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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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The effect of exercise on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia
— towards a research agenda | | Author(s) | I C V Thune-Boyle, S Iliffe, A Cerga-Pashoja |
| Journal title | International Psychogeriatrics, vol 24, no 7, July 2012 |
| Pages | pp 1046-1057 |
| Source | www.journals.cambridge.org/ipg DOI: 10.1017/S1041610211002365 |
| Keywords | Exercise ; Dementia ; Behaviour disorders ; Symptoms ; Literature reviews. |
| Annotation | Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are common and are core symptoms of the condition. They cause considerable distress to the person with dementia and their carers and predict early institutionalisation and death. Historically, these symptoms have been managed with anxiolytic and antipsychotic medication. Although potentially effective, such medication has been used too widely and is associated with serious adverse side-effects and increased mortality. Consequently, there is a need to evaluate non-pharmacological therapies for behavioural and psychological symptoms in this population. One such therapy is physical activity, which has widespread health benefits. This review summarises the current findings of the efficacy of physical activity on BPSD. Published articles were identified using electronic and manual searches; and a rapid critical interpretive approach was adopted to synthesize the literature. Exercise appears to be beneficial in reducing some BPSD, especially depressed mood, agitation and wandering, and may also improve night-time sleep. Evidence of the efficacy of exercise on improving other symptoms such as anxiety, apathy and repetitive behaviours is currently weak or lacking. The beneficial effect of exercise type, its duration and frequency is unclear, although some studies suggest that walking for at least 30 minutes, several times a week, may enhance outcome. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-121026092 A |
| Classmark | CEA: EA: EP: CT: 64A |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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