THE EFFECT OF TRADITIONAL DANCE THERAPY ON THE LEVEL OF DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY AT THE BOJONGBATA NURSING HOME PEMALANG REGENCY

Abstract

Background. Older people are vulnerable to various changes as a result of the aging process that are linked to physical, psychological and social health problems. One of the psychological changes often encountered by older people is depression. The literature reports that dance therapy can reduce depression levels in older people. Objective. To determine the effect of traditional dance therapy in reducing depression in the older people at Panti Pelayanan Sosial Lanjut Usia (The Social Service Center for Older People), Pemalang Regency. Method. This research is a pre-experiment research with one group pre test and post test design. The research sample was 22 older people obtained by total sampling. The level of depression of the older people was measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale. The results of the study were analyzed with a nonparametric statistical test, the Wilcoxon sign rank test. Results. Half of the respondents (50%) were females. The average age of respondents was 71.05 + 8.454 years. The mean depression score before and after the intervention were 8.14. and 4.36, respectively. There was a trend of changes in blood pressure and pulse in the older people during the intervention process. There was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest values of depression scores of the older people (p value <0.01). Conclusion. Traditional dance therapy can significantly reduce depression levels in the older people. This therapy can be used as an alternative to regular programs for the older people at Panti Pelayanan Sosial Lanjut Usia, Bojongbata, so that the rate of depression in the older people can be reduced.

Keywords: Elderly, Depression, Traditional Dance, Dance Therapy