Effectiveness of Qigong in Promoting the Health of Wheelchair-Bound Older Adults in Long-Term Care Facilities

Institutional wheelchair-bound older adults often do not get regular exercise and are prone to health problems. The aim of this study was to test the effects of a 12-week qigong exercise program on the physiological and psychological health of wheelchair-bound older adults in long-term care facilities. Study design was quasi-experimental, pre–post test, nonequivalent control group. Participants comprised a convenience sample of 72 wheelchair-bound older adults (qigong 34; control 38). The qigong group exercised 35 min/day, 5 days/week for 12 weeks. Measures for physical health (blood pressure, heart rate variability, and distal skin temperature) and psychological health (Brief Symptom Rating Scale-5) were collected before and during study Weeks 4, 8, and 12. The qigong group participants ’ blood pressure, distal skin temperature, and psychological health were significantly improved (all p <.001). These findings suggest that qigong exercise is a suitable daily activity for elderly residents in long-term care facilities and may help in the control of blood pressure among older adults. Keywords health promotion, long-term care facilities, qigong, wheelchair-bound older adults Population aging is a global trend (Lin, Huang, Chen, & Kuo, 2006). In 1993, 7.1 % of Taiwan’s population was over 65 years old, and by the end of 2009, that percentage had increased to 10.7 % (Ministry of the Interior Department of Statistics, 2010). Similarly, persons 65 years old and over comprised 12.8 % of the population in the United States in 2008 (U. S. Census Bureau Net, 2010). Health care for this growing elderly population, especially those elders who are institutionalized, is expensive. About 25 % of Taiwan’s annual budget for national health insurance is spent on the medical care of older adults. It is thus essential to promote the health of this elderly population in order to reduce national health care expenditures (Yu, Yu, &amp