Depression is one of the most common mood disorders in old age, and yet it is frequently under-detected and under-treated. Adopting a train-the-trainer approach, this project intends to utilize the dance movement therapy (DMT), as intervention, to support elderly people with depressive symptoms.
In the present project, two evaluation studies will be conducted. The first study will evaluate the effectiveness of a train-the-trainer approach provided to frontline art development officers who will subsequently conduct interventions for the elderly. A participatory train-the-trainer approach will be adopted to develop a new intervention protocol by integrating body-movement therapeutic elements and a spiritual well-being enhancement group. In the second study, a quasi-experimental design will be adopted to examine the effectiveness of the Movement-based x 'Elderspirituality - Fu Le Mun Sum' intervention to support elderly people with depressive symptoms.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
135
The main Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) methods were dance-movement improvisations, body awareness exercises, and reflection through drawing/painting, writing, and verbalization. There was an orientation to personal space and body awareness, interaction in pairs, and interaction in the whole group. The themes included exploration of boundaries, somatic resources, symbols, pleasant and unpleasant emotions, mindfulness, and body awareness, enriched movement experiences, and safety and touch. In the present study, it consists of six sessions, including (1) Movement for Self-expression, (2) Movement for Emotional Health I, (3) Movement for Emotional Health II, (4) Movement for Connection \& Creativity, (5) Embracing your Dancing Child, and (6) Movement for Self-compassion.
Sau Po Centre on Ageing
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Spirituality Scale for Chinese Elders (SSCE)
SSCE is a self-rated instrument that consists of 44 items to assess spiritual well-being among Chinese elders, covering 8 core elements: (1) meaning of life, (2) spiritual well-being, (3) transcendence, (4) relationship with self, (5) relationship with family, (6) relationship with others (friends and people around you), (7) relationship with the environment, and (8) relationship with life and death. Responses are rated on a 5-point Likert scale with scores ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (always) to measure the frequency of a certain perception or behaviour.
Time frame: 4 months
The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15)
It is a widely used screening instrument for depressive symptoms in the elderly. It consists of 15 items on a checklist; the response to each statement is either "yes" or "no".
Time frame: 4 months
The 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L)
This is a valid and widely used scale with 6 items to measure the quality of life among the general population. The EQ-5D-5L essentially consists of 2 facets: the EQ-5D descriptive system and the EQ visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS). The descriptive system comprises five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Each dimension has 5 levels: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, several problems, and extreme problems. The EQ-VAS records the patient's self-rated health on a vertical visual analogue scale, where the endpoints are labelled "The best health you can imagine" and "The worst health you can imagine"
Time frame: 4 months
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