Meditation And Healthy Ageing For Seniors

Abstract

Ageing, though a graceful period, is associated with problems related to physical and mental health, social isolation and financial crunch. This review aims at highlighting the efficacy of meditation in promoting health in elderly population. Review of literature suggests that mindfulness has promising beneficial effect on cognitive, emotional, and physiological parameters in the elderly. In a well planned prospective, randomized, case control study by us on 58 subjects (37 males and 21 females) who were administered a Preksha meditation for 4 months. At the end of 4 months period, there was an improvement in all domains of WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) ranging from 3 point to 5.7, i.e. psychological health (29.3%), physical health (24.1%), social health (12.1%)) and environmental health (29.3%) and in stress level (17.2%). There was also an improvement in depression and anxiety status as assessed by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS). It can be concluded that meditation is a cost-effective, non-invasive intervention with minimal risk of adverse effects and can be safely recommended for promotion of mental health in elderly.