The Effects of a Functional Game (Rejuvenescent Village) for Older Koreans’ Cognitive Function, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Depression, and Life Satisfaction

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a senior functional game (Rejuvenescent village) on cognitive function, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), depression, and life satisfaction in Korea. Methods: An one-group pretest-posttest design was used in this study. Data were collected twice (at the beginning and the end) from 100 elderly adults in S city who played “Rejuvenescent village” 8 times (twice per week, one hour per session) for a month. Also they completed questionnaires on their cognitive function, IADL, depression, life satisfaction, and general characteristics. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 programs. Results: The mean age was 70.06(± 3.77) years, with a range of 65-80 years old. Among 100 subjects, 21% were male and 85% were young old. There were statistically significant differences in cognitive function (t= -3.32, p = .001), IADL (t= 1.98, p = .049), and life satisfaction (t= -2.15, p = .034). Although there was no statistically significant difference in mean depression score (t= 1.06, p = .292), categorized depression was statistically significant (χ = 62.97, p < .001). Conclusion: The findings in this study show that the serious game (Rejuvenescent village) was effective for older Koreans’ cognitive function, IADL, depression, and life satisfaction. Thus, we need to consider senior functional games to get health benefits by making elderly adults active with enjoyment.