Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Adaptation to Old Age
Condition: Elderly Women
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Changes and limitations in the aging process affect adaptation to old age. It is important
      for women to adapt to the problems of old age, find a solution and cope. This study was aimed
      to determine the effect of progressive muscle relaxation exercises on the level of depression
      and adaptation to old women.
    

Detailed description: 
      The aging process is considered as a result of the decline observed in basic cognitive
      functions such as attention, perception, memory, and causes problems in the communication of
      the elderly with the environment. For these problems, it affects the adaptation of the
      elderly in his environment and himself.

      There are a limited number of studies in the literature to increase the adaptation of older
      individuals to old age. In the studies in the literature, it was stated that the rate of
      depression is higher in female individuals, and being male and having a high education level
      positively affect the adaptation of individuals to old age. In a national study, it was
      determined that as age increases, adaptation to old age decreases.

      Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), one of the nonpharmacological methods, involves the
      voluntary stretching and relaxation of large muscle groups (hand-starting, foot-end muscle
      groups) in the human body. It is known that PMR exercises are frequently used in nursing
      research because of the effects of reducing anxiety and fatigue and improving sleep quality,
      and reducing nausea-vomiting. However, no study was found on the effect of depression and
      adaptation to old age. Due to these positive effects of PMR determined in the literature, it
      is thought that elderly women can positively affect their levels of depression and adaptation
      to old age.

      Objective: Evaluate the effects of progressive muscle relaxation on the depression and
      adaptation of elderly women to aging.

      Methodology: This is randomized clinical test. The sample was made up of 49 elderly women who
      applying to the family health center (21 in the experimental group and 28 in control group).
      The progressive muscle relaxation was employed. In order to collect the data, we adopted the
      interview with form filling technique, using the introductory information form, Assessment
      Scale of Adaptation Difficulty for the Elderly (ASADE) and Geriatric Depression Scale Short
      Form (GDS-S). Progressive muscle relaxation will be performed for a total of 8 weeks, 3 days
      a week, for 30 minutes.
    

Intervention name(s): Progressive muscle relaxation exercise
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): "Relaxation Exercises CD Audio Records" prepared by Turkish Psychological Association is used. Before starting the PMR exercises, the woman in the intervention group is provided to lie on a comfortable seat or bed, stretching the muscles of the face and all body for about 10 seconds starting from the hands to the foot in line with the sound recordings of the PKG exercises and then holding the deep breath while each muscle group is stretching, It is applied as a slow release of this breath during relaxation. In this way, the muscle groups in the hands, arms, neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, hips, feet and fingers, the face and the whole body are tensioned and relaxed, and the woman is relaxed. During the eight-week period, the women are called by the researcher once a week and the exercises are reminded. Home visit There are 2 home visits at week 1 and at week 8. In case of need, repeated home visits are provided to ensure the continuity of the application.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: Relaxation exercises; Elderly; Women; Adaptation to old age