Resilience improvement through a multicomponent physical and cognitive intervention for older people: the DanzArTe emotional well-being technology project

Abstract

Background: Resilience is a crucial component of successful aging. However, which interventions might increase resilience in older adults is yet unclear.

Aims: This study aims to assess the feasibility and the physical and psychological effects of a technology-based multicomponent dance movement intervention that includes physical, cognitive, and sensory activation in older people living in community-dwelling and nursing home.

Methods: DanzArTe program consists of four sessions on a weekly basis, using a technological platform that integrates visual and auditory contents in real time. 122 participants (mean age = 76.3 ± 8.8 years, 91 females = 74.6%) from seven nursing homes and community-dwelling subjects were assessed, before and after the intervention, with the Resilience Scale-14 items (RES-14), the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI), the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI-S), and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 (CSQ-8). Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests were used for statistical analyses.

Results: At baseline significant differences in MPI and RES-14 between community-dwelling and nursing home residents were observed (p < 0.001 for both analyses). After the intervention, resilience significantly increased in total sample (RES-14 mean T1 = 74.6 Vs. T2 = 75.7) and in the nursing home residents (RES-14 mean T1 = 68.1 Vs. T2 = 71.8). All participants showed high overall satisfaction for DanzArTe program (CSQ-8 mean = 23.9 ± 4.4). No differences in MPI and PGWBI-S were observed.

Discussion: DanzArTe was a feasible intervention and high appreciated by all older adults. Nursing home residents revealed improvements in resilience after DanzArTe program.

Conclusion: The DanzArTe technology-based multi-component intervention may improve resilience in older people living in nursing homes.

Keywords: Gerontechnology; Multicomponent interventions; Multidimensional Prognostic Index; Nursing home; Older people; Resilience.

Fig. 1

A participant engaged in the DanzArTe interaction. The painting gradually unveils as the participant moves her arm

Fig. 2

Resilience boxplots The whiskers represent minimum and maximum values while the horizontal line inside the box are the median values. The improvement in resilience score after the intervention was statistically significant for the Group 2 (Nursing home; n = 57) but not for the Group 1 (Community-dwelling; n = 56)