Keywords: mindfulness, dementia, diabetes, aging, mindfulness-based stress reduction, experience sampling method

“MINDFULNESS AND AGING: Exploring Mechanisms and Interventions”

The aim of this thesis was to gain insight into the mechanisms of mindfulness in aging individuals, and to investigate whether and how mindfulness is related to mood in daily life. In addition, the application of a mindfulness-based intervention was investigated to support people with dementia and their informal caregivers. Mindfulness or ‘attentiveness’ is a character trait of someone, but also a state that can fluctuate. This research shows that mindfulness is associated with positive effects throughout the day. In addition, our research shows that mindfulness as a character trait is associated with lower-grade inflammation. There was also a lower level of diabetes-related stress in participants with type 2 diabetes with higher levels of mindfulness. The specially developed training ‘AaNDacht’ [EN: attention] for people with dementia and their informal caregivers (TANDEM), was positively received by the participants. The participants indicated that the training helped with relaxation, attention, acceptance and dealing with difficult situations.