Bringing yoga and mindfulness to the elderly
Lucia McBee
Kripalu Yoga Bulletin spring 2009 volume 18 issue 1http://www.kripalu.org/pdfs/YB_current.pdf
The “Silver Tsunami” is arriving! Worldwide, the population is aging exponentially; people are living longer with more disability. Health-care spending in the United States is projected to increase by 25% due to these demographic shifts. A dramatic increase in our life expectancy is projected, along with a dramatic increase in numbers of those with chronic illnesses. By 2030, there will be 71 million older adults in America—about 20% of the U.S. population. As baby boomers turn 60, they are increasingly seeking alternative practices to cope with aging. Yoga and mindfulness can offer skills and a path to enhance this “third age.” Significant research is now demonstrating the efficacy that practitioners have anecdotally reported for years. For the past 15 years, I have adapted meditation, hatha yoga, and mindfulness to meet the needs of a physically and cognitively frail population and their caregivers in nursing homes and in the community. Mindfulness-Based Elder Care is the name I have given these programs. In groups and one-to-one offerings, elders are reminded that everyone can participate as long as they are breathing! If a participant can only move one finger, he or she is encouraged to move that finger, sending breath, compassion, and relaxation to the rest of the body. Underlying the physical aspects of the poses are psychological benefits that are especially appropriate for elders coping with illness, loss, pain and an increased awareness of mortality. Many elders who participate in mindfulness and yoga programs report that the practices allow them to feel an increased sense of peace and well-being, as well as to connect with their spiritual roots. Yoga poses and practices can be modified; the essential ingredient is theflexibility and creativity of the teacher. I have worked with elders with physical challenges, bed-bound and dying elders, and elders with dementia, as well as family and professional caregivers. These are a few of the things I have learned in working with frail elders.
To slow down. Elders do this naturally, and in our fast-paced world, it’s always good to be reminded to decelerate.
To observe what changes in life and what is consistent. Elders experience loss and change in their bodies and their lives, and yet often express that they are the same person inside as they always were. What do we hold on to and identify with? Is it temporary or constant?
To practice communicating from the heart, not the head. Elders may not be responsive to verbal, cognitive communication due to challenges in hearing, seeing, or processing information. We may use many word in our society, but most communication is experienced nonverbally.
To be part of a bigger change in the way elders are cared for, paving the way for those we care for and ourselves. What programs, supports, and services would we want as we age?
To face our own issues around illnesses, loss, aging and death -- issues our culture does not embrace. When you spend time with elders, you are given the opportunity to increase your comfort level with these realities.