P30: Neuro-therapeutic play with Asian older adults: a qualitative analysis.

Abstract

Neuro-therapeutic intervention joins play for older adults with and without cognitive decline in Asia. During the Covid-19 outbreak, older adults report an increased isolation and increased risk for cognitive decline and medical complications than younger populations. It is therefore reasonable to implement creative nonpharmacological interventions to satisfy older adults psycho-social needs while maintaining their cognitive functioning without being burdened with healthcare costs. In this interventional study, a group of 60 older adults aged 60 years old and older participated in sand tray activity for six weeks. Participants were interviewed for their experiences with six sand tray activities under social distance restrictions in Taiwan. Thematic analysis techniques are applied to examine the interviewing data to identify comment themes across participants. The qualitative results show that social connection is the need of older adults during the pandemic, that neuro-therapeutic play satisfies older adults’ emotional needs, and that sand tray activity offers an opportunity for older adults to exercise their brain. Implications are discussed.