Participation of senior citizens in somatosensory games: a correlation between the willingness to exercise and happiness

Abstract

In this study, the correlation between the willingness to exercise and happiness of senior citizens living in nursing homes was determined. For this purpose, 30 people older than 65 who were capable of performing various activities in Taiwan’s nursing homes were recruited and divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in the somatosensory game “Old-age sitting posture and health exercises”, which includes intervention strategies and was designed by physiotherapists, social workers, and functional therapists. and 16 different activities for eight weeks, while the control group was not involved in them. Both groups filled out “Growing Happiness in the Old Age: Chinese Scale” and “Sports Participation Intention Scale” questionnaires before and after the intervention to evaluate the levels of happiness and willingness to exercise of the elderly. It was found that somatosensory game interventions significantly increased the degree of social interaction and maintenance of the willingness to exercise of the elderly living in nursing homes over time. Moreover, happiness indicators were significantly improved after the games, especially health, autonomy, and social aspects, suggesting that the willingness to exercise was positively correlated with happiness. Therefore, somatosensory games can promote the physical and mental health of the elderly and may be used by senior citizens living in nursing homes as part of a multi-activity project.