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The purpose of this study was to develop a multi-component counseling program and examine the short-term effects of an 8-session program.

This present study was a research and development of a multi-component counseling program for enhancing resilience. The concept of resilience was reviewed based on a synthesis of existing research, together with an exploration of qualitative data derived from an interview with ten caregivers of older persons with dementia. Six domains of resilience were identified: physical, relationships, emotional, moral, cognitive and spiritual; which were then used to develop the eight-week program. The program was examined by a panel of three experts for content validity, which yielded an index of 0.87. The program was then tried out with 60 caregivers recruited and assigned 30 caregivers in the intervention and control group. The Caregiver’s Resilience Scale (CRS) was used by trained nurses to evaluate the program and data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.

The results indicated that the resilience scores of the participants in the intervention group were statistically significantly higher than those of the control group at one month after program participation and at the follow-up three months later (p < 0.05).

It could be concluded that the program yielded support for the evidence-based practice of non-pharmacological intervention. The program would be suitable as a clinical practice guideline to provide help to caregivers of older persons with dementia at the outpatient setting.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a Qigong program on older adults in the Thai community suffering from mild to moderate depression.

A randomized controlled trial study was conducted in a public health service (PHS) center setting. Sixty-six older adults aged 60–90 years with mild to moderate depressive symptoms measured by the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale (TGDS: scores 13–24) were recruited and randomly allocated into two groups. The subjective sleep quality was assessed using the Thai version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (TPSQI). The Qigong program group was given 12 weeks of Qigong training including three sessions per week, while the control group followed normal PHS activities (singing and praying). The outcome measure was the change in the TGDS from baseline to 12 weeks.

Participants in the Qigong program group had a significantly improved TPSQI global score (p < 0.001), subjective sleep quality (p < 0.001), and sleep latency (p < 0.05) after 12 weeks of intervention, while those in the control group showed no significant difference in sleep quality. Compared with the control group, the Qigong program group reported significantly better sleep quality throughout the 12-week period. The prevalence of poor sleep quality in this population was 82 percent.

This study confirmed that the Qigong program could improve sleep quality in older adults with mild to moderate depressive symptoms as the Qigong program conferred more significant improvements than the usual program.