IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science (IOSR-JNHS) e-ISSN: 2320–1959.p- ISSN: 2320–1940 Volume 9, Issue 2 Ser. VI (Mar - Apr. 2020), PP 35-39 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/1959-0902063539 www.iosrjournals.org 35 | Page Effectiveness of relaxation therapy on physiological variables among elderly residing in homes for the aged Dr. Alphonsa K K 1 , Dr. Jijimole Mathew 2 , Dr. Jaleel Abdul A 3 , Dr. Vijayaraghavan R 4 1. Vice Principal, St. John’s College of Nursing, St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. 2.Professor and HOD of OBG department. Little flower college of nursing Angamaly. 3. Department of Surgery, Karuna Medical College, Palakkad, Kerala, India, 4.. Department of Research, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Correspondence to: Alphonsa K K, Abstract Background: Aging is an inevitable developmental phenomenon. As a person ages, possibility of problems multiplies. A variety of physiological changes may occur and they become more vulnerable to illnesses. The body’s natural relaxation response is a powerful antidot e to stress. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, music, physical exercise, meditation and yoga can help to activate the relaxation response. Objectives: To assess the effect of relaxation therapy on physiological variables among elderly in selected homes for the aged. Materials and Methods: True experimental pre-test, post-test design. 120 elderly clients from 12 old age homes were selected by stratified proportionate random sampling technique (Control: 60; Experimental:60). Pre test was done with Demographic data sheet, Physiological problem assessment questionnaire (PPAQ) for Control and Experimental group. Control group had their normal routines, whereas exp group had Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation technique (JPMR), music, physical exercise and laughter therapy.Posttest was done on 30th day and 120th Data analysis and interpretation was done by descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The study showed the effectiveness of relaxation therapy on physiological problems among elderly people in control and experimental groups at < 0.001 level of significance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 06-04-2020 Date of Acceptance: 20-04-2020 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction The extent of health problems is relatively high among the elderly in homes for the aged. These health problems are caused mainly by long-term stress, either directly or as a psychological reaction to an illness. If stressful situations extend over a time, they can have an elevated risk for high blood pressure (Mayo Clinic, Arizona 2010), diabetes Mellitus, respiratory diseases (bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), ischaemic heart disease, osteoarthritis, gout and other chronic illnesses (Sherinal, et al, 2004). WHO reported that 972 millon people in the world suffer from hypertension (2012) and raised blood pressure affects 1.13 billion people worldwide (2015). Hypertension occurs in more than two thirds of individuals after the age of 65. Increased blood pressure was a high risk factor that caused nearly 51% of deaths from strokes and 45% by coronary artery disease (Praveen, 2012). Researchers have identified multiple strategies that may help people to live a healthier and longer life: exercising and relaxation are most important among them. People who exercise are healthier than those who do not. Exercise improves the ability to do daily activities, maintains healthy weight and prevents or postpones disorders such as coronary artery disease and diabetes. Exercise that is more strenuous than walking may include any combination of four kinds: endurance, muscle strengthening, balance training, and flexibility (Richard and David, 2015). Relaxation techniques reduce stress and hypertension. Among the various relaxation techniques, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is considered the simplest and most effective method to decrease muscle tension, reduce the level of stress and lower blood pressure (Praveen, 2012) Jacobson progressive muscle relaxation is widely used in reducing mental tension and is an intervention that has been used extensively to reduce high levels of stress and positively promote better health (Shenbagavalli and Divya 2010). A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation on blood pressure and psychological status among 40 hypertensive subjects in Taiwan. The result revealed that progressive muscle relaxation training has an immediate effect, reducing the pulse rate 2.35bpm, systolic BP 5.44 mmHg and diastolic BP 3.48 mmHg after two weeks of training. After 4 weeks of progressive