Exercise Training for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Caregivers: A Review of Dyadic Exercise Interventions

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and the prevalence will increase dramatically in the next decades. Although exercise has shown benefits for people with dementia due to AD as well as their caregivers, the impact of a dyadic exercise intervention including both groups as study participants remains to be determined. The authors review the current clinical evidence for dyadic exercise interventions, which are exercise regimens applied to both the person with dementia and the caregiver. A total of 4 controlled trials were reviewed. This review shows that dyadic exercise interventions are feasible and may produce a positive effect on functional independence and caregiver burden. However, there was insufficient evidence to support a benefit of dyadic exercise intervention on cognitive performance and on behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms in participants with dementia due to AD. A dyadic exercise intervention improves functional independence and caregiver burden. However, there is a need for well-designed randomized controlled clinical trials to confirm these benefits and to investigate several important points such as the effects of a dyadic exercise intervention on cognitive and noncognitive outcomes of AD, the optimal intensity of exercise training, and the cost effectiveness of such a program.

Role of physical activity in ameliorating neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer disease: A narrative review

“…Furthermore, besides the potential benefits for the cardiovascular system and brain, physical exercise has been shown to be beneficial for fatigue, sleep disorders, pain, and constipation in older adults, very common conditions in patients with AD, exacerbating NPs …”

“…Moreover, walking with relatives and regular long walking time can relieve sundown syndrome and improve sleep quality, which are major factors of caregiver burden . On the other hand, balance‐gait impairments, falls, or fear of falling, which are more frequent in older patients with dementia, may result in a decline in daily living activities, which leads to decreased functional ability and a loss of independence . Because it is well known that more funtional dependence is associated with more caregiver burden, physical exercise can contribute to maintenance motor and nonmotor functioning of the patients with AD by increasing muscle mass, endurance, and muscle strengthening; thus, it can lead to a reduced caregiver burden indirectly .…”

Living Life and Doing Things Together: Collaborative Research With Couples Where One Partner Has a Diagnosis of Dementia

“…Dal Bello-Haas et al 2014;Bowes et al 2013;Lamotte et al 2017;Hernández et al 2015;Wei-Wei et al 2016;Duggan et al, 2008;Pitkälä et al 2010;World Health Organization, 2010 Mental wellbeing Cognitive stimulation with the aim to improve or sustain ability to communicate and interact with each other. Woods et al 2012;van Nes, 2013;Genoe & Dupuis, 2014;Hill et al 2017;Mondini et al 2016;Spector et al, 2017 Individual activities Individual activities as a source to gain strength and to nurture social relationships.…”

Association between exercise training in haemodialysis patients and burden of their family caregivers: A cross‐sectional study

“…Then, the improvement in physical and psychological functioning promoted by exercise may result in less assistance in the activities of daily lives of the patients submitted to intradialytic training (e.g. transportation, medication assistance, food preparation, among other activities), reducing caregiver burden in the exercise group …”