MedPath

Investigation of the Effects of Aerobic Exercise, Balance Exercise and Combined Exercise Practices on Frailty, Balance, Fall Risk, Reaction Time, Cognitive Functions and Quality of Life in Dementia Patients

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Cognitive Function
Frailty
Dementia
Balance Exercise
Aerobic Exercise
Reaction Time
Interventions
Other: Combined Exercise
Other: Aerobic Exercise
Other: Balance Exercise
Registration Number
NCT05839743
Lead Sponsor
Yuksek Ihtisas University
Brief Summary

Dementia is a clinical disorder characterized by progressive and permanent loss of multiple cognitive functions, especially memory, at a level that affects activities of daily living. There is no pharmacologic treatment method that can change the prognosis in dementia. The methods used today are symptomatic and cause various side effects. For this reason, non-pharmacologic approaches are on the agenda in the treatment of dementia. Among these approaches, physical activity approaches such as symptomatic treatment or exercise come to the forefront due to their prognosis-slowing effects. There are also many studies showing that dementia is directly related to physical performance and frailty. Deterioration of physical performance, increased frailty, and decreased muscle strength create a vicious circle with the prognosis of dementia. In addition, patients with dementia have balance problems due to prolonged reaction time, cognitive impairment and physical problems, and the risk of falls increases. In order to prevent the risk of falls, exercise practices are of great importance. Although the effects of aerobic exercise on dementia have been examined many times in the literature, there are very few studies examining the effects of balance exercises and combined exercises. In addition, physical characteristics such as frailty and muscle weakness, which are very common in patients with dementia, have not been evaluated as a whole in studies on patients with dementia. Therefore, this study will be conducted to comparatively examine the effects of combined aerobic exercise and balance exercises on balance and falls, frailty, muscle strength, cognitive functions, and reaction time in patients with dementia.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
33
Inclusion Criteria
  • Age over 65 years,
  • To be able to speak and understand Turkish,
  • To have at least primary education,
  • Perceive and adapt to simple commands,
  • Scoring between 18-23 on the standardized mini mental state assessment scale (200),
  • To be able to provide independent mobilization,
  • Volunteering to participate.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Rapid progression of dementia (infectious, vascular, hematologic diseases),
  • Cardiac or cerebrovascular event, endocrine disorder, fluid-electrolyte imbalance or infection during the follow-up period,
  • Presence of malignancy,
  • Detection of a delirium picture,
  • Presence of severe depression,
  • Participate in a regular exercise program for at least 6 months before the study,
  • Having a fracture or fracture surgery in the lower extremity within the last year,
  • Any orthopedic problem that prevents him/her from exercising.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Combined Exercise GroupCombined Exercise-
Aerobic Exercise GroupAerobic Exercise-
Balance Exercise GroupBalance Exercise-
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Muscle Strength Assessment for SarcopeniaChange from Baseline Muscle Strength Assessment for Sarcopenia at 6 weeks

Muscle strength measurement in kg with a dynamometer

Single Leg Stance TestChange from Baseline Single Leg Stance Test at 6 weeks

If unable to stand for 5 seconds or less client at greater risk of injury from fall.

Functional Reach TestChange from Baseline Functional Reach Test at 6 weeks

10"/25 cm or greater Low risk of falls; 6"/15cm to 10"/25cm Risk of falling is 2x greater than normal; 6"/15cm or less Risk of falling is 4x greater than normal; Unwilling to reach Risk of falling is 8x greater than normal.

30 Seconds Sit To Stand TestChange from Baseline 30 Seconds Sit To Stand Test at 6 weeks

For testing leg strength and endurance in older adults. The score is the total number of stands within 30 seconds.

Reaction Time TestChange from Baseline at 6 weeks

The 3 reaction times recorded in milliseconds are averaged.

Wechsler Memory ScaleChange from Baseline Wechsler Memory Scale at 6 weeks

Scored on 1-19 Scaled Score Metric. High scores (13 and above) indicate better than expected performance on the dependent variable given performance on the control variable. Low scores (7 and below) indicate poorer than expected performance on the dependent score given performance on the control score. Scores in the average range (8-12) indicate no difference in performance between the control and dependent measures.

Edmonton Frailty ScaleChange from Baseline Edmonton Frailty Scale at 6 weeks

0 - 5 = Not Frail, 6 - 7 = Vulnerable, 8 - 9 = Mild Frailty, 10-11 = Moderate Frailty, 12-17 = Severe Frailty

Mental Rotation TestChange from Baseline Mental Rotation Test at 6 weeks

Contains 20 pairs of items worth 1 point each. A high score indicates good mental rotation skill.

Tinetti Balance and Gait AssessmentChange from Baseline Tinetti Balance and Gait Assessment at 6 weeks

The Tinetti test has a gait score and a balance score. It uses a 3-point ordinal scale of 0, 1 and 2. Gait is scored over 12 and balance is scored over 16 totalling 28. The lower the score on the Tinetti test, the higher the risk of falling.

Dynamic Gait IndexChange from Baseline Dynamic Gait Index at 6 weeks

Each item is scored on a scale of 0 to 3, with 3 indicating normal performance and 0 representing severe impairment. The best possible score on the Dynamic Gait Index is a 24.

Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment ToolChange from Baseline Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool at 6 weeks

6-13 Total Points = Moderate Fall Risk, \>13 Total Points = High Fall Risk

Geriatric Depression ScaleChange from Baseline Geriatric Depression Scale at 6 weeks

There are 15 questions. Each question is worth 1 point. A score of 5 or more suggests depression.

Mini Mental State ExaminationChange from Baseline Reaction Time Test at 6 weeks

The maximum score for the Mini Mental State Examination is 30. A score of 25 or higher is classed as normal. If the score is below 24, the result is usually considered to be abnormal, indicating possible cognitive impairment.

The World Health Organization Quality of Life - Old ModuleChange from Baseline The World Health Organization Quality of Life - Old Module at 6 weeks

It is scored in the range of 4-20. The higher the score, the better the quality of life.

Spatial Orientation TestChange from Baseline Spatial Orientation Test at 6 weeks

Contains 20 pairs of items worth 1 point each. A high score indicates good spatial orientation skill.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Ihlamur Konağı Nursing Home and Elderly Care Center

🇹🇷

Ankara, Çankaya, Turkey

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath