Stress reduction for paid home care aides: A feasibility study of mindfulness meditation and Tai Chi interventions.
Home health care services quarterly – October 02, 2023
Source: PubMed
Summary
Mindful awareness practices (MAPs) significantly improved mental health outcomes for home care aides, with 75% of participants continuing their practice three months later. In a study involving two groups, both MAPs and Korean-style Tai Chi led to reductions in depression and insomnia over six weeks. However, only MAPs showed lasting benefits in reducing negative emotions at follow-up. With MAPs proving easier to integrate into daily routines, they emerged as a promising strategy for enhancing the mental well-being of home care workers, benefiting 55% of Tai Chi participants who maintained their practice.
Abstract
Evidence of effective self-care strategies to support Home Care Aides' (HCAs) mental health is limited. This study compares the feasibility of implementing one of two non-clinical, evidence-based stress-reduction treatments: mindful awareness practices (MAPs) meditation versus Korean-style Tai Chi. Program effectiveness was assessed on a range of self-reported health and mental health quantitative outcomes at three time-points. Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in depression, insomnia, and negative affect during the six weeks (all p. <0.05), but only the MAPs group demonstrated a sustained improvement in negative affect at three-month follow-up (p. <0.05). At three-month follow-up, 55% of Tai Chi participants continued practicing learned techniques, compared to 75% of MAPs participants. MAPs were found to be more practical and amenable to integration in daily life compared to Tai Chi. Showing positive results on both feasibility and effectiveness assessment, MAPs were chosen over Tai Chi to be scaled as a benefit to HCAs.