Yoga and compassion meditation program improve quality of life and self-compassion in family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients: A randomized controlled trial.
Marcelo Ad Danucalov, Elisa H. Kozasa, Rui F. Afonso, José Cf Galduroz, José R Leite
Geriatrics & gerontology international 2017 DOI: 10.1111/ggi.12675 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 46 |
| Population | Family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease |
| Intervention | Yoga and compassion meditation program |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Attention Caregiver Quality of life Self-compassion Vitality Yoga |
| Key findings | An 8-week yoga and compassion meditation program improved quality of life, attention, vitality, and self-compassion in family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients. |
Abstract
To investigate the effects of the practice of yoga in combination with compassion meditation on the quality of life, attention, vitality and self-compassion of family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease. A total of 46 volunteers were randomly allocated to two groups, the yoga and compassion meditation program group (n = 25), and the control group (CG) that received no treatment (n = 21). The program lasted 8 weeks, and comprised three yoga and meditation practices per week, with each session lasting 1 h and 15 min. Quality of life, attention, vitality, and self-compassion scores were measured pre- and postintervention. The yoga and compassion meditation program group showed statistically significant improvements (P < 0.05) on quality of life, attention, vitality and self-compassion scores as compared with the control group, which showed no statistical significant differences at the postintervention time-point. The findings of the present study suggest that an 8-week yoga and compassion meditation program can improve the quality of life, vitality, attention, and self-compassion of family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 85-91.