PURPOSE: This study aimed to verify the predictive validity of Comprehensive Korean Frailty Instrument (CKFI) among older adults. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort study was conducted. Frailty was determined in older adults (N=9,188) according to the data in 2008 and the effects of frailty on adverse outcomes (such as institutionalization and death) were evaluated according to the data in 2011. The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) index was used to compare with the predictive validity of CKFI. RESULTS: The prevalence of frailty was 26.3%. With the CKFI, the frail group had a higher risk of negative health outcomes compared to the robust and pre-frail groups after three years. The two of the highest risks identified using the CKFI and CHS index were institutionalization (5.522 times higher) and mortality (3.210 times higher). For both instruments, the survival analysis revealed that the risk of death increased as the degree of frailty increased. CONCLUSION: The CKFI consisting of self-report items and multidimensional aspects of frailty can be used as a simple instrument for assessing the frailty of older adults residing in a local community in Korea.
Adult ; Aged ; Cohort Studies ; Frail Elderly ; Humans ; Institutionalization ; Korea* ; Long Term Adverse Effects ; Mortality ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies

PURPOSE: This study was done to determine whether muscle strength training programs have an impact on improving symptoms of urinary incontinence (UI) and physical function among elderly women with UI who reside in long-term care facilities. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Participants had to be over 65 years, score over 15 score on the mini-mental state examination, and be able to walk alone or with an assistant. Seventy residents were randomly allocated to either the training group (n=35) or control group (n=35). The program consisted of 50 minutes, twice a week for 8 weeks, and included Kegel's exercise, Thera-band training and indoor walking. Main outcomes were UI symptoms, peak vaginal pressure and physical functions measured with timed up and go test (TUG), one leg standing test (OLST), activities of daily living (ADL) and grip strength. Changes in outcome measurements were calculated from baseline to 4 weeks and to 8 weeks using repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: There were significant differences in peak vaginal pressure (p<.001), TUG (p<.001), OLST (p=.012) and grip strength (p<.001) in the interaction between groups and time. CONCLUSION: Future studies are suggested to confirm the effect of muscle strength training in long-term care facilities where elderly women with UI reside.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Long-Term Care ; Muscle Strength/*physiology ; Resistance Training ; Urinary Incontinence/pathology/*therapy ; Vagina/physiology ; Walking

PURPOSE: This study investigated various factors relatied to wandering behavior of Korean elders with dementia (KED). METHODS: A sample of 160 ambulatory residents with dementia from 14 long term care facilities was used to examine demographic, individual, cognitive, physical health, and environmental characteristics by comparing wanderers (N=108) to nonwanders (N=52). Subjects were evaluated by Korean versions of the Mini-mental State Exam (K-MMSE), the Physical and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (K-PIADL), and the Revised Algase Wandering Scale Nursing Home version (KRAWS-NH) along its six dimensions. Demographic and environmental data were also obtained. Independent sample ttests, Chi-square test, Fisher's Exact tests, and ANCOVAs were used to examine differences between wanderers and nonwanders. RESULTS: Wanderers were significantly (p<.05) older and had more limitations in K-PADL and K-IADL. The degree of overall wandering and certain features of wandering were significantly different (p<.05) by total number of residents in the facility, type of bedroom (i.e., "Ondol"), and color of bedroom and living-room walls (i.e., sky blue). CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study may be useful in understanding wandering behavior of KEDs and thus developing more culturally specific management strategies.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Dementia/*psychology ; Demography ; Female ; Homes for the Aged ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Homes ; *Wandering Behavior

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the newly developed instrument, Meaning in Life, for elderly Korean people. METHODS: Ten older adults participated in the qualitative research used to develop the initial items. Participants for the psychometric testing were 371 community-dwelling older adults. Validity and reliability analyses included content, construct, and criterion-related validities, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. RESULTS: The Meaning in Life Scale consisted of 12 items with three distinct factors; value of life, source of life, and will to live, which explained 86.7% of the total variance. A three-factor structure was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. Criterion-related validity was supported by comparison with the Purpose in Life Test (r=.74). Reliabilities were secured with test-retest reliability of Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) .85 and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient .90. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that this instrument is useful to measure meaning in life in Korean elders.
Adult* ; Aged ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Humans ; Psychometrics ; Qualitative Research ; Reproducibility of Results ; Value of Life

PURPOSE: This study examined the characteristics of fatigue and the relationship between fatigue and its related factors in Korean patients on hemodialysis. METHODS: A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted with 104 patients on hemodialysis in Seoul, Korea. FINDING: Of a total of 104 subjects, eighty-one (77.9%) complained of fatigue. Fatigue severity was measured by the self-rating Visual Analogue Scale-Fatigue (VAS-F) with a mean score of 36.5 (SD=17.49, range 2 - 81). The mean duration of fatigue was 3.8 hours (SD=5.3, range 0 - 24). Depression was most significantly correlated with fatigue (beta=.43, p<.00), with interdialytic weight gain (beta=.25, p<.05) being the second most significant correlate. CONCLUSION: This study shows that nursing interventions for patients who experience fatigue while on hemodialysis should be focused on both psychological problems, such as depression, as well as on physiological problems, such as interdialytic weight gain.
Risk Factors ; Renal Dialysis/*adverse effects ; Regression Analysis ; Multivariate Analysis ; Male ; Korea ; Humans ; Female ; Fatigue/*etiology/physiopathology/psychology ; Depression/complications ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in community-dwelling Korean women 60 years or older, and to identify factors associated with self-reported and medically diagnosed UI. METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of data from the 2008 Actual Living Condition of the Elderly and Welfare Need Survey, which used a stratified two-stage cluster sampling method to select a representative sample of 8,961 elderly Korean women. RESULTS: Of the 8,961 women in this study, 579 (6.5%) had self-reported UI, and 209 (2.3%) were medically diagnosed with UI. As patient age and exercise ability of the upper extremities increased, risk for self-reported UI decreased (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96-0.99; OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99, respectively). In contrast, as the number of limited instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) increased, the risk for self-reported UI increased (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.24-1.35). Overweight women were 1.94 times more likely to have self-reported UI compared to underweight women. Women with a history of stroke or asthma were more likely to have self-reported UI compared to women with no history. Also, women who reported being in good health were less likely to have UI, compared to women who reported being in poor health (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.31-0.70). Medically diagnosed UI was negatively associated with the number of limited IADL and exercise ability scores for the lower extremities (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.80-0.92; OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99, respectively). In contrast, as the exercise ability score for the upper extremities increased, so did the risk for medically diagnosed UI (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03). CONCLUSIONS: An interventional program for home visit health services is needed for incontinent women who are highly dependent on others for IADL.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged ; Asthma ; Exercise ; Female ; Health Services ; House Calls ; Humans ; Korea ; Lower Extremity ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Social Conditions ; Stroke ; Thinness ; Upper Extremity ; Urinary Incontinence*

PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study was to reexamine underlying dimensions of attitudes toward the elderly held by undergraduate nursing students. A secondary purpose was to investigate characteristics of nursing students associated with attitudes toward elders. METHODS: A survey was performed using self-report questionnaire completed by nursing students from a total of 10 nursing schools or departments each selected randomly from one province of Korea. Students' responses (N=366) were analyzed using factor analysis, correlation coefficients, t-test, and ANOVA. RESULTS: Three attitudinal dimensions explaining 35.29% of the variance were extracted: vitality, generosity and flexibility. From a neutral point of 4.0 in the range of 1 to 7, only generosity (4.47) was evaluated positively, whereas vitality (3.31) and flexibility (2.91) were evaluated negatively. The mean scores of the vitality and generosity dimensions were significantly different by students' level of communication with the elderly, experience living with the elderly, and interest in elders or in issues related to elders. Interest in elders/elder issues was the only characteristic affecting significant mean score difference in flexibility. CONCLUSION: Educational process should increase students' exposure to healthy elderly to modify negative attitudes toward the elderly among nursing students.
Adolescent ; Adult ; *Aged ; Analysis of Variance ; *Attitude of Health Personnel ; Communication ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/standards ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Female ; Geriatric Nursing/education ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Negativism ; Nursing Education Research ; Nursing Methodology Research ; *Prejudice ; Questionnaires ; Residence Characteristics/statistics & numerical data ; Stereotyping ; Students, Nursing/*psychology

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify associated factors of chewing discomfort among community-dwelling elderly. METHODS: The study was cross-sectional design and secondary data analysis using the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Among the total of 7,550 participants, data was analyzed with 1,126 adults aged 65 years and over. Chewing discomfort was assessed by the perceived chewing discomfort. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to find the associated factors of chewing discomfort. RESULTS: Along with 61.7% of the participants reported having chewing discomfort, 85.2% reported to perceive poor oral health and 35.0% had oral pain. In multivariate logistic regression, perceived oral health (OR 3.22, 95% CI 2.24~4.63), oral pain (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.76~3.43), activity limitation (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.05~2.80), teeth requiring treatment (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.14~2.26), number of remaining teeth (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.22~2.10) and educational level (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.15~2.12) were the significant predictors of chewing discomfort. CONCLUSION: The prevalence in chewing discomfort was high in elderly Koreans and various factors were associated with chewing discomfort. To improve chewing ability, it is suggested that the national level of policies offer strategical oral health programs in this population.
Adult ; Aged* ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Mastication* ; Nutrition Surveys ; Oral Health ; Prevalence ; Statistics as Topic ; Tooth

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of multisensory stimulation (MSS) using familiarity on persons with dementia (PWDs) residing in nursing homes in Korea. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group with pre and posttests was used. Fifty one PWDs were included if they: 1) were over 65 yr old, 2) were diagnosed with dementia, 3) had no visual or speech impairments, 4) were able to communicate, and 5) had spent more than one month in a nursing home. The experimental group (n=25) received a 55 min MSS program twice a week for 10 weeks. The outcome variables included were cognition, activities of daily living, grip strength, depression, wandering, and aggressive behaviors. Repeated ANOVA was used for data analysis. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in demographics or the main variables at pretest. Cognition, depression, wandering, and aggressive behaviors were significant over time between the two groups. Grip strength was only significant when accounting for interaction between group and time. CONCLUSION: An intervention of MSS using familiarity was marginally effective in improving cognition, depression, wandering, and aggression. Future study is suggested with a larger sample and longer treatment to retest the effects of MSS.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aggression ; Analysis of Variance ; Cognition ; Dementia/*nursing/psychology ; Demography ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Long-Term Care ; Male ; Program Evaluation ; *Recognition (Psychology) ; Republic of Korea ; Wandering Behavior

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors predicting behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in persons with dementia. Factors including the patient, caregiver, and environment based on the multi-dimensional behavioral model were tested. METHODS: The subjects of the study were 139 pairs of persons with dementia and their caregivers selected from four geriatric long-term care facilities located in S city, G province, Korea. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, inverse normal transformations, Pearson correlation coefficients, Spearman's correlation coefficients and hierarchical multiple regression with the SPSS Statistics 22.0 for Windows program. RESULTS: Mean score for BPSD was 40.16. Depression (β=.42, p<.001), exposure to noise in the evening noise (β=−.20, p=.014), and gender (β=.17, p=.042) were factors predicting BPSD in long-term care facilities, which explained 25.2% of the variance in the model. CONCLUSION: To decrease BPSD in persons with dementia, integrated nursing interventions should consider factors of the patient, caregiver, and environment.
Behavioral Symptoms ; Caregivers ; Dementia* ; Depression ; Humans ; Korea ; Long-Term Care ; Noise ; Nursing ; Residential Facilities ; Statistics as Topic