PURPOSE
The objective of this study was to identify the relationships between family function and successful aging of vulnerable elderly using the circumplex model.
METHODS
The participants were the elderly (N=401) who were over 65 years old living in H city under the National Livelihood Security Act. Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III and Successful Aging Instrument were used.
RESULTS
The family function perceived by the study subjects was average 43.20 +/- 16.62 out of maximum 100 points. According to the analysis on family types suggested by circumplex model, there were 183 people for balance family (45.6%) and 218 people (54.4%) for extreme family. The total points on successful aging were 1.67 +/- 0.37 out of 3 points. When the difference in points on the Successful Aging instrument were analyzed according to the scores on the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale those points of the balanced family were statistically significant (t=2.087, p=.038).
CONCLUSION
In case of the balanced family type, the level of perceiving successful aging was relatively higher. For the improvement of family function, it is advised that the successful aging perception among vulnerable elderly can be uplifted through a program that enables effective communication with other family members.

PURPOSE
This study was conducted to evaluate successful aging (SA) in elderly individuals and to determine the factors that influence SA.
METHODS
The subjects included 207 elderly individuals from D city, Korea. The data were obtained between July 1 and August 30, 2008. The participants were assured of anonymity and confidentiality. For the evaluation, Kim & Shin's SA scale, Lawton's instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scale, Jon's self-esteem scale, Kee's geriatric depression scale short form-Korean (GDSSF-K), and Hong's productive activities scale were used. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation coefficients; multiple regression analysis was performed using the SPSS/WIN 10.0 program.
RESULTS
The maximum score for SA was 34, and the mean score was 22.62. It was found that SA was significantly correlated to IADL, self-esteem, depression, and productive activity. Depression was the most powerful predictor of SA and it accounted for 40.6% of the total variance in SA. Self-esteem, productive activity, living situation, economic status, and age together accounted for 62.1% of the total variation in SA.
CONCLUSION
Depression, self-esteem, and productive activity were identified as variables that influence SA. On the basis of these results, we conclude that nurses should assist elderly individuals in order to facilitate SA. Moreover, individualized nursing management strategies must be developed in order to facilitate SA.