LE3 .A278 2022

2022

Vierimaa, Matthew

Acadia University

Bachelor of Kinesiology

Honours

Kinesiology

Kinesiology

Introduction: Dementia is a neurodegenerative disease which causes memory loss, apathy, and a decline in cognition. Those with dementia have an increased incidence of depression and depressive symptoms when compared to same-age others. Physical activity has been shown to decrease depressive symptoms in those with dementia; however, little evidence has been presented regarding which type of exercise, if any, is most beneficial. Methods: There were a total of 10 participants in this study, all of whom have been diagnosed with dementia and participated with the help of a caregiver. A three-part survey was completed. The first survey, the Dementia Severity Rating Scale (DSRS) was completed by a caregiver. The second survey, the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) and the third survey, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were completed by participants. Results: Increased physical activity participation was correlated with a decreased severity of dementia. Mann-Whitney U tests revealed that participation in multiple exercise types (combined aerobic and resistance exercise) may be related to both decreased severity of dementia and decreased displays of depressive symptoms. Discussion: The findings of this study point to participation in multiple exercise types as the most effective method to improve quality of life in individuals with dementia. There was some missing data on the GDS, which came entirely from sedentary participants, leading to the inference of a likely bias when reporting depressive symptoms in these individuals. With previous literature stating that those with more severe dementia and those who are sedentary have higher incidences of depression, it can be assumed that those in the sedentary group would have had higher scores on the GDS than the full sample. Causal relationships cannot be stated based on the data collected; however, future researchers could benefit from investigating cause and effect relationships between exercise, depression, and severity of dementia.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3819