Why should people living with Alzheimer’s Disease exercise?

Alzheimer’s disease is commonly associated with a loss of memory, but it can take away much more than that. The impact of Alzheimer’s disease on day to day life varies between individuals, there are common challenges including washing, getting dressed, and eating. Since Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition, its effects can worsen over time. 

Exercise is well known for its beneficial effects on people’s physical, mental, and social wellbeing. For people living with Alzheimer’s disease, the challenges with day to day adversities can be improved with exercise. In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of exercise for those living with Alzheimer’s disease. 

Exercise and Alzheimer’s Disease 

Alzheimer’s disease makes day to day life much harder to cope with. Reduced physical activity can lead to increased future health risks, lack of confidence, poor mental health, and a lack of social contact. Therefore, exercise is highly recommended for those living with Alzheimer’s disease to improve their overall quality of life. The benefits of exercise can be categorised into physical, psychological, and social benefits. 

Physical Benefits

Exercise can be physically beneficial to people living with Alzheimer’s disease as improved physical fitness can improve the ability to perform day to day tasks. Since the majority of people living with Alzheimer’s disease are in the later stages of life, exercise can help reduce their risk of falls. Here’s how exercise can provide physical benefits: 

• Reduced risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases due to improved efficiency of the heart and blood vessels 
• Reduced risk of stroke, cancers, and type 2 diabetes 
• Increased muscle mass and strength 
• Increased flexibility and suppleness 
• Maintenance of strong bones can reduce the risk of osteoporosis 
• Improved sleep and recovery 
• Improved balance 

Psychological Benefits 

For people living with Alzheimer’s disease, exercise provides a great opportunity for increased social interaction and thus a reduced feeling of isolation. Alzheimer’s disease can lead to a reduced lack of confidence and inability to get out and socialise with others. Exercise classes can be a great way to combat these adversities. 

Research has shown exercise may improve memory and slow down mental decline. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia defined as a specific progressive disease of the brain that slowly causes impairment in memory and cognitive function. Therefore, the psychological benefits of exercise are imperative in coping with the condition of Alzheimer’s disease. Here’s how exercise can provide psychological benefits: 

• Improved memory and delayed decline of mental cognition 
• Improved confidence 
• Increased self-confidence 
• Improved mood 

Social Benefits

For people living with Alzheimer’s disease, exercise provides a great opportunity for increased social interaction and thus a reduced feeling of isolation. Alzheimer’s disease can lead to a reduced lack of confidence and inability to get out and socialise with others. Exercise classes can be a great way to combat these adversities. Here’s how exercise can provide social benefits: 

• Increased social interaction 
• Reduced feeling of isolation 

Recommended Exercise for People With Alzheimer’s Disease

Exercise recommendations will vary between individuals. When prescribing exercise for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, consider the basics such as training experience, injuries, availability, and goals. But, take into extra consideration the client’s age, progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and accessibility to exercise. Remember every client’s needs will be individual. 

However, some common trends may occur between clients with Alzheimer’s disease. NHS physical activity guidelines suggest adults of the age of 65 years should do the following: 

• aim to be physically active every day, even if it’s just light activity
• do activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days a week
• do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity if you are already active, or a combination of both
• reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity

Carer Support 

For people living with Alzheimer’s disease, the inability to perform day to day tasks means they require the assistance of a carer. Without carer support, performing activities alone can be very dangerous. Therefore, depending on the progressiveness of the condition, it’s important to include the carer in the prescription of exercise, as well as the client. Include the carer in your advice, as they may be the ones transporting the client to classes, and helping them with the specific exercise. Additionally, consider the sacrifices their carer is making to support them, exercise can also be highly beneficial for both the carer and the client.    

Summary 

Exercise contributes to physical, psychological, and social wellbeing. For people living with Alzheimer’s disease exercise can help improve cognitive function, reduce the risk of future adverse health conditions, improve mood and self-confidence, and improve the ability to perform day to day tasks. Exercise might not cure Alzheimer’s disease, but it can improve the client’s quality of life and maintain independence for as long as possible.