Impact of Laughter Therapy on level of Stress and Quality of Life among the Elderly Residing at Selected Old Age Homes

Elderly are vulnerable to health problems especially psychological and mental issues. Complementary therapies play important role in prevention of mental illnesses. Therapeutic efficacy of laughter is mainly derived from spontaneous and self-induced laughter, occurring with or without humour. One group pre-test post-test interventional pilot study was conducted on 19 elderly residing at selected old age homes of Amritsar. Therapy was conducted in 16 sessions for one month (weekly, 4 days), on 4-6 elderly at one time. Post-test was conducted on day 30 to assess the level of Stress and Quality of Life. Data was collected using socio-demographic profile, Standardised Perceived Stress Scale-14, Standardised WHO Quality of Life (BREFF) scale with Interview technique. The study found that the laughter therapy was highly significant in relieving stress and improving quality of life among the elderly.