Evaluation of a short-term group psychotherapy used as part of the rehabilitation process in nursing home patients.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a 4-week group psychotherapy on the efficacy of physiotherapy in patients rehabilitated in a nursing home (NH). MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was performed on 28 women, aged 77.1 (±5.6) years. Thirty-six percent were rehabilitated due to orthopaedic injuries, 36% had undergone a stroke, 28% suffered from chronic diseases of old age. Subjects were divided into two groups: experimental (n = 13) and control (n = 15). In the experimental group, a short-term, goal-focused group psychotherapy was used. To assess cognitive impairment, mood and functional status the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and the Barthel Index (BI) were used. RESULTS In the experimental group a four times greater improvement in mood was observed and two times greater physiotherapy efficacy (PE) in the first month of stay in an NH as compared to the control group. The effects of psychotherapy were independent of the type of disease, the patients' age, number of comorbidities and cognitive status (ranging from 15 to 30 points on the MMSE). CONCLUSIONS Short-term group psychotherapy can be an effective method of supporting the process of rehabilitating older, disabled people rehabilitated in an NH. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Psychotherapy can improve the efficacy of treatment and rehabilitation in different somatic illnesses despite the advanced age of respondents, high disability rate, and the presence of cognitive impairments. Even short-term (4 weeks) group psychotherapy can provide effective support for the rehabilitation in the elderly.