ارزیابی اثربخشی تمرینات ذهن‌آگاهی بر توانمندسازی شناختی و تعادل در سالمندان با سابقه افتادن

هدف تحقیق حاضر تعیین اثربخشی ذهن آگاهی بر توانمندسازی شناختی و تعادل در سالمندان با سابقه افتادن بود. در این مطالعه نیمه تجربی، 16 سالمند با سابقه افتادن (میانگین سن 6 ±72 سال) از شهر قم در سال 1402 به صورت در دسترس و هدفمند انتخاب شده و به طور تصادفی در دو گروه تمرینات ذهن آگاهی (8 نفر) و کنترل (8 نفر) قرار گرفتند. در این تحقیق پروتکل مداخلۀ ذهن آگاهی دی پتریلو، کافمن، گلس و آرنکوف (2009)، در شش جلسه و در هر جلسه به مدت 1 الی 1.5 ساعت در طول سه هفته آموزش داده شد. جهت بررسی داده های توانمندسازی شناختی از مقیاس توانمندسازی روان شناختی اسپریتزر (1995) و برای بررسی عملکرد تعادل از آزمون های تعادل ایستای لک لک جانسون و نلسون (1991) و تعادل پویا پودسیالدو و ریچاردسون (1991) استفاده شد. داده ها به روش تحلیل کوواریانس در سطح معنی داری p<0.05 تجزیه و تحلیل شدند. نتایج نشان داد که تمرینات ذهن آگاهی موجب بهبود تعادل غیرمعنی دار ایستا و پویا در سالمندان با سابقه افتادن می شود (0.05>p). همچنین تمرینات ذهن آگاهی با بهبود غیرمعنی دار توانمندسازی شناختی در سالمندان با سابقه افتادن همراه بود (0.05>p). به نظر می رسد سه هفته تمرینات ذهن آگاهی می تواند مزایای شناختی و حرکتی برای سالمندان با سابقه افتادن به همراه داشته باشد، با این حال دوره های طولانی تر این مداخله ممکن است موثرتر باشد. از محدودیت های مطالعه حاضر می توان به تعداد کم نمونه ها اشاره کرد، با توجه به محدودیت حجم نمونه پژوهش، توصیه می شود به منظور بررسی اثربخشی تمرینات ذهن آگاهی بر مزایای شناختی و حرکتی برای سالمندان با سابقه افتادن، مطالعات گسترده تر و با حجم نمونه بزرگ تر اجرا شود. همچنین پیشنهاد می شود تحقیقی مشابه در بین افراد سالمند مبتلابه اختلالات شناختی انجام شود و نتایج مقایسه گردد. به طور کلی، به نظر می رسد سه هفته تمرینات ذهن آگاهی می تواند مزایای شناختی و حرکتی برای سالمندان با سابقه افتادن به همراه داشته باشد. با این حال دوره های طولانی تر این مداخلات ممکن است موثرتر باشد.

evaluating the effectiveness of mindfulness exercise on cognitive empowerment and balance in the elderly with history of falling

the aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness in enhancing cognitive empowerment and balance among elderly individuals with a history of falls. in this quasi-experimental study, 16 elderly individuals with a history of falls (mean age 72 ± 6 years) from qom city in 2023 were selected through convenience and purposive sampling. they were then randomly assigned to two groups: one for mindfulness exercises (8 participants) and a control group (8 participants). in this study, the mindfulness intervention protocol developed by di petrillo, kaufman, glass, and arenkov (2009) was delivered in six sessions, with each session lasting between 1 to 1.5 hours over a period of three weeks. the spreitzer psychological empowerment scale (1995) was utilized to evaluate cognitive empowerment data, while the johnson and nelson (1991) stork static balance test and the podcialdo and richardson (1991) dynamic balance test were employed to assess balance performance. the data were analyzed using analysis of covariance at a significance level of p < 0.05. the results indicated that mindfulness training led to a no significant improvement in both static and dynamic balance among elderly individuals with a history of falls (p > 0.05). mindfulness training was associated with a no significant improvement in cognitive empowerment among elderly individuals with a history of falls (p < 0.05). it appears that three weeks of mindfulness training can offer cognitive and motor benefits for older adults with a history of falls; however, longer durations of this intervention may yield more significant effects. the limitations of the present study include the small number of samples. given the limited sample size of the study, it is recommended that larger studies with larger sample sizes be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness training on cognitive and motor benefits for elderly people with a history of falls. it is also recommended that a similar study be conducted among elderly people with cognitive disorders and the results be compared.overall, it seems that three weeks of mindfulness training can provide cognitive and motor benefits for elderly people with a history of falls. however, longer periods of these interventions may be more effective.the results of the present study showed that mindfulness training produced non-significant improvements in cognitive empowerment in older adults with a history of falls. some studies suggest that mindfulness training may lead to improvements in specific aspects of attention, memory, and executive functions. a systematic review conducted in older adults with mild cognitive impairment showed that mindfulness training improved participants' cognitive function and performance on activities of daily living. however, the existing studies had small sample sizes, lacked control comparisons, and lacked follow-up to understand the effects on preventing the progression of dementia. high-quality trials on diverse populations are needed to confirm the effectiveness of mindfulness benefits on cognitive function. mindfulness improves sleep quality, cognitive function, and mindfulness in patients. mindfulness practice also induces deep relaxation in the brain and changes in electrical frequency bands associated with attention and cognitive tasks. in addition, mindfulness leads to positive changes in electrical frequencies of the brain associated with internal attention and cognitive tasks. mindfulness training improves selective attention and executive functions. these results suggest that mindfulness training improves cognitive performance in a variety of domains, including attention, concentration, and other executive functions (gomez et al., 2023). mindfulness is an attentional practice that increases awareness through nonjudgmental focus on the present moment. mindfulness is characterized by three components: intention, attention, and attitude. mindfulness practice is an intentional process of being fully present and engaged in the here and now, which involves a dynamic and evolving internal motivation in individuals. attention involves carefully observing one’s internal and external experiences without judgment, while attitude refers to the underlying mental and emotional stance toward the practice. these three components work together to facilitate the cultivation of mindfulness and ultimately change the way individuals interact with their life experiences. mindfulness includes physical, cognitive-social, and meditative components and has unique benefits for enhancing cognitive performance, especially in executive functions. the limitations of the present study include the small number of samples. given the limited sample size of the study, it is recommended that more extensive studies with larger sample sizes be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness exercises on cognitive and motor benefits for elderly people with a history of falls. it is also suggested that a similar study be conducted among elderly people with cognitive disorders and the results be compared. in general, it seems that three weeks of mindfulness exercises can provide cognitive and motor benefits for elderly people with a history of falls. however, longer periods of these interventions may be more effective.