A COMBINATION of very simple physical and mental exercises was enough to block the progression of dementia in nursing home residents, according to a study conducted in Germany.
The exercises also improved the residents’ ability to carry out daily living tasks, leaving them twice as capable in performing them.
Researchers in Bavaria wanted to gauge any benefits of a daily regime of physical and cognitive stimulation and see if they could slow the progression of dementia without the use of drug therapies.
They assembled a group of almost 100 people in the early stages of degenerative dementia selected from five nursing homes.
They were divided into groups of 10 and underwent a combination of mental and physical stimulation for two hours a day, six days a week, for 12 months. The controls received the care normally provided by the nursing homes.
The sessions started with a 10- minute introduction, with participants encouraged to feel part of the group. They sang a song, often a hymn, and discussed life experiences such as happiness.
About 30 minutes of motor activities followed, including balancing a tennis ball on a frisbee and games such as bowling and croquet.
Cognitive stimulation involved 30 minutes spent solving puzzles such as word jumbles, picture puzzles and matching pairs. They also practised “daily living” activities: these included preparing snacks, gardening and producing crafts.
The study results, which have just been released in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Medicine, found that while the control group who did not take part in the regime continued to decline mentally and physically, those on the programme maintained a constant level of cognitive fitness.
Their ability to perform living tasks improved, with scores at least as high or better than those achieved for patients using drug therapies to counter dementia.