Franco, Clemente, Sola, María del Mar, Justo, Eduardo

Introduction: This study analyzes the effects that a mindfulness development meditation program has on psychological discomfort and overload in main family caregivers of Alzheimer dementia patients. Material and methods: A quasi-experimental (group comparison) design with pretest/post-test/follow-up measurements was employed in an experimental and a control group. The evaluation instruments used were the SCL-90-R Questionnaire and […]

Leach, M. J., Francis, A., Ziaian, T.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder affecting an estimated 24.3 million people across the globe. The burden on those caring for people with dementia is substantial, with widespread implications for the caregiver, the care recipient and the community. Relaxation techniques, such as Transcendental Meditation(R) (TM), have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety in […]

Leach, Matthew J., Francis, Andrew, Ziaian, Tahereh

Background: Caring for a person with dementia can be an unrelenting and burdensome task, one that is often detrimental to the caregiver’s health, well-being, and functionality. The enduring stress and frustration of the caregiver role can also contribute to poorer outcomes for dementia sufferers. Building on growing clinical interest in the capacity for Transcendental Meditation(®) […]

Oken, Barry S., Fonareva, Irina, Haas, Mitchell, Wahbeh, Helane, Lane, James B., Zajdel, Daniel, Amen, Alexandra

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether a mindfulness meditation intervention may be effective in caregivers of close relatives with dementia and to help refine the protocol for future larger trials.; Design: The design was a pilot randomized trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a mindfulness meditation intervention adapted from the Mindfulness-Based […]

Lavretsky, H., Epel, E.S., Siddarth, P., Nazarian, N., Cyr, N. St., Khalsa, D.S., Lin, J., Blackburn, E., Irwin, M.R.

Background: This study examined the effects of brief daily yogic meditation on mental health, cognitive functioning, and immune cell telomerase activity in family dementia caregivers with mild depressive symptoms.; Methods: Thirty-nine family dementia caregivers (mean age 60.3 years old (SD = 10.2)) were randomized to practicing Kirtan Kriya or listening to relaxation music for 12 […]

Black, David S., Cole, Steve W., Irwin, Michael R., Breen, Elizabeth, St. Cyr, Natalie M., Nazarian, Nora, Khalsa, Dharma S., Lavretsky, Helen

Background: Although yoga and meditation have been used for stress reduction with reported improvement in inflammation, little is known about the biological mechanisms mediating such effects. The present study examined if a yogic meditation might alter the activity of inflammatory and antiviral transcription control pathways that shape immune cell gene expression. Methods: Forty-five family dementia […]