The Impact of the Otago Exercise Program on Frailty and Empowerment in Older Nursing Home Residents: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the impact of Otago exercises on frailty and empowerment in older nursing home residents. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included 72 individuals aged over 65 years residing in a single nursing home in Izmir, Turkey. The participants were randomly assigned to the Otago exercise group (OEG) or control group (CG). The OEG performed Otago exercises for 45 minutes, 3 days per week for 12 weeks plus a walking program the 3 other days of the week. In addition to Otago exercise training, the OEG received training based on empowerment consisting of 10 sessions lasting 30 minutes each. The CG received no intervention except routine care in the nursing home. The data collected were sociodemographic characteristics, Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) scores, and Elderly Empowerment Scale (EES) scores before and 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS: We observed significant differences between the mean EFS (p=0.0001) and mean EES (p=0.0001) before and 3 months after the intervention in the OEG compared to the CG. We also observed a significant difference between the OEG and CG in mean EFS (p=0.018) and EES (p=0.0001) 3 months after the intervention. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study demonstrated the positive impact of the Otago exercise program on preventing/delaying frailty and enhancing empowerment in older people.

Effect of therapeutic touch on daytime sleepiness, stress and fatigue among students of nursing and midwifery: A randomized sham-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to assess the effect of therapeutic touch on stress, daytime sleepiness, sleep quality and fatigue among students of nursing and midwifery. METHODS: 96 students were randomized into three groups: the therapeutic touch (TT) group, the sham therapeutic touch (STT) group, and the control group. In this randomized sham-controlled study, the TT group was subjected to therapeutic touch twice a week for four weeks with each session lasting 20 min. RESULTS: When the TT group was compared to the STT and control groups following the intervention, the decrease in the levels of stress (p < 0.001), fatigue (p < 0.001) and daytime sleepiness (p < 0.001), and the increase in the sleep quality (p < 0.001) were found to be significant. CONCLUSION: It was found that TT, which is one form of complementary therapy, was relatively effective in decreasing the levels of stress, fatigue and daytime sleepiness, and in increasing the sleep quality of university students of nursing and midwifery.

Effects of the Otago exercise program on falls, balance, and physical performance in older nursing home residents with high fall risk: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Otago exercises on falls, balance, and physical performance in old-aged adults with high fall risk living in a nursing home. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included 72 individuals over 65 years of age residing in a single nursing home in Izmir, Turkey. The participants were randomized into the Otago exercise group and walking (control) group. The Otago group performed 45 min of Otago exercises 3 days/week for 12 weeks plus a walking program on 3 other days of the week. The control group did only the walking program (minimum of 30 min 3 days/week). Number of falls, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), 30-s Chair Stand Test (30 s-CST), and 6-min Walk Test (6MWT) were assessed before the intervention and at the end of the 3-month intervention. The primary outcome was number of falls. RESULTS: The groups were well matched in terms of age (74.6 ± 5.9 vs. 75.8 ± 4.5) and sex (p > 0.05). The Otago group showed a significantly greater reduction in number of falls at the end of the intervention (p < 0.05). Of the secondary outcomes, the Otago group had greater median increases in BBS score (p < 0.05) and 30 s-CST score (p < 0.05) post-intervention compared to the walking group. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of post-intervention change in 6MWT distance (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The Otago exercise program improved balance and physical performance and reduced falls in our sample and may be effective in falls prevention interventions for old-aged nursing home residents.

The effect of the yoga course on mindfulness and self-compassion among nursing students.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of yoga on mindfulness and self-compassion among nursing students. DESIGN AND METHODS: The quasiexperimental single-group pretest-posttest design study conducted with 47 nursing students. The data were collected using a "personal data form," the "mindful attention awareness scale (MAAS)," and the "self-compassion scale (SCS)." FINDINGS: While the mean score of the students from the "MAAS" was 60.51 (±11.35) in the pretest, it increased to 63.7 (±8.75) in the posttest (p < 0.05). While the mean score of the students from the SCS was 3.22 ± 0.69 in the pretest, it increased to 3.59 (±0.53) in the posttest (p < 0.05). A statistically significant relationship was found between mindfulness and SCS scores (r = 0.162). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: After the yoga course, mindfulness and self-compassion of the students were found to be higher than it was before the lessons. The higher the mindfulness level of the students is, the higher the level of self-compassion is.

Effect of Inhalation Aromatherapy on Pain, Anxiety, Comfort, and Cortisol Levels During Trigger Point Injection.

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of inhaler aromatherapy on the level of pain, comfort, anxiety, and cortisol during trigger point injection in individuals with myofascial pain syndrome. Lavender oil inhalation was found to reduce pain and anxiety during trigger point injection and to improve patient comfort, but it did not affect the saliva cortisol level.

Development and testing of a novel symptom assessment scale for Behçet's disease

Background/aim: This study was designed to develop a Behçet's disease (BD) symptom assessment scale based on the theory of unpleasant symptoms, which deals with understanding symptom experiences in a disease. Materials and methods: The BD Symptom Assessment Scale has two sections: the factors influencing symptoms and the situations influenced by symptoms. Both of these sections were developed through an initial item pool, and expert opinions were consulted during a pilot test performed with 30 patients with BD. We then tested the validity and reliability of this scale on 218 different patients with BD fulfilling the ISG criteria. Finally, we scored this scale. Results: The validity and reliability study of the first section found that the scale had favorable fit indices (X²= 525.86, X²/ SD = 3.15, GFI = 0.90, CFI = 0.89, IFI = 0.89), constituting three dimensions and 20 items. The validity and reliability study of the second section found that the scale had favorable fit indices (X² = 579.14, X² / SD = 3.48, GFI = 0.91, CFI = 0.89, IFI = 0.89) and constituted three dimensions and 20 items. Conclusion: This novel symptom assessment scale for BD is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating patients with BD.