DOI: 10.5176/2315-4330_WNC14.36
Authors: Patcharee Wangwun
Abstract: The purpose of this quasi-experimental research was to study the effect of Ankalung activity with the loneliness of older people in residential home. The participants were both elderly men and women who were living in an residential home in Mahasarakham province and Thammapakorn residential home (Pho Krang) in Nakhonratchasima province Thailand. The 40 participants were divided into 2 groups, a control group and an experimental group, 20 per each group. The participants of the experimental group were chosen randomly to attend Ankalung activity 3 times a week, 1 – 1 ½ hours per each time. The experiment was held for 6 weeks, 18 times in total. The control group received conventional care. Both groups shared similar characteristics: gender, age, education, and degree of loneliness. The instruments used in the study were demographic characteristics questionnaire and loneliness scale with the reliability of 0.92. The intervention instrument was Ankalung activities. The data were analyzed by using mean, percentage, standard deviation and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks and Mann-Whitney U Test.
The results revealed that the mean score of loneliness in experimental group after participated Ankalung activities had significantly lower (W = 3.92, p = 0.05) than before participated the Ankalung activity. Also it was found that elders in the experimental group had significant lower mean score of loneliness (U = 4.50, p < 0.05) than of the control group.
The results could be a model of nursing and promoting older people’s mental health by using Ankalung activity. Therefore, Ankalung activity could protect and reduce older people’s loneliness in residential home.
Keywords: music; loneliness; elderly
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