Alzheimer and Exercise

Workout Helps with ADL in Alzheimer's

By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today

Published: April 15, 2013

Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Action Points

• This randomized study evaluated the effects of an intensive long-term exercise program in patients with Alzheimer's disease living at home under the care of a spouse.
• The exercise program had beneficial effects on the physical functioning of patients with Alzheimer's disease without increasing the total costs of health and social services.

An exercise program for people with Alzheimer's disease helped them cope with activities of daily living, without increasing health and social care costs, researchers reported.

In a randomized, controlled trial, supervised exercise, whether at home or at a day care center, slowed physical deterioration, according to Kaisu Pitkälä, MD, PhD, of the University of Helsinki in Finland, and colleagues.

And the costs for patients in the exercise programs were similar or lower than those associated with a control program of usual community care, Pitkälä and colleagues reported online in JAMA Internal Medicine./.../