Assessing the Feasibility of Heart Rate Variability as an Objective Indicator of Anxiety in Older Adults with Dementia Living in Care Homes

Objective Anxiety is reportedly prevalent in older adults with dementia living in care homes and, within this population, is most often assessed through caregiver reports. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a physiological indicator of autonomic function, whereby reduced vagally-mediated HRV is associated with a variety of anxiety symptoms and disorders. This study examines the feasibility of HRV as an indicator of anxiety in older adults with dementia living in a care home. These data were collected during a larger study examining an exercise intervention.Results: HRV data, in the form of log-transformed root mean square of the successive differences (lnRMSSD), were in line with transformed data from previous research. Additionally, there was a negative relationship between HRV and self-reported anxiety. These data provide a promising direction for the use of wrist-worn devices in future HRV research with people living with dementia in care homes.