Evaluating the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention on an older adult ward

Background: There is increasing research exploring non-pharmacological approaches to supporting patients living with dementia. Aim: This study explored a mindfulness intervention based on the manual by Chan et al. (2017) to determine whether it could be implemented on an older adult inpatient ward to support wellbeing. The pilot programme was delivered to service users with cognitive difficulties and/or complex mental health needs. Methods: Service users were offered weekly sessions over a 10-week period, each introducing different mindfulness principles. Four participants attended from the start to the end of the group. Results: Quantitative findings suggested that individual responses to the mindfulness group were variable. While some participants demonstrated improvements in emotional wellbeing and mindfulness ability, others showed minimal change or small decreases across measures, with psychological distress largely remaining stable or reduced. Qualitative feedback indicated that service users felt more relaxed and that the sessions contributed positively to their wellbeing. Conclusion: The mindfulness group can be successfully implemented on an older adult inpatient ward. Further research with larger samples is needed to evaluate effectiveness more robustly.