The Effectiveness of Autogenic Relaxation on Reducing the Level of Depression among Elderly People Residing in Old Age Homes

Abstract

Introduction:Aging is a worldwide issue in our society; elderly people living in old age homes may suffer from sadness, pain, and isolation. Depression is a common condition in the elderly that negatively affects numerous parts of their lives. Autogenic therapy uses visual imagery and body awareness to promote a state of deep relaxation. A detached but alert state of mind called "passive concentration" must be achieved for autogenic therapy exercises to be carried out. Design: A quantitative approach using pre-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test design. Participants:Ten old age people were selected by using a purposive non-probability sampling technique. Intervention: Autogenic relaxation.Tool:Geriatric depression scale was used to assess the level of depression in old age people.Result:The mean depression level before intervention is 16.00, while after intervention, it is reduced to 14.00. The calculated t-value is 5.47 which is more than thet-table value.Hencewe reject null hypothesis, so it shows that autogenic relaxation is an effective intervention on reducing the level of depression.Conclusion:The findings of the study indicate that autogenic relaxation is effective in lowering the level of depression among old age people living in old age homes.