First Advisor

McGuire, Maureen

College

Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions

Degree Name

MS Health Services Administration

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Number of Pages

51 pages

Abstract

Non-conventional therapies have been termed and captured by the phrase Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), since the establishment of The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), by the Federal Government in 1992. With the use of CAM on the rise in the baby boom population and the expectation that the number of nursing home residents is expected to double by 2020, it is imperative that healthcare providers gain more knowledge in effective means for treating the geriatric population holistically. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the implementation of a CAM intervention program in a sample of geriatric long-term care (LTC) residents would improve their perceived well-being over time. A quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test, designed-study was chosen. Data from a control group and an experimental group were compared following the implementation of the independent variable with the experimental group. The independent variable was the CAM intervention program, which included music therapy, aromatherapy, and deep breathing exercises. Two LTC facilities participated and qualified participants for the experimental group were selected from one facility, while the qualified control group participants were selected from the alternate facility. Thirty minute CAM intervention sessions were implemented with the experimental group three times per week, over a period of four weeks, while the control group continued in their regular daily activities group. One week prior to the CAM intervention program and one week following the last CAM therapy session, participants in the control and experimental groups were instructed on completing the WHO-five Well-being Index, a five-item, valid, and reliable instrument used to measure health-related quality of life and positive psychological well-being, developed by Bech (1998). The experimental group showed a statistical difference in pre-test (M = 11.7) and post-test results (M = 13.6); whereas the pre-test and post-test of the control group showed no significant change and the means remained the same (M = 8.12). The residents' overall response to CAM therapies was positive and this study provides support for the relationship between complementary therapies and well-being in geriatric LTC residents.

Date of Award

Fall 2008

Location (Creation)

Colorado (state); Denver (county); Denver (inhabited place)

Rights Statement

All content in this Collection is owned by and subject to the exclusive control of Regis University and the authors of the materials. It is available only for research purposes and may not be used in violation of copyright laws or for unlawful purposes. The materials may not be downloaded in whole or in part without permission of the copyright holder or as otherwise authorized in the “fair use” standards of the U.S. copyright laws and regulations.

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