Online Chair Yoga to support adults with dementia

 


There are various challenges to tackle for caregivers of adults with dementia. Social isolation and the demands of taking care of a person with dementia require new approaches to support the patients’ health and social interactions while creating conditions that are feasible and accessible.  The pandemic added new limitations to a complicated situation.

Is online supervised Chair Yoga a feasible resource to offer for adults with dementia?

 A small study funded by the Florida Atlantic University showed that it is. The results of this study were published by the Journal Complimentary Therapies in Clinical Practice. A study to assess the feasibility of online Chair Yoga in adults with dementia had never been done before.

 The study explored the feasibility of supervised online Chair Yoga in a group of patients with dementia by evaluating the retention, adherence and safety of the approach.

A home-based Chair Yoga intervention was provided to 10 older patients with dementia (mean age was 80.73). Eight patients were male. Four patients had Alzheimer’s dementia; one had Lewy Body dementia and the other patients had others types of dementia.

The classes were offered twice a week for eight weeks by certified yoga instructors. Each class lasted sixty minutes. Data were collected at baseline, mid-intervention and post-intervention. Cardiac and psychosocial data were included in the data collection to explore the effects of the yoga practice. The class included breathing techniques, intentional practice, physical postures, guided-relaxation and visualization.

 The results of this small study suggest the use of supervised Chair Yoga online is beneficial to patients with dementia. In terms of safety, no injuries or adverse events were reported. Adherence was 87.5 percent and retention was 70 percent. The practice helped to manage physical and psychological symptoms in patients with dementia.

  Supervised Online Chair Yoga offered by qualified instructors can be an accessible, cost-effective strategy to support the wellbeing of adults with dementia. Yoga as a mind-body practice that boosts social interactions may help to lessen the burdens of social isolation, and it may be considered as a supportive measure for both caregivers and patients.

References:

Park, J., et al. (2022) Remotely supervised home-based online chair yoga intervention for older adults with dementia: Feasibility study Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2022.101617.

Note: the information provided in this blog intends to share the latest research on yoga. However, the content of this blog should never be used as a substitute for medical advice from your doctor.

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for commenting.

Popular posts from this blog

Can mindfulness and guided imagery help patients after surgery?

Image
    Guided imagery is the conscious use of the imagination to create positive images to support mind and body in their healing process (1). Mindfulness is a kind of meditation during which we focus on the present moment and become aware of our thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment without criticism and judgments (2). We adopt an open curious attitude to what flows in the present moment, without getting attached to sensations, thoughts and emotions. Yoga, for example, is a mindful practice. Guided imagery has ancient roots. In Eastern medicine envisioning well-being is considered important for healing. The Greeks Aristotle and Hippocrates used the power of imagery to help heal their patients. Over the last decades, techniques of relaxation have been researched to attain relaxation and control of bodily processes. The use of biofeedback is an example of this (3). Guided imagery and mindful meditation in the preoperative period support the patients' re
Read more

Yoga as Antihypertensive Lifestyle Therapy

Image
   The 2017 American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines redefined hypertension to a lower blood pressure threshold of 130 mm HG for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 80 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure (DBP).  Considering these guidelines, 46 % of US adults now present with hypertension. The 2017 American College of Cardiology /AHA Guidelines highlight the importance of regular exercise for the management of hypertension along with the DASH diet.  A meta-analysis published by Mayo Clinic Proceedings in March 2019 found that when yoga is practiced with breathing exercises ( pranayama) and meditation-relaxation techniques it is a viable antihypertensive lifestyle therapy that helps to reduce blood pressure (1).  The study showed that the practice of yoga three times a week reduced systolic blood pressure by 11 mm Hg and 6 mm Hg in the case of diastolic pressure. These reductions of blood pressure equal or exceed the decrease reported by aerobic ex
Read more

Do Yoga and Meditation change the brain?

Image
    Yoga involves breathing exercises (pranayama), physical poses (asanas) and meditation. Emerging research suggests positive associations between regular yoga practice and changes in different areas of the brain. These differences have been shown in the structure of the brain, but some studies were also able to find a functional correlation.   A research report by Gothe and colleagues published in December 2019 by the Journal Brain Plasticity explored the studies (1). MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) was used to investigate the possible effects of a regular practice on the structure of the brain comparing yoga practitioners with people who don't practice yoga. For example, a cross-sectional study done in women over the age of 60 by Alfonso and colleagues found differences in cortical thickness in women with eight or more years of Hatha Yoga experience compared to women who did not practice yoga (2).   It is important to make clear that participants from both groups were match
Read more