Persons with Alzheimer's disease engage in leisure and mild physical activity with the support of technology-aided programs

Persons With Advanced Alzheimer’s Disease Engage in Mild Leg Exercise Supported by Technology-Aided Stimulation and Prompts

“…Participants 1, 2, 4, and 7 received antipsychotic or antidepressant medication. Their selection for the study was based on the criteria used by Lancioni et al (2015). That is, they were sedentary and generally passive (i.e., did not engage in social interactions or functional activities/movements).…”

“…The behavioral intervention approaches available include, among others, (a) reality orientation training and memory exercises to promote the persons' cognitive and interactive functioning within their context (Boller, Jennings, Dieudonné, Verny, & Ergis, 2012;Cotelli, Manenti, Zanetti, & Miniussi, 2012;Zanetti et al, 2001), (b) technology-aided instructions to help the persons carry out multi-step (functional) daily activities and self-care routines (Lancioni et al, 2012;Lancioni et al, 2014;Perilli et al, 2013), (c) dance and psychomotor activation to improve the persons' cognitive and social behavior (Guzmán-García, Mukaetova-Ladinska, & James, 2013;Hopman-Rock, 2000;Hopman-Rock, Staats, Tak, & Dröes, 1999), (d) music therapy to reduce the persons' agitation and wandering (Fitzgerald-Cloutier, 1993;Janata, 2012), and (e) technology-aided stimulation and prompts to foster the persons' engagement in mild physical exercise (e.g., arm raising; Lancioni et al, 2015).…”

Technology-Aided Programs to Support Positive Verbal and Physical Engagement in Persons with Moderate or Severe Alzheimer’s Disease

“…Different sets of images and questions were used across sessions. Similarly, Lancioni et al ( 2015b ) reported a positive outcome with a technology-aided program aimed at supporting mild physical exercise (i.e., arm raising or leg-foot movement) in persons with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, who had lost their ambulation skills and were sedentary and largely inactive and detached. The program included: (a) preferred stimulation contingent on the target response and (b) verbal reminders in case of no responding.…”

“… Pilot studies using technology-aided programs to promote verbal reminiscence and mild physical activity (i.e., positive forms of engagement) in persons with moderate or severe Alzheimer’s disease have provided promising results (Lancioni et al, 2015a , b ). The present two studies were aimed at upgrading and/or extending the assessment of those programs.…”

Evaluating the influence of time of day on activity engagement in persons with dementia

“…One advantage of having individuals engaged in activities is an increase in social behavior, such as communication and interactions with others (Cohen‐Mansfield, Thein, Dakheel‐Ali, & Marx, ; Quattrochi‐Tubin & Jason, ). Several studies have also found increases in indices of happiness, such as laughing or smiling, when the person was engaged in an activity (Lancioni et al, ; Lancioni et al, ; Moore, Delaney, & Dixon, ; Short‐DeGraff & Diamond, ). Furthermore, Schreiner, Yamamoto, and Shiotani () found that indices of happiness were expressed during recreational activities, but not during periods of free time.…”