PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of hand massage on fatigue, sleep satisfaction and blood pressure of the aged in a long-term care facility.
METHODS
The data were collected from June to August 2008. The subjects were randomly recruited from a long-term care facility in Junnam Providence and were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 22) or control group (n = 22). Hand massage was carried out every other day in the evening for two weeks. Massage was administered to each forearm and hand for 10 minutes. Descriptive statistics, x2-test and t-test were performed using SAS program.
RESULTS
In the experimental group, the fatigue (p = .017) was significantly lower and the sleep satisfaction (p = .043) was significantly higher than for the control group.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of the results of the study, hand massage can be recommended for the elderly with sleep disturbance to reduce fatigue.
E-SUBMISSION
