Does nature make physical exercise more feasible in individuals with dementia?

Abstract

Does nature make physical exercise more feasible in individuals with dementia? Tine Plattiau (1), Lousin Moumdjian (2), Joke Spildooren (3) (1) REVAL–Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium, (2) REVAL-Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium–IPEM, Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music, Department of Art History, Musicology and Theater Studies, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, (3) REVAL-Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium Introduction: ursing home residents with dementia are very inactive throughout the day. [1][2] There are many barriers to exercise.[3] However, the use of small groups, music and video images can increase exercise enjoyment. [4][5][6][7] For this reason, a new music and video-based group exercise therapy (AMUSED) was developed. The aim of this study was to assess if implementing a nature background into the AMUSED-program would increase motivation and performance accuracy in this population. Methods: 10 participants with moderate dementia were recruited from a nursing home. During a cross-over study, they followed at random the AMUSED-program twice with a neutral and twice with a nature background. Both sessions were recorded and motivation (observed emotion rating scale and intrinsic motivation inventory) and performance accuracy (quality and quantity of the exercises) were assessed by two independent raters. Secondarily, the influence of exercise difficulty and timing on these outcome measures was evaluated. Results: There was no difference in motivation and performance accuracy scores between the nature and the neutral condition (p[ 0.05). Exercise difficulty and timing did not influence the results (p[ 0.05). The overall quantity of the performance scored above the cut-off score in both conditions (p \0.05). The overall quality of the performance scored below the cut-off score in the nature condition (p\ 0.001). Conclusion: Instead of being more motivating, a nature background can distract the participants from performing the exercises correctly. References:. [1] Fang, H., Jing, Y., Chen, J., Wu, Y., & Wan, Y. (2021, July). Recent trends in sedentary time: a systematic literature review. In Healthcare (Vol. 9, No. 8, p. 969). MDPI. [2] Parry, S., Chow, M., Batchelor, F., & Fary, R. E. (2019). Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in a residential aged care facility. Australasian journal on ageing, 38 (1), E12–E18. https://doi.org/10. 1111/ajag.12589. [3] Hobson, N., Dupuis, S. L., Giangregorio, L. M., & Middleton, L. E. (2020). Perceived Facilitators and Barriers to Exercise Among Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Dementia. Journal of aging and physical activity, 28 (2), 208–218. https://doi. org/10.1123/japa.2019-0010. [4] Ries, J. D., Hutson, J., Maralit, L. A., & Brown, M. B. (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 (2001), 38 (4), 183–193. https://doi.org/10. 1519/JPT.0000000000000030. [5] Mehra, S., Dadema, T., Kro¨se, B. J., Visser, B., Engelbert, R. H., Van Den Helder, J., & Weijs, P. J. (2016). Attitudes of Older Adults in a Group-Based Exercise Program Toward a Blended Intervention; A Focus-Group Study. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 1827. https://doi. org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01827. [6] Mathews RM, Clair AA, Kosloski K. Keeping the beat: Use of rhythmic music during exercise activities for the elderly with dementia. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias. 2001;16 (6) :377–380. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 153331750101600608. [7] Hutchinson, J. C., Karageorghis, C. I., & Black, J. D. (2017). The Diabeates Project: Perceptual, Affective and Psychophysiological Effects of Music and Music-Video in a Clinical Exercise Setting. Canadian journal of diabetes, 41 (1), 90–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jcjd.2016.07.009.