Practical Meditation at Maury River Senior Center, Buena Vista, VA

How Mindfulness Benefits Seniors

By Laurie Macrae

With November being Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, I thought it interesting to share some research on Mindfulness Meditation and the practical ways it promotes health, wellbeing and mental acuity. Join us at Maury River Senior Center Nov. 17, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. for Practical Mindfulness Meditation led by Tsony Devroux.

What follows was written by Jeff Anderson, originally published at aplaceformom. com in February 2014. For the last two centuries, Western seekers, philosophers and scientists have looked to Eastern spirituality to see what they could learn, and what could be adapted to culture in the West. An aspect of Eastern thought which has resonated in the West is mindfulness, and mindfulness meditation. Research indicates that it has the potential to make positive differences in the lives of seniors. While mindfulness draws from many aspects of Buddhism, it is not a belief system but an outlook and way of being. In short, it’s a “be here now” approach to existence that is fostered through practicing meditation. Mindfulness is practiced by Christians, Buddhists, atheists and everyone in between. It helps practitioners develop a more aware outlook in every aspect of their lives. People who practice mindfulness meditation report that they feel happier, less anxious and more spontaneous. Mindfulness is more than meditation. If you are interested in learning more about the practice, “The Miracle of Mindfulness” by renowned Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn is a great place to start. It’s written in a plain style where the genuine, unaffected compassion of the author is apparent. Designed for a Western audience, it describes mindfulness techniques and meditations that have been shown to benefit seniors (and all adults for that matter). The author shares positions (such as sitting upright in a chair) that are easier for seniors than traditional postures, that of on a mat on the floor. This allows people of all physical abilities to practice meditation and learn to adopt a mindful perspective. But mindfulness is not just about sitting and meditation. The goal of mindfulness is to make life itself a meditation and to become mindful and in control in every waking moment, even in difficult or boring times – like washing the dishes, changing the cat litter, or commuting in a particularly congested rush hour. Benefits Despite claims that “meditation is its own reward,” scientists have sought to determine if there are benefits of meditation and a mindful outlook that can be tested, demonstrated and reproduced. Anecdotal evidence just doesn’t cut it in serious science. While not all the reported benefits of mindfulness lend themselves to being tested, many purported benefits can and were measured. Wide ranging research from respectable institutions and credible experts have shed more light on the benefits of mindfulness meditation.

Such benefits include:

1. Improved longevity. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that there is evidence that elder practitioners of mindfulness meditation and its cousin, transcendental meditation, experience improved longevity. The study followed a large number of seniors and found a significant decrease in mortality rates among those who meditate. Another way that meditation may improve longevity is through preventing cellular aging, a mechanism suggested in a National Institutes of Health study.

2. Decreases loneliness. Mindfulness and meditation have also been found to decrease loneliness, or rather, “promote connectedness.” AUCLA study found that seniors who engaged in a simple eight week meditation program significantly decreased rates of self-reported loneliness. Since isolation is a crucial problem among seniors, this is a promising avenue of research. Researchers went on to hypothesize that, since gene inflammation has been linked to feelings of loneliness, meditation may in fact inhibit gene inflammation.

3. Mindfulness can be taught in senior communities. It’s never too late to learn to practice mindfulness. A study in Geriatric Nursing indicated that teaching mindfulness meditation and related techniques in senior communities can help improve resident health and feelings of connectedness.

4. Meditation may slow Alzheimer’s. A double-blind study performed at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center indicates that meditation and breathing exercises may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers believe that this may work by protecting the brain against anxiety and stress, which can worsen Alzheimer’s symptoms.

5. Meditation reduces health care costs. A study in Journal of Social Behavior and Personalityreportedly found that seniors who practiced meditation had significantly fewer hospitalizations. According to the study, the meditation group’s “fiveyear cumulative reduction in payments to physicians was 70 percent less than the control group’s [non-meditating group].

6. Improved mood. A study conducted in Thailand supplemented walking therapy for seniors with a meditation component. They found that seniors who engaged in the meditation component had significantly better outcomes than seniors who merely were in the walking group: “Walking meditation was effective in reducing depression, improving functional fitness and vascular reactivity, and appears to confer greater overall improvements than walking without meditation.”

7. Their caregivers can benefit too. Another UCLA study has looked at caregivers of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients and found that caregivers who engage in “in a brief, simple daily meditation reduced the stress levels of people who care for those stricken by Alzheimer’s and dementia.” Researchers added, “psycho-social interventions like meditation reduce the adverse effects of caregiver stress on physical and mental health.” Editor’s note: Laurie Macrae is the director of senior services for the Rockbridge area