노인을 위한 치매예방프로그램의 효과에 관한 연구

Abstract

The current average life expectancy in Korea is 80 years, and Korea has long been an aging society, with the percentage of population over the age of 65 years surpassing 7% in 2000. In 2009, the percentage was 10.7%, by 2019, itnifying an aged population, and by 2026, it will be over 20%, entering a hyper-aged society. The time taken for moving from an aging society, with senior citizen population of 7%, to an aged society, with senior citizen population of 14%, was 115 years for France, 75 years for the United States, and 45 years for West Germany and England. However, this time was 26 years for Japan and is predicted to be only 19 years for Korea. Therefore, preparing for management of the aging society is urgently required (2002, Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare). One problem we face is that chronic diseases affecting senior citizens are increasing with increase of senior population. One disease that is mostly encountered is dementia. The estimated numbers of senile dementia patients, who can pose a social problem, were approximately 310,000 in 2002, which is about 8.3% of the population aged over 65 years. The incidence rate of dementia in Korea is predicted to increase from 8.4% in 2008, to 9.7% in 2020, and 13.2% in 2050, and the predicted number of patients will increase two-fold in 2050, from approximately 470,000 in 2010. Dementia is more frequent in old people, women, people with low education, and those who have lost their spouses; further, smoking, history of head injury, and depression are known to increase the risk of dementia. A recent study shockingly revealed that dementia, traditionally considered a problem of seniors, has recently increased precipitously in the middle-aged population in the 40s and 50s, and of the 2500 dementia patients presenting at a general hospital in the past 5 years, 10% were reported to be in their 40s and 50s. The medical world has predicted that in 2020, the numbers of senile dementia patients in Korea will be more than 600,000. Currently, the distributions of dementia patients according to ages are 3% in the 70s, 23% between 85–89 years, and 58% over 95 years; further, it should be noted that the incidence rates sharply increase with age. Dementia, dubbed “disease of the 21st century,”affects not only the patient but also the lives of the patient’s family, decreases the family’s quality of life, and sometimes accompanies enough burden and pain to destroy some families, and it is sometimes noted to cause significant problems in the society. This study was conducted at a dementia prevention center at a university by enrolling senior patients participating in the dementia prevention center program. The study aimed to actively develop dementia prevention programs and train specialized workforce for dementia prevention. The senior citizens who participated in the program for a certain period recorded their experiences, suggestions for improvements, and degrees of satisfaction. On the basis of these results, we developed methods to improve the dementia prevention programs.