Effectiveness of Warm Water Footbath Therapy on Improving the Quality of Sleep among Elderly People Residents in a Selected Old Age Home in Mangalore

Abstract

Background: Sleep is a basic human need and an essential component of health and well-being. Ageing is associated with physiological and psychological changes that often lead to sleep disturbances among elderly people. Poor sleep quality adversely affects physical health, emotional stability, and quality of life. Non-pharmacological interventions such as warm water footbath therapy are simple, safe, and cost-effective methods that promote relaxation and improve sleep.

Objective: To assess the pre-test quality of sleep among elderly people, to evaluate the effectiveness of warm water footbath therapy on quality of sleep, to assess post-test quality of sleep, and to find the association between quality of sleep and selected socio-demographic variables.

Methods: A pre-experimental one-group pre-test post-test research design was adopted. Thirty elderly people residing in a selected old-age home at Mangalore were selected using a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using a demographic proforma and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Warm water footbath therapy was administered daily for ten consecutive days. Post-test assessment was conducted using the same tool. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The findings revealed a significant improvement in sleep quality after the intervention. The overall mean percentage of pre-test sleep quality score was 51.5% (Mean = 15.45 ± 1.64), whereas the post-test mean percentage was 10% (Mean = 3.00 ± 1.07). The calculated paired ‘t’ value was 39.865, which was significant at p < 0.05. There was a significant association between sleep quality and selected demographic variables.

Conclusion: Warm water footbath therapy was found to be an effective, safe, and economical non-pharmacological intervention for improving the quality of sleep among elderly people.