Abstract
The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the four themes of life (“thanks, sorry, love, and farewell”) board game to enhance interpersonal communication, interpersonal relationships, and self-efficacy; and decrease loneliness. The participants were a convenience sample of 91 older people recruited from two community activity centers in Taiwan. Using a quasi-experimental method, participants from one of the community activity centers were enrolled as the experimental group, and participants from the other center were enrolled as the control group. The experimental group played the four themes of life board game for 4 weeks. The control group participated in routine community center activities. Compared to the control group, the experimental group had statistically significantly larger improvements in scores on interpersonal communication, self-efficacy, and loneliness at 3 months after the end of the intervention. This study provides a reference for the design interventions for promoting health in older people.
Highlights
IntroductionCo-Shi Chantal Chao, known in Taiwan as the Mother of Palliative Care, proposed that “Thanks, sorry, love, and farewell” are four essential themes of life [1]
Participants from one of the community activity centers were enrolled as the experimental group, and participants from the other center were enrolled as the control group
One participant in the control group was lost to follow-up at T1 as they moved to a different area
Summary
Co-Shi Chantal Chao, known in Taiwan as the Mother of Palliative Care, proposed that “Thanks, sorry, love, and farewell” are four essential themes of life [1]. To achieve “good death, good farewell, and good life”, healthcare providers could guide older people and their families to practice the four themes of life. Positive outcomes in these four themes of life experience have been shown to contribute to peace of mind in the later stages of life in older people [1,3]. Compared to people in Western populations, people in Taiwan, China, and Asia tend to be more introverted and less comfortable to practice these four themes of life [5]. In Taiwan, practicing the four themes of life is usually emphasized in dying patients; these patients can die at any time [3]. Timely implementation of interventions aimed at guiding older people to contemplate the four themes of life can promote spiritual growth, and improve interpersonal and interaction skills, which would decrease feelings of loneliness
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