The Golden Tea Program: Implementation of a Community-Based, Mindfulness Intervention In Predominantly Chinese Naturally-Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs)

Background: The Golden Tea Program is a 7-week culturally-based mindfulness intervention that aims to improve overall mental health, foster social networks, reduce loneliness, delay cognitive decline, and strengthen a sense of connectedness. The intervention is rooted in the study and appreciation of tea by creating the space and time to slow down with intention and experience the beauty of everyday interactions. Drinking tea is a sensory experience that can be appreciated through a multicultural and multigenerational lens.

Methods: The Golden Tea program was implemented in a community-based sample of older adults (n = 60; 30 in intervention group, 30 in control group) located at naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs) in New York City’s Lower East Side. The sample consisted of predominantly Cantonese-Chinese speaking immigrant older adults who have lived in communities in and around NYC’s Chinatown for over 40 years. The overall goal is to: 1) Determine the feasibility of this culturally-based mindfulness intervention rooted in tea culture with older adults, 2) Test the influence of this program to increase social connections (measured by the Lubben Social Network Scale) and reduce loneliness (measured by the DeJong Gierveld Loneliness Scale), delay cognitive decline (measured by the MoCA) and improve overall mental health (measured by the GAD-7), and 3) Conduct a careful mixed methods evaluation of the proposed intervention using community-based intervention framework. Data was collected at baseline, at 7 weeks and 2 months after the program. Quantitative analyses were conducted using dependent sample t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA with standardized instruments. These findings were supplemented by qualitative data from participants on benefits of the program through individual interviews and post intervention focus groups.

Results: Preliminary findings indicated acceptability and feasibility of the Golden Tea program, with participants reporting improvements in cognition, social well-being and mental health. Older adults who participated in the program reported lower levels of loneliness and better social connections with others in their NORCs. Older adults who participated in this study also shared personal stories of how they can benefit from programs such as Golden Tea to enhance social cohesion in their communities.

Conclusion and Implications: This pilot study can serve as a demonstration of a feasible, low-risk and low-cost community-based program for older adults in naturally occurring retirement communities. Results from this study can inform the implementation of this program for different populations of older adults, and lend insights into addressing the epidemic of loneliness and isolation for populations who are aging in place.