2021 Volume 10 Issue 1-2 Pages 33-39
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an intervention using Taktil care that brings positive emotions. The subjects were 46 elderly people who live in a nursing home or use day service in S prefecture. Taktil care was performed three times for approximately 15 minutes for each hand. The effect was measured with Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Japanese short version of Geriatric Depression Scale 1 week before the intervention (control period) and three times after the intervention. In addition, for stress analysis, autonomic nervous system activity, autonomic nervous system balance, physical stress, mental stress, stress resistance, fatigue, cardiac stability, and stress score were measured with Well up's Max Pulse. The Face Scale (FS) and salivary amylase activity were also measured before and after the intervention. The results showed that the MMSE score and the mean FS score have significantly improved after the intervention compared to the control period (P <0.01). The autonomic nervous system activity, mental stress, stress resistance, and cardiac stability have also significantly improved after the intervention compared to the control period. Comparing the salivary amylase activity levels before and after the intervention, 70% of the subjects showed a significant decrease. This study suggested the effectiveness of Taktil for bringing positive emotions and reducing stress in the elderly with dementia.
