The effects of regular exercise on muscle strength and functional abilities of late stage Alzheimer's residents

Abstract

Long Term Care (LTC)facilities in the United States are being faced with an ever-increasing number of residents with dementing illness. It has been estimated that over threefourths of all residents living in LTC have some type of dementia, Alzheimer's disease being the most prevalent. Nursing staff caringfor Alzheimer residents often do not have any special training in dementia. Compounded by burnout from staff shortages and low pay, working with Alzheimer residents is a real challenge. Too often health care workers do not feel that Alzheimer residents (in the late stages) are capable of learning or maintaining functional abilities (such as weight bearing to stand, transferringfrom bed to chair, or chair to toilet) through regular exercise programs. It is clear that functional abilities are a part of the human instinct. By retaining these abilities, a person with Alzheimer's disease can stillfeel a sense of worth. This experimental study measured the effects of regular exercise on muscle strength andfunctional abilities in the Alzheimer resident. A group of severely demented chairbound residents were introduced to a regular exercise program that was designed by a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, a Head Nurse on a dementia unit, and by the primary investigator Two groups of residents participated in the study. The hypothesis that a regular exercise program can increase muscle strength in senile dementia of the Alzheimer's type (SDAT) was supported by a significant level of. 05 (p=.05). A regular exercise program to determine iffunctional ability