Exercise and Dementia

Did you know that…

1. Physical Activity has protective benefits against dementia and being active reduces the risk of developing dementia?
2. Exercising helps to improve cognition & function, reducing the rate of decline of physical and mental health associated with dementia?

 

Today, Longevity Exercise Physiology Drummoyne, Edgecliff, Marrickville, Bella Vista, Randwick, Pymble, Balmain and Neutral Bay discuss the importance of exercise & dementia.

 

Dementia is an umbrella term describing a syndrome associated with the progressive and irreversible loss of cognition and function. It is a condition characterised by a decline in physical function with impaired cognition, memory, perception, language, personality, and behaviour.The main types of dementia include:

 

• Alzheimer’s disease (most common type)
• Vascular dementia (second most common type) (2)
• Frontotemporal dementia (5-10% of cases) and,
• Dementia with Lewy bodies (less than 5% of cases)

Exercise is effective in the prevention of Dementia. For patients diagnosed, exercise is effective in improving cognition and function during the early phases of dementia and can help slow the rate of decline in the later stages (1). Currently, almost 500,000 Australians are living with dementia.

It is the most common neurological condition, with an unknown and with incidence increasing with age (65+) and family history.

The number of people living with dementia approximately doubles every five years (3). Around a third of dementia cases are attributable to modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity (1) and obesity. Exercise helps to improve the common co-morbidities associated with dementia, including high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and mental health.

Exercise has the capacity to benefit the physical function in those living with dementia, through improving their cardiovascular health, strength, flexibility, balance, agility, gait, cognition, communication, and behaviour (4;5). It can also help individuals perform activities of daily living, such as getting on/off chairs, walking up/down stairs, getting dressed, ambulatory and mobility around the home and community, whilst reducing the risk of falls (4;5;6).

Supervision of exercise is critical for patients living with Dementia due to impaired cognition and function. Longevity Exercise Physiology provides safe and effective exercise prescription for all individuals and is specialised in its exercise delivery services for clients living with dementia. When living with dementia, the acquisition and improvement of physical function and motor skills occurs best when tasks are practiced repeatedly, with a set routine, with an individually tailored program being well adhered too, monitoring fatigue levels, and being done in a familiar environment (7) which our Longevity Exercise Physiology service provisions. I.e., scientific, evidence-based, structured, professional exercise prescription, programming and delivery at our private clinics, gyms, or client homes.

 

Our practitioners offer the highest quality service in exercise professions to optimise client overall health and wellbeing long-term.

 

If you or someone you know is living with dementia, or is over 65 or has a family history of dementia, Longevity Exercise Physiologists are here to help! Call Longevity Exercise Physiology Drummoyne, Edgecliff, Marrickville, Bella Vista, Randwick, Pymble, Balmain and Neutral Bay on 1300 964 002 to enquire today!

 

Written By Matt Skelly

 

References:

• Alty, J., Farrow, M., Lawler, K. (2020). Exercise and Dementia prevention. Practical Neurology, 20(3), 234-240. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/practneurol-2019-002335.
• Trigiani, L. J., & Hamel, E. (2017). An endothelial link between the benefits of physical exercise in Dementia. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism, 37(8), 2649–2664. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271678X17714655.
• Cao, Q., Tan, C., Xu, W., Hu, H., Cao, X., Dong, Q., Tan, L., Yu, J. (2020). The prevalence of Dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 73(3), 1157 – 1166. DOI: 10.3233/JAD-191092.
• Heyn, P., Abreu, B. C., Ottenbacher, K. J. (2004). The effects of exercise training on elderly persons with cognitive impairment and Dementia: a meta- analysis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 85(10), 1695-1704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2004.03.019
• Ries, J. D., Hutson, J., Maralit, L. A., Brown, M. N. (2015). Group balance training specifically designed for individuals with alzheimer disease: impact on berg balance scale, timed up and go, gait speed and mini-mental status examination. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, 38(4), 183-193. https://doi.org/10.1519/JPT.0000000000000030.
• Forbes, , Forbes, S. C., Blake, C. M., Thiessen, E. J., Forbes, S. (2015). Exercise programs for people with Dementia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 4. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006489.pub4.
• Mirolsky-Scala G, and Kraemer T. (2009). Fall management in Alzheimer-related Dementia: a case study. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, 32(4); 181-189.