Abstract
Aim: To determine the psychological and physiological effects of a Laughing Qigong Program on an elderly population in an institutionalized setting. Methods: Participants were recruited from a long-term care institution in northern Taiwan. A total of 99 residents were interviewed and 66 enrolled, there were 33 control participants and 33 experimental participants. The participants were matched according to their abilities as measured by the Barthel Index of Activities for Daily Living. Experimental participants attended the Laughing Qigong Program, twice a week for 4 weeks. Comparisons were made on the Mini-Mental State Examination, Faces Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale and cortisol levels. Results: Psychometric measures for participants in the experimental group improved, whereas those in the control group decreased. The experimental group showed the following changes: improved Mini-Mental State Examination scores (Z=-2.28; P
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 165-173 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Geriatrics and Gerontology International |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 1 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Cognitive function
- Depression
- Elderly care
- Laughter therapy
- Mood
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Gerontology
- Health(social science)
- Medicine(all)