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Assessing The Effectiveness of Emotional Freedom Technique For Improving The Well-being Of Care Home Residents

ABSTRACT
Care home residents experience disproportionately high rates of anxiety, yet for them access to psychological support remains limited. This dissertation examines the use of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a non-pharmacological intervention, to enhance well-being and reduce anxiety when delivered by care assistants through a Train-the-Trainer (TTT) model. A mixed-methods design combined visual Likert scales across ten EFT sessions and a seven-week follow-up with qualitative insights from carer interviews and observations. Findings suggest EFT may likely improve residents’ well-being, though reductions in anxiety were less consistent, particularly for those with advanced cognitive impairment.

Carers reported benefits, such as increased calmness and engagement, alongside challenges, including variable resident participation and the need for continued staff support. The study provides early evidence that a TTT model may be a feasible, low-cost approach to embedding EFT in care homes programming, while also identifying areas for refinement, especially in dementia care. More broadly, it points to the potential of empowering frontline staff to deliver accessible, non-pharmacological strategies that address a critical gap in elderly mental health support for this
under-researched population.

By Anne Vinogradoff MSc