Compassion Meditation for Distressed Older Veterans: A Feasibility Study.
Clinical gerontologist January 1, 2025 Anne Malaktaris, Caitlin L Mclean, Pollyanna Casmar et al. 2 citations
A preliminary feasibility study of Compassion Meditation (CM) for distressed older US military veterans found that most participants initiated the program, but only about half completed it, with dropouts often citing difficulties engaging via telehealth. Of 25 enrolled veterans aged 55 and older with anxiety or depressive symptoms, 88% attended at least one session, and 52% completed the intervention (six or more sessions). Completers attended an average of 9.46 sessions. The transition from in-person to telehealth due to COVID-19 may have contributed to attrition. Older veterans appear open to meditation-based practices when they are easy to access.