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Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to identify the effects of tactile care as evidenced by physiological and psychological changes on relaxation of Japanese elderly people.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to discuss how to recommend or use evidence-supported therapies for promoting health.
Methods: 20 Japanese elderly people were randomly allocated to two groups of 10 persons each. The intervention consisted of a left hand massage using tactile care for a duration of 10 minutes, which was given once to each participant in the experimental group. The physiologic measures of heart rate, heart-rate variability, skin blood flow, and skin temperature were measured continuously, and blood pressure was measured immediately before and 5 minutes after the intervention. The subjects’ self-reports of mood states (measured by Profile of Mood States - Brief Form Japanese Version) as well as relaxation (measured by Visual Analogue Scales) were recorded before and 5 minutes after the intervention.
Results: The experimental group did not differ significantly from the control group in gender, age, or baseline physiological and psychological measures. Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that there was significant effect from the intervention on heart rate, high-frequency component of heart-rate variability, and skin blood flow. After the intervention, systolic blood pressure, Confusion (a subscale of the POMS-BSJV scale), and relaxation (VAS) of the only experimental group were significantly lower than before the intervention.
Conclusion: The results indicated that tactile care had the effect of increasing relaxation, as evidenced by physiological and psychological changes occurring during a brief intervention administered to Japanese elderly people.