Effects of Aromatherapy on the Physical and Mental Health and Pressure of the Middle-Aged and Elderly in the Community

Abstract

The physical and mental health of an aging society has become a major issue, and stress reduction and the improvement of physical and mental health are important physical and mental health issues for middle-aged and elderly people. This research sought to explore the application of aromatherapy for the improvement of physical and mental health and stress levels, as well as other issues, that concern the elderly in the community. The research was based on intentional sampling. A pre- and post-test design with unequal groups was employed. The experimental treatments were divided into five groups: Group A (compound essential oil massage plus sniffing), Group B (compound essential oil massage), Group C (pure base oil massage), Group D (compound essential oil sniffing), and control Group E (without any aromatherapy intervention). To explore the effects of aromatherapy on physical and mental health and stress relief among the elderly in the community, the self-completed Mental and Physical Health Scale for the Elderly and the Stress Index Measurement Scale were used to collect data. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and by paired sample t-test. It was concluded that aromatherapy can improve the physical and mental health of the elderly in the community and can significantly reduce stress. The experimental results on aromatherapy in this study can provide a basis for home application to help the elderly in the community. They also provide a foundation for the organization of health promotion courses for the elderly and other practical applications in social welfare group planning.

Complementary and Alternative Medicines Used by Middle-Aged to Older Taiwanese Adults to Cope with Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey

“…CAM usage has been reported to be significantly correlated with gender, age, education level, health status, and income [ 3 , 15 , 16 ]. Recent studies have suggested that middle-aged to older adults tended to seek different kinds of CAM to help them improve the harmony between their mind, body, and spirit [ 6 , 18 , 24 ]. Middle-aged adults, especially women and those with a higher education level, tend to search for more valuable sources of information to use different kind to CAMs and share their experiences with their friends [ 20 , 30 , 34 ].…”

“…Our data indicated that those adults who were middle-aged and had a specific religion smoke cigarette irregularly, chose vegetarian diets, and preferred to use massage for coping with stress, whereas those who drank alcohol regularly and did not have a particular type of occupation preferred to use spinal manipulation. Previous studies have demonstrated that massage therapy or aromatherapy massage can alleviate stress-induced psychophysiological discomfort, lower blood pressure and heart rates, decrease stress hormone levels, reduce fatigue, and improve sleep quality [ 6 , 31 ]. A recently published article has indicated that chiropractic care or spinal manipulation can provide management for musculoskeletal disorders; however, the inappropriate information from social media and the internet provided by chiropractic regulatory agencies which claimed that it can enhance immunity to protect against COVID-19 should be strictly noted by healthcare providers [ 40 ].…”

“…According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Taiwan has been an aging society since 2018, with people aged 65 years or above accounting for 14% of Taiwan’s total population, and the country will enter the super-aged society era by 2025 (more than 20% of the population above the age of 65) [ 1 , 2 ]. As is well known, the health of middle-aged to older adults (the population aged 45 and above) is the most important concern, which will require increasing attention in the future [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ], as the incidence of chronic disease rises dramatically with age and the majority of patients with a chronic disease are over the age of 65 years. Studies have also reported that the increased prevalence of chronic disease in middle-aged to older populations has led to increased healthcare expenditure, as well as having impacts on their physiological health and psychological stress, eventually affecting their quality of life [ 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Emerging Industry for Promoting Human Performance and Health: Opportunities and Challenges

“…The second paper, authored by M. H. Ke, K. T. Hsieh, and W. Y. Hsieh, explored the application of aromatherapy to the physical and mental health and pressure of the middle-aged and elderly in the community [2]. The experiments were conducted with five distinct groups: Group A (compound essential oil massage plus sniffing), Group B (compound essential oil massage), Group C (pure base oil massage), Group D (compound essential oil sniffing), and control Group E (without any aromatherapy intervention).…”

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“…Knowing that, School can be stressful at any age. It was proved that aromatherapy could create psychological and emotional support and stress relief [7] which the children need in the learning environment to thrive and succeed in school, and beyond. It enriches the classroom as a space in which students feel safe and supported in their pursuit of knowledge.…”