The Feasibility of Remotely Delivered Exercise Session in Adults With Alzheimer’s Disease and Their Caregivers

in Journal of Aging and Physical Activity
Lauren T. Ptomey, Eric D. Vidoni, Esteban Montenegro-Montenegro, Michael A. Thompson, Joseph R. Sherman, Anna M. Gorczyca, Jerry L. Greene, Richard A. Washburn and Joseph E. Donnelly
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2018-0298
Keywords:
physical activity; remote delivery; technology
In Print:
Volume 27: Issue 5
Pages:
670–677
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Adults with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and their caregivers represent a segment of the population with low levels of moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA) and limited options for increasing MPA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a group video conference approach for increasing MPA in adults with AD and their caregivers. Adults with AD and their caregivers attended 30-min group exercise sessions three times per week for 12 weeks. Exercise sessions and support sessions were delivered in their homes on a tablet computer over video conferencing software. Nine adults with AD/caregiver dyads enrolled, and seven completed the 12-week intervention. Adults with AD attended 77.3% of the group exercise sessions, and caregivers attended 79.2% of group exercise sessions. Weekly MPA increased in both adults with AD (49%) and caregivers (30%). Exercise delivered by group video conferencing is a feasible and potentially effective approach for increasing MPA in adults with AD and their caregivers.

Ptomey, Thompson, Sherman, Gorczyca, Washburn, and Donnelly are with the Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. Vidoni is with the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Center, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. Montenegro-Montenegro is with the Institute for Measurement, Methodology, Analysis & Policy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA. Greene is with the Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.

Ptomey (lptomey@ku.edu) is corresponding author.

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity

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