Effects of a Modified Tai Chi Program on Older People with Mild Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Tai Chi exercise is a non-pharmacological therapy that has received increased attention in recent years. A Tai Chi program has been specifically modified for older people with cognitive impairments by the research team. OBJECTIVE: We aim to assess the effects of this Tai Chi program on mild dementia. METHODS: Eighty older people with mild dementia were recruited and randomly assigned to a Tai Chi group or a control group. The Tai Chi group practiced the Tai Chi program three times a week for 10 months, while the control group continued receiving routine treatments. All participants were assessed for cognitive function, behavior/mood, and activities of daily living at baseline, 5 months, and 10 months. RESULTS: The Tai Chi group performed better than the control group. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant group×time interaction in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Further analysis of sub-items of the MoCA showed a significant time effect in naming and abstraction. It was statistically significant in both main effect of time and group×time interaction in the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Paired sample t test showed the Tai Chi group scored lower at 5 and 10 months in the NPI and at 10 months in the GDS compared with baseline. The Tai Chi group scored lower than the control group at 10 months in the NPI and GDS. CONCLUSION: The results suggest this Tai Chi program may help improve cognitive function and mental well-being for older adults with mild dementia.

The Effects of Music Therapy on Cognition, Psychiatric Symptoms, and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia, affecting millions of older people worldwide. However, pharmacological therapies have not achieved desirable clinical efficacy in the past decades. Non-pharmacological therapies have been receiving increased attention to treat dementia in recent years. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the effects of music therapy on cognitive function and mental wellbeing of patients with AD. METHODS: A total number of 298 AD patients with mild, moderate, or severe dementia participated in the study. The participants with each grade of severity were randomly divided into three groups, which were a singing group, a lyric reading group, and a control group. These three groups received different interventions for three months. All participants underwent a series of tests on cognitive functions, neuropsychological symptoms, and activities of daily living at baseline, three months, and six months. RESULTS: The analysis shows that music therapy is more effective for improving verbal fluency and for alleviating the psychiatric symptoms and caregiver distress than lyrics reading in patients with AD. Stratified analysis shows that music therapy is effective for enhancing memory and language ability in patients with mild AD and reducing the psychiatric symptoms and caregiver distress in patients with moderate or severe AD. However, no significant effect was found for activities of daily living in patients with mild, moderate, or severe AD. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that music therapy is effective in enhancing cognitive function and mental wellbeing and can be recommended as an alternative approach to manage AD associated symptoms.