Effects of Physical Activity in Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background/aims: There is no consensus regarding the optimal nonpharmacological intervention to slow down dementia-related decline. We examined whether physical stimulation interventions were effective in reducing cognitive, physical, mood, and behavioral decline in nursing home residents with dementia.
Methods: Eighty-seven nursing home residents with dementia were randomly assigned to 3 physical activity interventions: activities of daily living (ADL) training, multicomponent exercise training, or combined multicomponent exercise and ADL training. Outcomes were measured at baseline, and after 3 and 6 months.
Results: A 6-month ADL training benefitted executive functions, physical endurance, and depression among men. Exercise training benefitted only grip strength of participants with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment. A combined training benefitted functional mobility compared to ADL training, depressive symptoms and agitation compared to exercise training, and physical endurance compared to no physical stimulation.
Conclusions: ADL training appears to be effective for nursing home residents with moderately severe dementia. It remains unclear whether exercise training is an effective type of stimulation.
(© 2018 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)