Empowering older adults: evaluating the impact of a smartphone education app on independent living.

Purpose: As science and technology advance, older people's ability to use smart devices in their daily living is becoming more demanding. This study addresses the increasing use of smartphones by the older adults, who often struggle with technology due to lack of competence. We developed an educational app tailored for older adults users and compare its effectiveness with existing educational videos. Methods: An app was created based on the learning characteristics of the older adults, using the ADDIE model, and compared with traditional video education. It involved six participants aged 65 or older, and convenience sampling method was used, evaluating the app and video through usability assessments and eye tracking. Quantitative and qualitative analyzes were conducted with focus groups under the researcher's control. Results: The app received higher usability scores than the video in content, motivation, and interaction. Eye tracking showed users paid more consistent attention to the app. Conclusion: The smartphone app facilitates learning for the older adults without the constraints of time and place, improving their quality of life and technology skills. Eye tracking can be instrumental in future app development for this demographic.

Psychometric properties of the readiness for return to work scale in occupational rehabilitation in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: This study validated the Korean version of the Readiness to Return to Work (RRTW) scale, as an assessment measure, following a musculoskeletal, work-related injury and as a measure of following return to work. METHODS: The participants of this study were workers with experience in rehabilitation programs at the Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL) Hospital in Korea. Factor analyses were employed to ensure the validity and reliability of the RRTW scale in claimants who were in treatment without working (the not-working group) or who had already returned to work (the working group). To test structural validity, we analyzed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) respectively for the not working group (exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (n = 200), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (n = 109), and the working group (n = 123). To verify concurrent validity (multidimensional and assignment approach), the variables that were identified as relevant variables in previous studies were analyzed. RESULTS: The not working group EFA, as shown in the original scale, had four dimensions, and one item was deleted: (1) Precontemplation (PC), (2) Contemplation (C), (3) Prepared for Action-Self-evaluative (PAS), and (4) Prepared for Action-Behavioral (PAB). The CFA revealed that a good model fit and reliability were suitable. Regarding the working group of EFA, it appeared in two dimensions as in the original scale, one item was modified from the UM scale to the PM scale, and the reliability was appropriate. Concurrent validity was satisfied based on the correlation between the RRTW factor and related variables. CONCLUSIONS: RRTW in the Korean version of the instrument was similar to those reported for the original scale, indicating that it may be used in research and clinical settings.

Developing Domains and Items about Self-Management among Elderly People with Chronic Disease.

Lifestyle is considered as a key factor that affects one's health and quality of life, and it has become the focus of increasing research interest worldwide. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the areas of self-management necessary as part of occupational therapy for elderly people suffering from chronic diseases living in local communities, as well as elements to be included in each area. METHOD: Delphi survey methodology was utilized. Participants answered three surveys, and we derived the mean, standard deviation, and content validity ratios for each domain and item. RESULTS: We derived 13 domains and 68 items about self-management, derived the fit and importance of 1 domain and 23 items, and finally derived 12 domains and 54 items. CONCLUSION: The program developed using this research can become a systematic and evidence-based intervention and provide an opportunity for self-management to the target population.

π-Conjugated Polymers Incorporating a Novel Planar Quinoid Building Block with Extended Delocalization and High Charge Carrier Mobility.

Two novel conjugated polymers incorporating quinoidal thiophene are successfully synthesized. By combining 1D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and 2D nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy analyses, the isomeric form of the major quinoid monomer is clearly identified as the asymmetric Z, E-configuration. The quinoidal polymers are synthesized via Stille polymerization with thiophene or bithiophene. Both quinoidal polymers exhibit the low band gap of 1.45 eV and amphoteric redox behavior, indicating extended conjugation owing to the quinoidal backbone. These quinoidal polymers show ambipolar behaviors with high charge carrier mobilities when applied in organic field-effect transistors. In addition, the radial alignment of polymer chains achieved by off-center spin-coating leads to further improvement of device performance, with poly(quinoidal thiophene-bithiophene) exhibiting a high hole mobility of 8.09 cm2 V-1 s-1 , which is the highest value among the quinoidal polymers up to now. Microstructural alteration via thermal annealing or off-center spin-coating is found to beneficially affect charge transport. The enhancement of crystallinity with strong π-π interactions and the nanofibrillar structure arising from planar well-delocalized quinoid units is considered to be responsible for the high charge carrier mobility.