Home Exercise Eases Alzheimer's
Oct. 14, 2003 -- Exercising regularly with a caregiver at home can improve both the mental and physical health of people with Alzheimer's disease.
A new study shows that teaching caregivers a simplified home exercise program and training them in behavioral management techniques can help prevent disability and institutionalization among the Alzheimer's patients they care for.
Although the effects of Alzheimer's disease on the mind are well known, researchers say the physical effects can also be devastating. Previous research has linked Alzheimer's disease with physical deterioration. Alzheimer's patients also face a higher risk of falls and fractures and a more rapid physical decline than others.
Researchers say this is the first study to show that a home-based exercise program taught to Alzheimer's disease caregivers can help counter some of those effects and yield lasting benefits.
The results appear in the Oct. 15 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
In the study, 153 Alzheimer's disease patients and their caregivers were randomly assigned to participate in either a combined exercise and caregiver training program or routine medical care for three months.
Caregivers in the training program were taught how to conduct a home-based exercise program for patients with Alzheimer's disease and also how to manage behavioral problems that often crop up in these patients. The exercise program consisted of strength training, balance exercises, and flexibility training.
After three months, the study showed patients in the experimental group were three times as likely to be exercising regularly at least 60 minutes per week and had fewer days of restricted activity compared with the standard care group.
The exercise group also showed improvement on tests of physical function and depression while the routine care worsened.
The researchers found that these physical and mental improvements were sustained for two years after the study began. The Alzheimer's patients in the exercise group were also less likely to become institutionalized for behavioral disturbances.
"Because exercise is also associated with reduced depression in adults without dementia, targeting patients with coexisting depression and dementia might enhance treatment effects," write researcher Linda Teri, PhD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues. "Given these results and the consistently strong association between physical exercise and health in older adults without dementia, the potential health benefits of a simple exercise program for older adults with dementia should not be overlooked."
A new study shows that teaching caregivers a simplified home exercise program and training them in behavioral management techniques can help prevent disability and institutionalization among the Alzheimer's patients they care for.
Although the effects of Alzheimer's disease on the mind are well known, researchers say the physical effects can also be devastating. Previous research has linked Alzheimer's disease with physical deterioration. Alzheimer's patients also face a higher risk of falls and fractures and a more rapid physical decline than others.
Researchers say this is the first study to show that a home-based exercise program taught to Alzheimer's disease caregivers can help counter some of those effects and yield lasting benefits.
The results appear in the Oct. 15 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Home Exercise Program Helps Body and Mind
In the study, 153 Alzheimer's disease patients and their caregivers were randomly assigned to participate in either a combined exercise and caregiver training program or routine medical care for three months.
Caregivers in the training program were taught how to conduct a home-based exercise program for patients with Alzheimer's disease and also how to manage behavioral problems that often crop up in these patients. The exercise program consisted of strength training, balance exercises, and flexibility training.
After three months, the study showed patients in the experimental group were three times as likely to be exercising regularly at least 60 minutes per week and had fewer days of restricted activity compared with the standard care group.
The exercise group also showed improvement on tests of physical function and depression while the routine care worsened.
The researchers found that these physical and mental improvements were sustained for two years after the study began. The Alzheimer's patients in the exercise group were also less likely to become institutionalized for behavioral disturbances.
"Because exercise is also associated with reduced depression in adults without dementia, targeting patients with coexisting depression and dementia might enhance treatment effects," write researcher Linda Teri, PhD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues. "Given these results and the consistently strong association between physical exercise and health in older adults without dementia, the potential health benefits of a simple exercise program for older adults with dementia should not be overlooked."
Source...