Tai Chi Reduces Depression, Motivates Heart Patients

This ancient Chinese exercise continues to be reviewed positively in medical research—and is proving to be especially beneficial for seniors.

The February 2010 issue of Caring Right at Home examined some of the benefits of tai chi. This traditional body awareness exercise is becoming more and more popular in senior centers, senior exercise programs and balance classes. Tai chi offers the benefits of deep breathing, mild aerobic exercise, brain exercise and social interaction.

Two recent studies confirm the benefits of tai chi for seniors:

Tai chi fights late-life depression

In March 2011, researchers from the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences confirmed that tai chi can be effective in fighting depression in older adults. UCLA professor-in-residence Helen Lavretsky stated, "Depression can lead to serious consequences, including greater morbidity, disability, mortality and increased cost of care. This study shows that adding a mind-body exercise like tai chi that is widely available in the community can improve the outcomes of treating depression in older adults, who may also have other, co-existing medical conditions or cognitive impairment."

For some seniors, tai chi might offer benefits to rival prescription antidepressant drugs, which can cause negative side effects or undesirable interactions with the other medicines a senior takes. Says Lavretsky, “With tai chi, we may be able to treat these conditions without exposing patients to additional medications."

Tai chi enhances exercise, improves mood for congestive heart failure (CHF) patients

A second research project, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, found that tai chi not only improves the mood of patients who are living with chronic heart failure, but also encourages them to be more active.

Chronic or congestive heart failure (CHF) occurs when the heart is weakened and cannot pump enough blood for the body’s needs. Patients who are living with this condition experience shortness of breath, swelling of limbs and abdomen, fatigue, respiratory distress and confusion. These symptoms make physical activity difficult, even though a physician-prescribed exercise program can be beneficial.

Like the UCLA researchers, the Beth Israel Deaconess team discovered that patients who participated in tai chi experienced an improvement in mood and quality of life.  They also discovered that the patients were more motivated and confident during their prescribed walking regimen.

“Tai chi is safe and has a good rate of adherence and may provide value in improving daily exercise, quality of life, self-efficacy and mood in frail, deconditioned patients with systolic heart failure,” concludes Gloria Yeh, M.D., M.P.H., a physician at Beth Israel Deaconess and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Learn More

Read about the study on tai chi and depression on the UCLA website. The university also examined the effects of tai chi on senior sleep quality in an earlier study.

To read more about the study on CHF and tai chi, visit the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center website, where you also can watch a short video of tai chi practitioners.

To learn how home care can help those who suffer from heart disease, visit the Right at Home website.

Right at Home, Inc. is a national organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for those we serve. We fulfill that mission through a dedicated network of locally owned, franchised providers of in-home care services.