Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Ebihara, Takae
• Yamasaki, Miyako
• Kozaki, Koichi
• Ebihara, Satoru

Titel

Medical aromatherapy in geriatric syndrome

Ist Teil von

• Geriatrics & gerontology international, 2021-05, Vol.21 (5), p.377-385

Ort / Verlag

Kyoto, Japan: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Geriatric syndromes are symptoms and signs, such as falls, incontinence, delirium, pressure ulcers, dysphagia and so on, that often threaten the independence of older adults, rather than the disease itself. Although the syndromes are very common in older people, it is difficult to treat those by modern medicine due to their complexity. To mitigate the intractable geriatric symptoms, we review the efficacy of aromatherapy, especially for dysphagia, dyspnea, cognitive dysfunction and falls in geriatric syndrome. Olfactory stimulation using a volatile black pepper oil on institutional residents improved the swallowing reflex, which is a crucial risk factor of aspiration pneumonia. Brain imaging study showed that olfactory stimulation using volatile black pepper oil activated cerebral regions of the anterior cingulate and the insular cortex, which play a role in controlling appetite and swallowing. Also, aromatherapy with volatile l‐menthol decreased the sense of dyspnea and improved the efficacy of exercise therapy. The fragrance of the combination of rosemary and lemon oils in the morning, and the combination of lavender and orange oils in the night‐time were reported to improve cognition and behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, respectively. Also, the combination of lavender and lemon balm oils was reported to be effective for irritability‐related agitation in older adults. Furthermore, aromatherapy with lavender fragrance could improve both static and dynamic balance, resulting in a reduction in the number of fallers and the incidence rate in older people. Thus, aromatherapy is a promising remedy for geriatric syndrome. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 377–385.