Effect of Jacobson's Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Anxiety and Happiness of Older Adults in the Nursing Home.

Background: Older adults encounter serious psychological challenges in addition to physical problems. Reducing stress and anxiety, along with promoting happiness, is critical to maintaining the mental health of the elderly. Jacobson's Progressive Muscle Relaxation (JPMR) will lead to peace of mind by relieving physical stress. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of JPMR on the anxiety and happiness of older adults. Materials and Methods: A single-group pretest-posttest design as a type of quasi-experimental study was conducted on 34 older adults living in a nursing home in Rasht, the north of Iran, in 2021. The intervention was performed one session per week, for 8 weeks. The research instruments included the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) and the Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI). Descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon test were used for data analysis. Results: After the intervention, the Mean (Standard Deviation [SD](of anxiety was 4.91 (1.96), and the Mean (SD) (of happiness was 37.18 (7.92). The mean score of anxiety among older adults after the intervention was significantly lower compared to the before intervention (Z = -4.73, p < 0.001). In addition, the mean score of happiness of the samples after the intervention was significantly higher compared to the before intervention (Z = -5.09, p < 0.001). Conclusions: JPMR has a positive effect on reducing anxiety and promoting happiness in the elderly. Developing training programs and allocating time to non-pharmacological treatments such as JPMR for the elderly living in nursing homes will help make them happier and healthier.

The effect of corrective exercises on musculoskeletal disorders among the older adults residing in a nursing home in Rasht, Guilan, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Ageing causes changes in the function of musculoskeletal systems and disability, and injury among older adults. This study aimed to determine the effect of corrective exercises on musculoskeletal disorders among older adults residing in a nursing home in Iran. METHOD: This controlled clinical trial study was conducted on 58 older adults (29 samples in each group). The intervention group performed corrective exercises for 8 weeks and three sessions per week and each session lasted for one hour. The pre-test was performed one week before intervention and the post-test one week after the 8-week intervention. The research instruments included Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), and the pain visual analog scale (VAS). Descriptive and inferential (Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, and McNemar test) statistics were used to analyze the data using SPSS software version 19. RESULTS: the majority of the participants were males (67.2%) and in the age range of 60-74 years (82.8%). The mean age of samples in intervention and control groups was 68.45 (SD = 5.38) and 69.17 (SD = 5.86), respectively. The results showed that the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) was decreased in the intervention group after the intervention (%Δ = -34.68, p < .05). The results also showed a statistically significant decrease in pain intensity of musculoskeletal in the intervention group, after the intervention (%Δ = -68.34, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Corrective exercises reduce the prevalence of MSDs and the pain intensity among older adults. It is recommended to pay attention to these exercises to improve physical health and reduce the prevalence of MSDs among older adults.

Effects of health belief model in promoting self-care behaviors among hypertensive older adults.

BACKGROUND: Aging has the fastest growth rate in age groups. With age, the prevalence of a variety of chronic diseases also increases. Among chronic diseases, hypertension is one of the most important diseases among older adults and self-care is one of the effective approaches to control it. The aim of the present study was to apply the health belief model (HBM) in promoting self-care in hypertensive older adults to help improve self-care behaviors in this age group. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a quasi-experimental study. This study was conducted at comprehensive health centers in the east of Guilan province, Iran. METHODS AND MATERIAL: This intervention study was conducted on 106 elderly people with hypertension who were selected with a multi-stage random sampling method from those referred to east health centers of Gilan, Iran, in 2019. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire including demographic characteristics, HBM structure, hypertension knowledge, and hypertension self-care questionnaires. The intervention group received an educational program based on the HBM model. The questionnaire was completed by the elderly before and 2 months after the intervention. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, Wilcoxon, Fisher, and ANCOVA tests usingSPSS ver.16. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in knowledge and all HBM constructs before and after the intervention in the intervention group (P < 0.001). In the control group, knowledge (P-value = 0.023), self-efficacy (P-value = 0.001), perceived severity (P-value = 0.005), and cues to action (P-value = 0.008) were significantly different (P < 0.05) after the intervention. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that HBM-based education can be considered an effective educational framework for improving self-care of the hypertensive older adults.

Geriatric nutritional risk index in prediction of muscular strength of elderly patients undergoing hemodialysis.

PURPOSE: Geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is one of the new tools to determine nutritional status in the elderly. This study assessed the association between GNRI and muscular strength through handgrip strength (HGS) in patients undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: This cross-sectional analytical study assessed 110 hemodialysis patients at Guilan, North of Iran, (mean age of 70.3 ± 6.93), 57 men and 53 women through simple random sampling. Demographic characteristics, GNRI, and HGS of patients were determined. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent t test, AVOVA, Pearson correlation, and linear multiple regression tests. RESULTS: The mean values of the GNRI and HGS were 93.90 ± 11.06 and 14.82 ± 3.72, respectively. Finally, it was identified that there is a direct and significant association between GNRI and HGS (p = 0.001, r = 0.734). Linear multiple regression showed that GNRI is an independent predictor of HGS (Adj.R2 = 0.67, ßGNRI = 8.13). CONCLUSION: GNRI can be used as a predictor of muscular strength in hemodialysis patients.

The Effect of Olea Ointment on Post-Episiotomy Pain Severity in Primiparous Women: A Paralleled Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Episiotomy is the most commonly performed surgical procedure during delivery, and its associated pain is a major problem in obstetrics. This study aimed to determine the effect of Olea ointment on the severity of post-episiotomy pain in primiparous women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This paralleled randomized controlled clinical trial was performed on 73 primiparous women in Al-Zahra hospital in Rasht, Iran in 2017-2018. Women were randomly allocated into intervention (n = 39) and control (n = 34) groups. The first intervention was performed 4 h after the episiotomy. This continued every 8 h for 10 days. The pain intensity of episiotomy was assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before intervention, 2 and 24 h after the beginning of intervention, and 5 and 10 days after childbirth. Descriptive and inferential statistics (Mann-Whitney, Fisher exact test, Independent t-test, Friedman test, and Chi-square) were performed for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among two groups in terms of demographic and obstetrics characteristics. The severity of pain in intervention and control group before the intervention was not statistically significant, but the variable depicted a meaningful difference between the groups 2 h after the intervention (U = 483.50, p = 0.021), 24 h after the intervention (U = 489.50, p = 0.019), as well as the 5th day (U = 112.50, p < 0.001) and 10th day postpartum (U = 136.50, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings, Olea ointment could be used effectively for reducing of episiotomy pain. Similar studies are recommended.