characteristics of therapeutic light and color in dementia care facilities are needed.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.111-122
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• 2011

Purpose: The aim on this study was to establish the validity, reliability and efficiency of a Pain Self-Report Scale for elderly with dementia and compare these results with an observational pain rating scale. Methods: Study subjects were 136 elderly with dementia who were residents in a nursing home, geriatric hospital, or day care center. The subject's pain was measured by five self-report scales and observational scale. DS-DAT (discomfort scale-dementia of the Alzheimer's type) was used for pain behavior observational measure. Cognitive state was assessed using the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination). Results: Observational rating correlated moderately with self-report (r=.225~.585, p<.05) and tended to underestimate pain intensity. Test-retest reliability was high for all five self-report scales, and the correlation between these scales was very strong (r=.735~.856, p<.05). Comprehension rate of VDS (verbal descriptor scale) was 88.3%, and NRS (numeric rating scale) 69.9%, FPS (face pain scale) 66.9%, HVAS (horizontal visual analog scale) and VVAS (vertical visual analog scale) 65.4%. Conclusion: Nurses should not apply observational scales routinely in demented patients as many of these are capable of reporting their own pain. Self-report, the highest standard of pain measurement can be reliably performed in a large proportion of demented elderly.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.97-108
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• 2014

Purpose: This study attempted to identify the effectiveness and substantiality of a dementia education program for family caregivers of the demented elderly. Methods: This quasi-experimental study using a nonequivalent control pretest-posttest design was carried out from April 15 to July 29 in 2012 with 137 subjects divided into an experimental group (n=70) and a control group (n=67). This study examined the subjects' general characteristics, and evaluated their nursing method four times, respectively, before the intervention, right after the intervention, and 2 and 4 weeks after the intervention, and then analyzed collected data through t-test and $x^2$-test. Results: In the experimental group that had received the dementia education, the nursing method score was significantly higher right after the intervention (t=8.33, p<.001) and 2 weeks after the intervention (t=8.01, p<.001) than before the intervention, but their score 4 weeks after the intervention was not significantly different from that of the control group (t=1.08, p=.28). Conclusion: The dementia education was found to be effective in improving the nursing method of family caregivers of the demented elderly. This study implies that further follow-up dementia education is necessary between 2 and 4 weeks to maintain the effectiveness.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.13-29
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to describe about elders with dementia, their families, and their living environment by visiting the households where demented elders resided. The findings will be used as a basis to develop future individualized adjustment programs for demented elders and their families living in communities. The study participants were 64 demented elders and their families who were registered to a dementia counseling center at Nam-Gu community health center located in Inchon, Korea. Data were collected for two months, from May to June 2001. The length of data collection for each home visit ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Conclusion are as follows based on these study findings: Those demented elders had more than one chronic health problem in addition to their pre-existing dementia condition. Two thirds of the demented elders were not receiving any specific treatment for dementia. They showed a moderate level of independence in basic ADL, but were mostly residing at home because of lack of ability to perform more delicate and complicate routine daily activities by themselves. In addition, the primary caregivers were not well adjusted to the care-giving activities for their demented family members due to the lack of knowledge and information about dementia. The caregivers were mostly women including daughters-in-law, woman spouses and daughters, over a half of whom perceived their physical and mental health status as poor. Their image toward the demented elders was considerably negative. while their level of knowledge on dementia was moderate. The burden for the care-giving was high, whereas their coping method was passive. As the difference in image toward elderly before and after the onset of dementia in their family member increases, the caregiver burden also increased. The main resource of social support for the caregivers was their children. The caregivers showed high level of needs for knowledge and information on dementia, and day care service was the most preferred type of service by the caregivers. There was lack of safety in the living environments for the demented elders and their families, and in the surrounding environments to prevent dementia-related symptoms. Considering that home-based family care-giving is the most culturally appropriate model of providing care for the demented elders in Korea, we need to develop and apply an individualized adjustment program for the demented elders and their families.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.205-212
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• 2018

Background: Brain volume is associated with dementia and depression in the elderly. An easy way to predict relative brain volume is to measure head circumference. In this study, we investigated the relationship between head circumference and cognition as well as depression in a non-demented elderly community. Methods: Baseline and follow-up surveys were conducted in 2007 and 2010. At baseline, community residents aged 65 years or over (n=382) within a rural area of South Korea were screened for dementia and symptoms of depression and were followed using the same screening battery after 3 years (n=279). Data from anthropometric measurements (head circumference, height, and body weight), demographics, and blood tests were gathered. Neuropsychological tests, including the Korean version of mini-mental state examination (K-MMSE), clinical dementia rating (CDR) including the CDR-sum of boxes, the Korean version of instrumental activities of daily living, and geriatric depression scale (GDS), were performed. None of the 279 subjects followed were demented. Results: Baseline performance on the K-MMSE and GDS was poorer for participants with smaller head circumferences. Follow-up performance on the MMSE was also poorer for participants with smaller head circumferences. Interestingly, participants with smaller head circumference showed worse GDS scores at baseline but on follow-up examination, participants with larger head circumference showed rapid worsening than those with smaller head circumference with marginal significance by ANOVA test. In regression coefficient analysis, GDS decline showed significant difference. Conclusion: Head circumference was not associated with cognitive change but was associated with symptoms of depression in non-demented community residents.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.36-45
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to clarify the spatial use pattern changes over time in skilled nursing facility. The investigation had been executed against the elderly(65 and over) in skilled nursing facility. This article discuss the basic characteristics of the elderly with dementia and the daily living activities of the elderly with dementia at skilled nursing facility in Jangseong-gun. The survey was repeated 2 times at the period of 61 months and 88 months after the opening of the facility. Changes over time of the spatial use patterns are clarified. Some results show as follows: (1)As the time went by, there is wide difference between behavioral places and nursing levels on the living activities of the elderly with dementia. (2)As the time went by, the elderly who have a tendency to stay in his bedroom through the greater part of the days.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.136-147
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to explore influencing factors on care burden among family caregivers for elders with dementia living at home. Methods: Participants in this study were 211 family caregivers who were taking care of elders registered at a support center for dementia located in S-gu, Seoul. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression in SPSS WIN 23.0. Results: The care burden of family caregivers was mild to moderate ($40.31{\pm}21.50$) in this study. The factors influencing care burden among family caregivers for elders with dementia were the age, behavioral problems, and dependency in instrumental activities of daily living of demented elderly, in addition to the perceived health status and resting hours of family caregivers. Overall, these factors explained 46.5% of the total variability in care burden in this sample (F=13.01, p<.001). Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest that the characteristics of demented elderly and family caregivers can influence care burden differently. Individually tailored strategies based on the various caregiving contexts need to be developed to reduce the level of care burden among family caregivers for elders with dementia.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.140-146
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• 2013

Objectives: We compared the characteristics of the pain threshold and pain experience between demented group and non-demented group. Methods: This study was part of Gangwon projects for early detection of dementia in 2010. We recruited 8302 local resident ages over 65 years old. Of theses, 1259 people who scored low MMSE were selected and 365 of them completed CERAD-K(Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's disease). Finally, 90 in non-demented group and 57 in demented group(mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease) were analyzed. Pain threshold was experimentally measured by pressure algometer and we investigated the pain experience, by Brief pain inventory (BPI), a self-report test. Results: In the demographic characteristics, there are more female, higher ages, lower education in the demented group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the pain threshold. On the BPI results, 'shoulder pain', 'the number of pain' and 'interference of working' were significantly more prevalent in non-demented group. However, there are no significant differences between the groups in the 'pain severity', 'prevalence of pain' and 'pain treatment'. Conclusions: Demented group report less pain experience but, still perceived pain. It support previous studies that patient with dementia have increased pain tolerance but preserved pain threshold. Thus, active pain assessment and treatment for patients with dementia is needed.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.39-46
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• 2003

There are three main purposes in this study. First, we project the number of elderly dementia population in the future based on the projection of the elderly population in the Kyungpook area. Second, the demands of home-based care service and facility-based care for the elderly dementia are estimated. Thirdly, some policy implications for the improvement of welfare services for the elderly dementia are addressed. The findings of this study are as follows. Considering the size of the elderly dementia population, facilities for the elderly dementia are extremely insufficient and most of the elderly dementia patients rely heavily on home-based care. Although we expect that there will be a rapid increase in the number of the elderly dementia in the next two decades, the social welfare services for them in the future are very unreliable. Home nursing for the demented elderly needs to be recognized by law and financed by the government. In this context, we address some issues regarding the rapid growth of the elderly dementia population in the future and social welfare services for them as well. Finally we suggest some policy implications regarding this matter.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.7
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• pp.373-381
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that affect the social distance between the demented elderly and nursing college students. In this study, responses from 158 nursing college students in city D were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed. As a result, the correlation between variables, social distance, and dementia attitude towards the demented elderly (r = .53, p<.001) showed a statistically correlated relationship, while ageism (r = -.41, p<.001) showed a negative correlation. The results of this study are as follows: first, the interactions between the elderly with dementia and the nursing college students were more frequent (${\beta}=.29$ p=.012), and second, attention to early prevention of dementia (${\beta}=.32$ p=.002) was significant. The explanatory power of these influential factors on the social distance toward the demented elderly was 41.0%.