JOURNAL OF AGING PSYCHOLOGY
Year:2017 | Volume:3 | Issue:2 |Papers Count:7

Elderliness is one of the most sensitive stages in the development of a person's life, and passing through it with a high quality of life can facilitate the process. Parkinson's after Alzheimer's is the most common disease in the elderly, and this requires more attention in the field of treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of laughter yoga exercises on the anxiety level and quality of sleep in the elderly suffering from Parkinson's. The present study was semi empirical using pre-test and post-test. The sample of this study was 24 elderly patients with Parkinson's disease referred to Hazrat Rasoul-e-Akram Hospital (Tehran, Iran) in the age range of 55 to 75. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups of experimental and control, each group containing 12 patients. The tools used in this research included Beck Anxiety Inventory and The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The experimental group, in addition to the usual drug therapy, was subjected to two sessions (45 minutes each) per week for 8 weeks, under the supervision of an official and specialist trainer. Mann–Whitney U test and Shapiro–Wilk test were used for data analysis. The results showed that a period of laughter yoga exercises led to a significant reduction in anxiety level in the elderly with Parkinson's disease (P<0.001). Also, this intervention led to a significant increase in sleep quality (P<0.001), subscales of subjective sleep quality (P<0.003) and sleep latency (P<0.008). But there was no significant difference in subscales of sleep duration (P<0.755), sleep efficiency (P<0.242), sleep disturbance (P<0.068), use of hypnotics (P<0.755) and daily dysfunction (P<0.755). According to the findings of this study, we can use the practice of laughter yoga as a complementary therapy, along with other therapeutic methods, to reduce the anxiety and improve the quality of sleep in the elderly with Parkinson's disease.

Considering the variety of anxieties, especially the anxiety of death in the elderly and the increasing growth of the elderly population, the study of mental health factors in this stage of life seems to be necessary. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between spiritual well-being, mental well-being and quality of life with death anxiety in the elderly. The method of this research was descriptive correlational. The statistical population consisted of all elderly people in Khorramabad city in 1396. A sample of 100 elderly individuals (50 women and 50 men) were selected through convenient sampling method. The data collection tool included Paloutzian-Ellison’s Spiritual Well-Being Scale (1982), Ware, Kosinski, & Keller’s 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12; 1996), the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS; 2007), and Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale (1970). The collected data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression. The results of this study indicate that there is a negative and significant relationship between spiritual well-being, mental well-being and quality of life with death anxiety in the elderly (P<0.001). Furthermore, the results of stepwise regression show that mental well-being and spiritual well-being are significant predictors for Death anxiety in the elderly. The present study indicates the importance of the determinants of death anxiety in the elderly and confirms the need for attention and consideration of these factors.

Sleep quality in old age affects quality of life, and one of the common problems of old age is sleep disorder. The poor quality of sleep, after headache and digestive disorders, is the third most common problem and complaint among the elderly. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between quality of sleep and quality of life in the elderly living in nursing homes in three districts of Tehran. The present study is descriptive-analytic and was implemented in nursing homes under the Welfare Organization of Tehran. Ninety elderly individuals were selected by random sampling method and taking into account their vigilance, ability to respond and willingness to participate in the study. The data collection tools consisted of The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and The Quality of Life Scale. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and variance analysis. The results show that there is a significant positive correlation between the quality of life of the elderly and their quality of sleep (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the quality of life of elderly people in the three districts of Tehran, but in terms of quality of sleep, the average sleep quality of elderly people living in the southern region was significantly better than those in the center and north of Tehran. In order to improve the quality of sleep and quality of life of elderly people living in nursing homes, emphasis is placed on the need to pay more attention to their needs and to conduct special care programs in their elderly years. It is also suggested that in future studies, the relationship between sleep, lifestyle and personality traits in elderly people should be investigated.

Elderly people are considered as the most sensitive age group of the community, and their cognitive and emotional health deserves attention. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of mindfulness and meta-emotions in predicting cognitive failure in the elderly. The research method was descriptive correlational. The statistical population of this study was all the elderly in Tehran in 1396. The sample consisted of 215 elderly individuals who were selected using random sampling method from nursing homes, and a two stage cluster sampling method from Tehran parks. Data were collected using The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (Broadbent, Cooper, Fitz Gerald & Parkes, 1982), The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS), and ‎Mitmansgruber’s Meta-Emotion Scale. The collected data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression. The results of Pearson correlation coefficient shows that there is a significant negative relationship between cognitive failure and mindfulness. Also, the results shows that positive meta-emotions have a significant negative relationship with cognitive failures, while there is a significant positive correlation between negative meta-emotions and cognitive failure in the elderly. The results of regression analysis also shows that mindfulness and negative meta-emotions can significantly predict cognitive failures in the elderly. Therefore, by providing therapeutic interventions based on increasing mindfulness and reducing negative meta-emotions, it is possible to take steps to prevent or control cognitive failures in the elderly.

Increased population of elderly people has led scholars and specialists to focus on the importance of paying attention to the health of the elderly and to provide the necessary facilities for special services in this area. Some important factors that determine the quality of life of the elderly are differentiation and frustration tolerance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to predict psychological resilience based on the degree of differentiation and frustration tolerance of the elderly. The method of this research was descriptive correlational. The statistical population of the study included all elderly people over 60 years old covered by the Social Security Department of Kermanshah. A sample of 195 elderly people was selected using convenient sampling method. The tools used in this research were Ahwaz Psychological Resilience Questionnaire, Skowron and Friedlander’s The Differentiation of Self Inventory, and Harrington’s Frustration Discomfort Scale. Using Pearson correlation method and multivariate regression model, the findings shows that there is a positive and significant relationship between differentiation and psychological resilience of elderly people. There is a significant positive correlation between frustration tolerance and psychological resilience. The variables of frustration tolerance, differentiation in the context of interaction with others, and differentiation in the context of emotional responsiveness, respectively, predict the psychological resilience of the elderly. Therefore, it can be said that if problems that cause despair in the elderly are not resolved in a reasonable and timely manner, they cause many discomforts and tensions that result in person's personality and behavior disorder and, if they progress, leads to mental illness.

Old age is a period of life in which elderly people are exposed to potential threats, such as increased chronic illness, loneliness, isolation and lack of social support, and due to physical and mental disabilities, in many cases, their independency is threatened. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment based group intervention on health and cognitive function in elderly patients with age-related macular degeneration. This research was a semi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test using two experimental and control groups. The research population included elderly patients with age-related macular degeneration referred to Karaj’s specialized eye clinic. The sample consisted of 28 people who were selected by convenience sampling and randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. An intervention program based on acceptance and commitment was conducted in 8 sessions of 120 minutes in the form of group counseling. The results of this study were analyzed using repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) and LSD tests. The results of this study shows that intervention therapy based on acceptance and commitment has a significant effect on the variable of mental health in general health, and the subscales of physical symptoms, anxiety, insomnia and Depression. But results were not significant in the subscale of social function. These effects were retained in follow-up, but the intervention was unaffected by cognitive function. According to the findings of the study, acceptance and commitment based therapy could be used to promote mental health in the elderly with age-related macular degeneration.

In today’s world, the issue of physical and psychological health and well-being of the elderly is one of the most important global concerns. Evidence suggests that physical activity can improve mental and cognitive performance and also play a role in preventing cognitive function decline. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of regular Pilates exercises on long-term and short-term memory of the elderly. This research was a semi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design and control group. The statistical population of this study included all elderly people living in the elderly homes of Alborz province in 1396.30 elderly people aged 60 years and above were selected from the Kahrizak Care Center in Alborz province as convenient samples, according to the entry criteria, and were randomly divided into two groups of experimental (n=15) and control (n=15). The Wechsler Memory Scale was used as a tool in this research. The experimental group was intervened during 24 sessions of an hour (Pilates exercise: introduction, breathing and standing, level 1 exercises, single leg circle, shoulder bridge, single leg stretch, double legs stretch, spine stretch forward, cool down). Data were analyzed using covariance analysis. The results shows that Pilates exercises result in a significant improvement in short-term memory of elderly women (p<0.001), but no significant effect on long-term memory of the elderly (p=0.414). Therefore, Pilates intervention can be used to maintain and improve the short-term memory of the elderly living in the elderly care centers, and more time is required to maintain and improve long-term memory.