The Effectiveness of Mindfulness, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS), and Brain Gym on Cognitive Empowerment and Psychological Characteristics of the Elderly with History of Falling

Background: Aging is associated with decreased mental and cognitive ability and increased chronic diseases. Identifying therapeutic interventions to improve functional and cognitive responses can greatly help elderly people. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness, transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS), and Brain Gym on cognitive empowerment and psychological characteristics of the elderly with a history of falling. Methods: In a semi-experimental trial with a pretest-posttest plan, 32 elderly individuals with a history of falling (mean age 65-75 years) were conveniently and purposefully selected and then randomly assigned to four groups (n=8): mindfulness exercise, TDCS, Brain Gym, and control. In this research, mindfulness protocols, TDCS, and Brain Gym were taught in six sessions over three weeks. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test at the P≤0.05 significance level. Results: The results showed that TDCS and Brain Gym improved psychological well-being in the elderly with a history of falling compared to the control group in the posttest (P=0.001). Mindfulness exercise, TDCS, and Brain Gym improved cognitive empowerment in elderly people with a history of falls compared to the control group in the posttest (P=0.001). No significant difference was observed between the effects of mindfulness exercise, TDCS, and Brain Gym on psychological well-being and cognitive empowerment (P<0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings, there is no difference between the beneficial effects of non-invasive brain stimulation interventions and mental exercise on the cognitive empowerment and psychological characteristics of elderly people with a history of falls.