Dementia does not simply contain cognitive decline, it additionally includes deteriorating bodily perform. This main reason for limitation in actions of each day residing in older adults with dementia requires secure, efficient, and evidence-based nonpharmacological approaches. One such method is chair yoga. A noninvasive and low-impact intervention, chair yoga is practiced sitting or standing utilizing a chair for help and combines flexibility, stability, energy, respiration, rest, and mindfulness coaching.
Sadly, boundaries comparable to lack of transportation, residing in rural areas, counting on caregivers and particularly the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented many older adults with dementia from collaborating in group-based in-person chair yoga courses. These burdens name for an modern technique to ship a chair yoga intervention for many who can’t journey to a neighborhood heart.
The appreciable time and price related to touring to in-person yoga periods over a number of weeks might be burdensome to many sufferers.”
Juyoung Park, Ph.D., senior writer, principal investigator and professor within the Phyllis and Harvey Sandler Faculty of Social Work inside Florida Atlantic College’s School of Social Work and Prison Justice
Researchers from FAU’s School of Social Work and Prison Justice, Christine E. Lynn School of Nursing and Schmidt School of Medication and collaborators, carried out a novel interdisciplinary examine to judge a remotely supervised on-line chair yoga intervention focused at older adults with dementia and measured scientific outcomes just about by way of Zoom beneath the distant steerage. The examine assessed the feasibility of this intervention and explored the connection between chair yoga and scientific outcomes of ache interference, mobility, threat of falling, sleep disturbance, autonomic reactivity, and loneliness.
Outcomes of the examine, printed within the journal Complimentary Therapies in Scientific Observe, confirmed that remotely supervised on-line chair yoga is a possible method for managing bodily and psychological signs in socially remoted older adults with dementia primarily based on retention (70 p.c) and adherence (87.5 p.c), with no harm or different opposed occasions.
“This discovering is essential, as older adults with dementia and their caregivers could also be challenged in makes an attempt to attend chair yoga applications at neighborhood amenities,” stated Park, who carried out the analysis along with her mentee and co-author Hannah Levine, a medical pupil at FAU. “Our telehealth-based chair yoga intervention was discovered to be handy for each contributors and their caregivers as a result of it was simply accessible from residence and didn’t require transportation or getting dressed, which decreased caregiver burden and stress.”
Contributors within the pilot examine took half in twice weekly 60-minute periods for eight weeks. In the course of the chair yoga session, the yoga interventionist was spotlighted within the zoom display to permit contributors to see solely the interventionist. This spotlighting enabled contributors to deal with the yoga periods with out being distracted by different contributors on the display.
“Our examine contributors labored with an authorized yoga interventionist and their caregivers and practiced respiration methods and intentional follow; bodily postures; and guided rest and visualization,” stated Park.
Contributors additionally interacted on Zoom with different contributors or with the facilitator to keep up social bonds whereas sustaining bodily distance. Psychosocial and physiological (ie, cardiac) information had been collected remotely at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention.
“Remotely collected cardiac and psychosocial information can present a extra full evaluation of the results of an intervention,” stated María de los Ángeles Ortega Hernández, DNP, APRN, GNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, CDP, FAANP, FAAN, director of the FAU Louis and Anne Inexperienced Reminiscence and Wellness Heart, affiliate dean of scientific follow and professor, FAU Christine E. Lynn School of Nursing. “Importantly, on-line chair yoga courses present a method of lowering well being disparities by opening entry to interventions for individuals who’re unable to journey to a clinic or facility.”
The first purpose of the examine was to evaluate the feasibility (retention, adherence, and security) of conducting a remotely supervised, home-based, on-line chair intervention and finishing end result measures just about. The secondary purpose was to look at the connection between the intervention and persistent ache, bodily perform, or psychological signs. Lastly, an exploratory purpose was to judge the convenience and talent of caregivers and contributors to report cardiac information remotely for offline analyzes of the impact of the intervention on parasympathetic regulation and general coronary heart charge.
“An essential function of our technology-based intervention is that it might permit socially remoted older adults with dementia who’re residing at residence, particularly these in underserved communities the place persons are changing into extra digitally related, to obtain remotely supervised chair yoga that gives bodily, social and psychological advantages,” stated Lisa Ann Kirk Wiese, Ph.D., co-author and an affiliate professor, FAU’s Christine E. Lynn School of Nursing.
Examine co-authors are Keri Heilman, Ph.D., an assistant professor within the Faculty of Medication, College of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Marlysa Sullivan and Jayshree Surage, each with the Maryland College of Integrative Well being; Lillian Hung, Ph.D., an assistant professor and Canada Analysis Chair in Senior Care, College of British Columbia, Faculty of Nursing; and Hyochol “Brian” Ahn, Ph.D., a professor and affiliate dean for analysis, Florida State College, School of Nursing.
“Outcomes from our examine can inform future analysis and follow in implementation of on-line chair yoga or different train program for selling well being and wellness in older adults with dementia residing at residence,” stated Park.
sources:
Florida Atlantic College
Journal reference:
Park, J., et al. (2022) Remotely supervised home-based on-line chair yoga intervention for older adults with dementia: Feasibility examine Complementary Therapies in Scientific Observe. doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101617.

