光線治療在老人照護的運用

The Application of Light Therapy in Geriatric Care

台灣老人罹患憂鬱症及失眠的比率逐年增高，這些問題會導致老人生理及心理的症狀，如腸胃不適、頭痛、疲勞、易動怒、精神無法集中等。文獻建議光線治療是協助緩解憂鬱及失眠問題有效措施之一。光線治療在西方國家已被廣泛的運用在不同的病人來改善睡眠及情緒的問題。光線治療為一簡單且有效的另類輔助措施，護理人員可輕易學習並運用在老人照護，以改善其睡眠及情緒問題，亦可減輕照顧者的壓力及負荷，進而促進老人的身心健康及生活品質。本文就光線治療在老人情緒及睡眠問題的運用做一介紹。

The rate of elderly in Taiwan suffering from depression and insomnia has increased on annual basis. Both of these problems on elderly could induce physiological and psychological symptoms including gastric intestinal discomfort, headache, fatigue, irritable mood, and lack of concentration. Previous literature had suggested that light therapy is one of the effective interventions to manage depression and insomnia, and in western countries it has been used to reduce sleep and mood problems of patients across all ages. Light therapy is a simple and effective complementary therapy, and nursing care professionals could learn and apply easily for elderly to improve their sleep and mood problems. It can also reduce caregivers’ stress and workload, and hence improves the health condition and the quality of life in elderly. This article introduced the effect and application of light therapy on mood, behavioral and the sleep problems in elderly.