[The study of senile symptoms and home care on the elderly living in Korea]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the daily life and care condition of elderly people living in Korea, and to observe the symptom of senile dementia among them. In the first survey, 713 subjects were screened and 42 subjects were diagnosed as suffering from senile dementia. In the second survey, 26 elderly and their caregivers who agreed to participate in this program, were interviewed. The results were as follows. 1. About 25% of the 713 subjects needed some kind of help in their daily life. 2. 85% of the subjects could go out and about their houses without help. Only 5% of them had a complete or a partial loss of activity. 3. Of all the subjects, 42 were diagnosed as suffering from senile dementia. The prevalence of this disease was calculated at 5.6% in the survey. 4. Each demented elderly person had 5.3 mental symptoms on the average. Depression was observed more among women and violence was observed more among men. 5. The elderly who had a lower CPR score (Caretaker-Patient Relationship Score), indicating a poor relationship between the patient and caretaker, had a higher prevalence of mental symptoms than those who had a higher CPR score.