Physiotherapeutic Physical Activity Interventions for Health Promotion in Dementia

Background: Dementia is considered to be a complex clinical pattern with characteristic cognitive, physical and psychological symptoms. During the course of disease the affected subjects develop a steadily growing dependency on supporting assistance and nursing benefits in daily life. Physical activity provides a promising approach to positively influence the disease progression and the associated loss of autonomy Objective: This study is part of the superior project "Gesundheit in Bewegung". Its aim was to describe the literature research looking at the topic "physical activity and dementia" from the physiotherapeutic perspective and discuss its results. Method: The literature research was performed in PubMed and EBSCOhost. The project team defined the inclusion and exclusion criteria as well as the keywords for all professions involved in the interdisciplinary project. Results: A total of 15 studies were included in this literature review. Although they were characterised by a very heterogeneous sample composition and physical activity intervention design, rather positive effects on motor-functional skills, risk of falls and psychological parameters were found. Conclusions: Promotion of physical activity is considered to positively influence the physical health state of patients with dementia and to slow down the course of the disease. However, which specific physical activity programmes and exercise components are most efficient, to date remains unanswered in scientific literature.