The Improvement in Depression by Mindfulness-Yoga for the Elderly

• Main Authors: Chang, Hui-Min, 張惠閔
• Other Authors: Chung, Yen-Yi
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/85784890075435989174

碩士 === 中臺科技大學 === 醫療暨健康產業管理系碩士班 === 102 === Purpose: Taiwan’s rising elderly population who suffer from depression has become even more serious. It has been listed as one of the three major diseases in this century because of the change in demographic structure, increase in elderly population. Depression in elderly patients is treated with multiple drugs. However, this study attempts to use alternative medical interventions, the use of mindfulness yoga and yoga activities involving potentially depressive tendency of older people to compare the effectiveness of different interventions to improve the depressive tendency for the elderly. Among the older people, they need focus not only on the physiological degradation, but also psychological change. In this study, with a view of prevention point, potentially depressive tendency of older people were engaged in mindfulness yoga and yoga activities to explore their tendency to improve the effectiveness of elderly depression. Methods: Research sampling was chosen from a nursing home in Taichung City that has 36 elderly patients. We selected 24 elderly and divided them into two groups with each of 12 patients: experimental groups and the control group. The experiment has conducted twice a week during 5 weeks. While the sample in the control group only filled out scale without any intervention activities, the sample in the experimental group has been often guided to practice mindfulness yoga and yoga activities. Before and after of each activity, a measurement of Geriatric Depression scale, compassion scale and emotional face scale were made using Taiwan version. Results: Through ten times of intervention activities in five weeks, non-parametric chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were analyzed to measure the tendency toward depression, compassion and emotional changes in facial and mindfulness yoga group and the control group. The study found that through mindfulness yoga intervention, depressive tendency, compassion and emotional face scale were achieved significant improvements and the magnitude of improvement was found in the yoga group than the control group. Discussion: Mindfulness Yoga and yoga activities have a significant and better effect, for elderly patients with depression. The research results can contribute to long-term care facilities, medical units and can be used as a purpose of academic research.