Art activities and qigong exercise for the well-being of older adults in nursing homes in Indonesia: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of an integrated intervention of art activities and Qigong exercise on the well-being of older adults in nursing homes in Indonesia. Method: We employed a randomized controlled trial with 4 specific groups, i.e. art, Qigong, integration of art and Qigong, and control group. A total of 267 participants aged 50 years or older were recruited from 9 nursing homes in Jakarta, Indonesia. The participants were randomly allocated to one of the four groups, attending two intervention sessions per week for eight weeks (16 sessions), lasting 90 minutes each. Measurements were administered at baseline (T 0) and post-intervention (T 1). The primary outcome was well-being (WHOQOL-Bref) and secondary outcomes were satisfaction with life (SWLS), depression (BDI-II), and health status (SF-36). Results: The art intervention had a significant positive effect on well-being, in particular in the domain of social relations. It also led to a decrease in depressive symptoms, as did the integration intervention. No significant effects were visible in the Qigong group nor in the integrated intervention compared to either art or Qigong alone. Conclusion: Interventions such as art programs and an integration of art and Qigong may give psychological benefits to older adults. Yet, results of the study need to be interpreted with caution and need to be replicated. A qualitative approach would be welcome to get an in-depth understanding of why art intervention is especially beneficial. (Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02957773, registered

The Effects of Tai Chi and Qigong Exercise on Psychological Status in Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Although the variation between the included studies with regard to experimental design (i.e., RCT vs. NRS) may produce inherent bias of the pooled data, the results suggest that Qigong has the potential to relieve psychological stress by regulating cortisol level. Previous studies mainly focused on identifying dose-response effect of exercise and physical activity for self-perceived psychological outcomes (Tsang et al, 2008 ; Wang et al, 2009 ; Roswiyani et al, 2019 ). Similarly, the included studies rarely used objective measures of psychological outcomes, restricting the possibility to conduct further meta-analysis on these variables.…”

Identification of Depression Among Elderly During COVID-19

“…14 In Indonesia, the prevalence of depression among nursing home population is quite high (42.5%), and this has been attested by the evidence of high demand for nursing home programs that are suitable for accommodating the elderly’s physical and mental health. 15 A study conducted by Hanum et al 16 showed a high prevalence of psychological issues among the elderly, where 32.72% of the study sample experienced depression. According to Wahyuningsih et al, 17 the risk of depression rose with the experience of chronic illness, social isolation, and loneliness.…”

Non-pharmacological Approaches to Depressed Elderly With No or Mild Cognitive Impairment in Long-Term Care Facilities. A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…Regarding treatment duration, although data were missing in some studies, interventions lasted mostly for 4-8 weeks. With more detail, 13 studies (21,22,27,39,44,45,52,54,55,63,68,71,77) described 8 weeks interventions. Exceptions were the Llewellyn-Jones et al (26) and the Leontjevas et al (66) studies, which included an assessment after 9.5 and 20 months, respectively.…”

“…Exceptions were the Llewellyn-Jones et al (26) and the Leontjevas et al (66) studies, which included an assessment after 9.5 and 20 months, respectively. Usually, treatment sessions had a weekly frequency, higher in some studies (2/week) (38,39,44), (3/week) (61,65) and lasted 30 to 60 min (21,27,41,45,47,48,53,57,59,77).…”

“…Among the heterogeneous interventions described, several authors reported a positive effect on depressive symptoms (26-33, 46, 62, 66, 71, 72). The types of psychoeducational/rehabilitation interventions assessed included: 8 week sessions of writing group (45); training, education and activity programmes for residents as well as for physicians and carers (26); a mixed intervention including different activities with a recreation therapist (27); an individualized psychosocial intervention carried out by a volunteer and a nurse (28); mentoring English conversational activity (29); self-worth therapy managed by a trained mental health nurse (30); a program of pleasant event activities (31); videoconference interaction with relatives (32); "friendly visits" problem-solving treatment ( 72 Effect sizes for each study arm are reported in Supplementary Table 4 and Supplementary Figure 4.…”