Integration of Social Art Activities and Qigong for Older People in Nursing Home in Indonesia

This project will be a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of an integrated programme by using social art activity (SA) and exercise, for instance, Qigong (QG, a traditional Chinese exercise) as a therapeutic medium. This integrated programme aims to increase the well-being and reduce the depressive symptoms that are frequently ascertained in older people who live in nursing homes. The combination of SA and QG might be more beneficial to older people than either individual activity on its own, given that they are addressing different areas of functioning. The art activity focuses on self-expression in non-verbal activity using fine motor movement, whereas physical exercise like Qigong focuses on awareness of breathing and a calm state of mind. This is to help the older person achieve mental and physical relaxation by using gross motor movement. When the interventions are combined by utilising Qigong ahead of the art activities (thus, including both fine and gross motor movements) older people will reach a state of mental and physical relaxation, and moreover, will be able to express their feelings more simply in the social art activities.