Current potential of experiences with mindfulness in elderly people: integrative review

Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBI) have had positive results with elderly people, thus the purpose of this study was to analyze the scientific publications on the effects of Mindfulness on the elderly population. It is an integrative literature review based on the following steps: development of the guiding question; search for studies in databases; selection of papers; data extraction; evaluation of the selected studies; analysis and synthesis of the results; and review presentation. The guiding question was: What does the scientific literature evidence about Mindfulness intervention in the elderly? Data were collected in the databases: National Library of Medicine (PUBMED), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), and Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS). The keywords were: Mindfulness, aged, Cognitive Therapy. The main effects found were: reduction of depressive symptoms; reduction of blood pressure, stress, and anxiety; acceptance of the disease and disabilities; improvement in sleep quality; relief of dyspnea; control of pain; and attenuation of cognitive decline. Despite the important findings, other follow-up studies are needed for this intervention and comparison between the age groups.