Are meditation and yoga practices beneficial for Alzheimer's caregivers?
The physical, emotional and psychological effects of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease or dementia take a great personal toll. Left unchecked, the caregiver's health can compromised.
Preliminary research has indicated that individuals who care for family members with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and other dementias in the home experienced a decrease in perceived stress and mood disturbance when practicing meditation, or as the study was called, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (Brown, 2015). Another trial indicated that such stress reduction was 鈥渕ore effective at improving overall mental health, reducing stress and decreasing depression鈥 than those who only participated in a caregiver education and support intervention (Whitebird, 2012).
Another study performed at UCLA found that when caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's use yoga to engage in very brief, easy daily meditations, they experience lower levels of depression, improvement of cognitive functioning and a reduction of stress. Yoga and meditation can reduce stress hormones and inflammatory factors, which ultimately helps the individual cope more effectively with the stresses in caregiving.
The practice of yoga and meditation also gives caregivers more of a sense of compassion for self and others as well as the ability to become more patient and gentle. The individual becomes a more understanding caregiver, which benefits all parties involved. Additionally, according to The Caregiver's Voice, an online support network for caregivers, meditation and yoga result in more resilience and balance for caregivers as well as bolstering joy that can sustain them through difficult moments. Further, yoga and meditation can be considered as exercising the brain as the practices engage different parts of the brain, based on the components such as breathing, movement, postures, chanting, visualization and concentration.
Some things to remember when starting a meditation and yoga practice:
- Be patient. It takes time to remove distractions and really develop the practice.
- Shorter intervals of practice are more beneficial than just one big practice each week. A good rule of thumb is to start with five to ten minutes, three times a week and then increase to 10 to 20 minutes, five days a week.
- Have a timer ready. Use a kitchen timer, an iPhone or iPhone app to avoid having to keep checking on time.
- Breathing is fundamental, as it helps focus attention on the body and mind, calms the individual, and sets the tone for the practice.
Learning the practice of meditation and yoga is like learning any other skill. Caregivers need to start slow and understand personal comfort levels. As always, when beginning any practices that involve physical activity, consult a physician first.