The Effect of Balance Training on Anxiety, Depression, and Quality of Life in Elderly Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
Keywords:
Parkinson's, Anxiety, Depression, Quality of life, Balance exercisesAbstract
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a 12-week balance training program on anxiety, depression, quality of life, and balance in elderly individuals with Parkinson’s disease. This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design involving experimental and control groups. The experimental group, in addition to receiving pharmacological treatment, participated in balance training sessions three times a week for 12 weeks. Data were collected using the Berg Balance Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ) for assessing quality of life. The results indicated that balance training had a significant effect on reducing depression, and improving quality of life and balance in the patients. The mean depression scores in the experimental group decreased, and their quality of life improved. Furthermore, the balance scores of the experimental group improved in comparison to the control group. This study suggests that balance training can serve as an effective intervention for managing Parkinson’s disease by reducing physical and psychological symptoms and enhancing patients’ quality of life.
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