APPLICATION OF HYDROTHERAPY ON THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF THE ELDERLY WITH HYPERTENSION: CASE STUDY

Abstract

Hypertension is a condition when a person has an increase in blood pressure above normal with a systolic pressure above 140 mmHg and a diastolic pressure above 90mmHg. Hypertension is a Silent Killer. Therefore, efforts are needed to reduce blood pressure, namely by non-pharmacological "Hydrotherapy" which can increase capillary permeability so it is very useful for blood pressure reduction therapy. This study aims to apply hydrotherapy to the elderly with hypertension in Gunungpati Central Java. This study employed descriptive method with a case approach to elderly people with hypertension from 3 August to 8 August 2020. The elderly with inclusion criteria: suffering from hypertension, do not take drugs, do not have comorbidities and are willing to become respondents. The instruments used were observation sheets and patient documentation records, thermometer, tension meter, and stethoscope. Hydrotherapy procedures (warm water with a temperature of 37.5-40˚ C), soaked feet up to 15 cm above the ankles, hydrotherapy was carried out 6 times for 6 consecutive days with a time of 15 minutes in the afternoon at 16.00 WIB. The average blood pressure before intervention was 155-160 mmHg/ 100 mmHg and the blood pressure after intervention was 80-90 mmHg. This study has been shown to be effective in reducing blood pressure in hypertensive elderly with the hydrotherapy method.