Hyojin Choi

Social connection is a core component of well-being. Older adults with declining physical functioning or serious health conditions are at particular risk for social isolation and loneliness, and often rely on a family caregiver to facilitate their social participation. Using data from the 2015 and 2017 National Health and Aging Trends Study and the National Survey of Caregiving, this study sought to elucidate dyadic interdependence in the relationship between physical vitality and social participation, among care recipient-caregiver dyads (152 dyads with dementia; 475 dyads without dementia). Actor-partner interdependence models reveal that physical vitality was positively associated with social participation in care recipients, regardless of their dementia status. In dyads with dementia, care recipients’ physical vitality was also positively associated with caregiver social participation. The findings demonstrate the importance of physical vitality of both older adults and their caregivers in maintaining social participation in the face of health challenges.

Background: Caregiving has a multitude of impacts across well‐being domains. Understanding these diverse effects is crucial for tailoring effective interventions and policies that reflect the complexity of caregiving and minimize possible negative effects. While the relationships between family carers' perceived stress and health status have been well identified, there has been limited attention to its relationship with self‐perceptions of aging (SPA). The purpose of this study was to investigate the pathways through which perceived stress wears down psychological resources, subsequently affecting health and SPA among spousal carers. Methods: The 2018 Health and Retirement Study data was used, with a sample of spousal carers ( n = 382). A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was used to examine the direct and indirect relationships among perceived stress, psychological resources, health, and SPA. Results: The findings of this study indicated that perceived stress is directly related to health and SPA among spousal carers. Another finding in this study revealed that perceived stress was related to health and SPA through psychological resources. Specifically, high perceived stress depletes psychological resources, which in turn leads to diminished health and SPA among spousal carers. Conclusions: These findings highlight that health and SPA are directly affected by perceived stress and are also shaped by spousal carers' psychological resources. It underscores the implications for intervention programmes and social support aimed at assisting spousal carers in navigating their situation in a healthy manner.

Background and objectives: Informal caregivers are critical to providing support to adults with functional limitations or disease in rural areas. There is a need to understand factors that impact rural caregiving to build equitable health services, yet there is a lack of research that weighs both strengths and challenges. Our goal is to examine these factors as identified by rural caregivers in qualitative interviews. Research design and methods: A purposive sample of rural-dwelling caregivers (n = 18) was recruited from a state-wide registry in a predominantly rural state. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by phone and interview transcripts were qualitatively analyzed. Results: We identified areas of strengths and resilience among rural caregivers, including informal support from friends and neighbors, which often bridged gaps in formal services. Rural caregivers also identified barriers to service use, such as long distance, travel and a lack of awareness within the healthcare system. Discussion and implications: These challenges increase caregivers’ needs for tailored family centered care coordination and highlight the necessity of providing diverse care delivery options. Our findings highlight that community-based efforts and policy should address barriers and rural disadvantage, while also fostering and empowering the resilience of caregivers in their rural home environment.

Background and Objectives: Only a fraction of the 53 million caregivers in the United States use available formal community services. This scoping review synthesized the literature on the barriers and facilitators of community support service utilization by adult caregivers of a family member or friend with an illness, disability, or other limitation. Research Design and Methods: We searched PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Web of Science for quantitative and qualitative articles assessing barriers and facilitators of caregivers’ access to and utilization of resources, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis scoping review guidelines. Thematic analysis, drawing on an initial conceptualization, informed key insights around caregivers’ resource navigation process. Results: The review provides support for individual factors affecting service use. Notably, some factors—such as time restrictions and increased caregiving demands—appear to function as barriers to accessing services even as they increase caregivers’ need for support. Additionally, contextual barriers including cultural factors and support of friends/family can affect caregivers’ access to resources. Finally, experience with health systems and structures and the intersection with other factors can affect service utilization. Discussion and Implications: Suboptimal access to and utilization of community support services can be addressed at both the person and system level to mitigate potential inequities. Ensuring that caregivers are aware of, eligible for, and have the capacity and support to access the appropriate resources at the right time is essential for improving caregiver outcomes, reducing burnout, and supporting continued care.

Currently, ascorbic acid (AA) is widely used as a skin whitening material, but, AA, an unstable hydrophilic molecule, cannot penetrate the skin easily, due to the hydrophobic character of the stratum corneum. Therefore, we conjugated AA with hydrated zinc oxide—an inorganic matrix with positive surface charge, to improve the stability of AA. The metal-conjugated-ascorbic acid (ZnAA) was then combined with yeast vacuole through the vacuolar membrane proteins that relate to metal transportation to create an enhanced vacuole that contained ZnAA. The characteristics of vacuole with ZnAA (ZnAA_Vac) were next examined by various tests that included X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE–SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Furthermore, the ability of ZnAA_Vac to degrade melanin was confirmed in both melanoma cell line B16F10, and the artificial human skin MelanoDerm. The results showed that ZnAA_Vac possessed a higher depigmenting effect than the wild-type vacuole or ascorbic acid by reducing 75% of melanin color. Interestingly, ZnAA_Vac was found to be harmless, and did not cause any cytotoxicity to the cells. Overall, ZnAA_Vac is expected to provide a robust, harmless, and effective whitening agent for the skin.

Background: Spouses of cancer survivors are at an increased risk of poor mental health outcomes but are known to underuse supportive services. The objective of the current study was to determine how the health and health care use of cancer survivors were associated with depression and anxiety‐related health care use in their spouses.Methods: The current observational study used data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to identify married individuals with a cancer‐related medical event or disability (“cancer survivors”), and linked health and health care use data across spousal dyads. Spouses reporting a prescription for an antidepressant or antianxiety medication or any psychotherapy were flagged as having used mental health care. Correlates of use were assessed, with a focus on the health and health care use of the cancer survivor.Results: Greater than 25% of the spouses of cancer survivors used mental health care over the approximately 2.5 years of follow‐up. Controlling for their own predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics, spouses were found to be less likely to use mental health care if the cancer survivor reported more health conditions or elevated depressed mood compared with dyads in which the survivor reported low distress and depression. Spouses were nearly 3 times more likely to use mental health care if the cancer survivor themselves had used mental health care (odds ratio, 2.98; 95% confidence interval, 2.17‐4.09).Conclusions: The findings of the current study enhance understanding of how health outcomes are intertwined in families with cancer, and reinforce the importance of a family‐centered approach to cancer care that facilitates psychosocial care.LAY SUMMARY: The health and well‐being of cancer survivors and their spouses are intertwined. The results of the current study demonstrated that this interrelationship extends to mental health care related to depression and anxiety. Spouses of cancer survivors were found to be less likely to receive mental health care when the survivor had more health care needs. Spouses were nearly 3 times more likely to receive care if the survivor also was receiving mental health care. Caregiving spouses may face more challenges finding the time, money, or energy to engage in their own self‐care. However, providing supportive care to one partner may help the other partner access care as well.

South Korea has been experiencing rapid population aging. In an aging society, the need for healthy lives is greater. Two of the fundamental factors to enable independent and active life for the elderly are mobility and social participation. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between older adults’ mobility, social participation, and quality of life in South Korea. We used data from the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and applied hierarchical regression. The major finding was that older adults’ mobility had a positive impact on their life satisfaction. After controlling for older adults’ mobility, social participation was positively associated with life satisfaction regardless of the place of residence. The findings of this study not only make a valuable contribution to further research on mobility and social participation but also provide new insight into improving older adults’ quality of life.

긴급차량은 시민의 보호를 위한 목적을 달성하기 위해서 신속히 현장으로 출동해야 한다. 하지만, 소방방재청 국가화재정보시스템 통계자료(2015)에 따르면 긴급차량이 ‘골든타임’에 도착하는 비율은 61%에 해당한다. 본 논문에서는 V2X(Vehicle to Everything) 통신 시스템을 이용하는 긴급차량의 통행권(EVR: Emergency Vehicle Right of Way) 확보 알고리즘을 교차로 환경에서 제안한다. EVR 알고리즘은 DSRC(Dedicated Short Range Communications)와 미국자동차학회에서 제공하는 SAE J2735의 안전 메시지 표준인 BSM(Basic Safety Message), SPAT(Signal Phase And Timing), EVA(Emergency Vehicle Alert) 그리고 SRM(Signal Request Message)을 기반으로 구현하였다. 그 결과 긴급차량의 도착시간의 평균이 64초에서 55초까지 줄어드는 것을 확인하였다.