Abstract

Background and purpose: Body's natural capacity is usually reduced with aging. Elderly people are usually faced with different physical and psychological problems. Studies have shown that recreational activities positively influence the welfare of elderly. This study aimed at exploring the efficacy of brain teaser on increasing happiness in elderly attending daycare nursing homes in Yazd, Iran. Materials and methods: In this clinical trial study with pretest and posttest design, 60 elderly from four daycare nursing homes were randomly assigned into intervention (n=30) and control (n=30) groups. The intervention group participated in brain teaser sessions, twice a week, for one month. The control group did not receive any intervention. Happiness was evaluated at three stages: before, immediately after, and one month after the intervention, using demographic and Oxford Happiness Inventory scale. Data analysis was done in SPSS V19 applying Independent T test, Repeated Measure ANOVA, and LSD test. Results: The mean ages of the experimental and control groups were 70.23±7.21 and 69.30±6.76 years, respectively. Before the intervention, there was no difference between the two groups in mean scores for happiness, But compared to the control group, the mean scores for happiness in intervention group significantly increased immediately after (P< 0.002) and one month after the intervention (P< 0.001). Conclusion: Brain teaser in elderly may improved their happiness. This intervention is recommended in nursing homes as it is simple, cheap, and easily done. © 2018, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.