The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of hot towel compresses and foot baths on the feet of young adults as a preliminary study aimed at application of easier supporting care method for fall prevention in the elderly. Twenty-six healthy young subjects (22.1±2.1 years old) underwent a foot bath (40±1℃) and a hot towel compress (using two towels wrung out in a hot 60℃ water bath) for 10 minutes. The evaluation items were deep knee temperature (thermal effect), dorsiflexion angle of the ankle joint (ankle joint flexibility), and toe grasping strength (postural retention). A non-inferiority test of the deep knee temperature showed that a temperature increase after the hot towel compress was not inferior to that of the foot bath. In both conditions, dorsiflexion angle of the ankle joint and toe grasping force were improved, and the comparison between groups showed significant differences only in the left ankle dorsiflexion angle. The hot-towel compress is not only non-inferior to a foot bath, but may be more effective than a foot bath, and is expected to be used as care aimed at preventing falls in the elderly.

　Terminally ill patients have difficulty maintaining the same body position for long periods of time and strong pressure can be a burden on them. To identify touching techniques that can be used for these patients, we investigated the physiological and psychological effects of touching the skin surface with weak pressure for short periods of time. The results revealed a significant increase in skin temperature and a decrease in pulse rate immediately after and 10 minutes after touch intervention, compared with before intervention. In a psychological scale measuring relaxation effect, scores for all four items changed significantly towards greater relaxation immediately after and 10 minutes after touch intervention compared with before intervention. The results of these studies demonstrated the relaxation effects of touching performed with weak pressure for a short duration.

　The bedside environment is a critical factor in facilitating effective communication within nursing practice. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of patient posture on communication by assessing subjective ease in conversation and autonomic nervous system activity in different positions. Healthy volunteers served as simulated patients, with measurements taken in both supine and unsupported sitting positions on the bed, which are considered common bed postures. The results indicated that participants experienced greater ease in conversation and exhibited reduced sympathetic activity in the unsupported sitting position compared with the supine position. Notably, a significant negative correlation was observed between ease in conversation and sympathetic activity in the supine position. These findings suggest that optimizing patient posture, specifically using an unsupported sitting position, may alleviate psychological and physical strain during communication. The study also proposes heart rate variability analysis (LF/HF) as a potential indicator for determining optimal patient posture that promotes ease in communicative interactions within nursing practice.