Vacuna emocional en la Covid-19: programa de autocuidado para personas mayores

The group of elderly people is one of the most affected by this pandemic. It is considered a risk group and age is a relevant factor in the body’s response to COVID-19. To face this situation and disease, it is important that people take care of themselves at a biopsychosocial level. The aim of this paper is to present a self-care and psychological activation program: “Emotional Vaccine for COVID-19”. It is aimed at elderly people without or with mild cognitive impairment, individually or in groups, in different environments: residential, home, day center, etc., assessing the effect of this program in the improvement of their quality of life, distinguishing between rural and urban contexts. The program consists of 10 sessions of one hour and a half, held twice a week. In each session, a self-care guideline is worked on through a message in the form of a saying that facilitates mnesic activation. From the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and following the paradigm of the Attention Centered on what is Important for the Person, emotional management, cognitive stimulation and behavioral activation are addressed in order to produce better coping strategies for the current situation. The life project of each participant is emphasized through orientation to values. Using a quasi-experimental pre-post design with a control group, the following instruments are used: behavioral records, scales and questionnaires that measure quality of life, anxiety, depression and experiential avoidance. An improvement in health and well-being through psychological activation is expected in the target sample with respect to the control group. The need for this type of psychological intervention in the gerontological field is highlighted due to its feasibility, efficacy and social demand.