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Project

The Dementia Step Dance revolution: a mixed-methods exergame study in people with mild to moderate dementia.

The current treatment of dementia is not efficacious in all patients. Pharmacotherapy may introduce undesirable side-effects. Physical activity has been defined as a promising non-pharmacological treatment. Despite the scientific evidence that physical activity is beneficial for people with dementia, and a variety of guidelines advise health professionals to engage and refer people living with dementia to physical activity, there is a dearth of evidence on how best to work and engage with people in care settings. Both dance and exercise-based videogames (exergames) that combine player movement, recreation, performance feedback and social connectivity have been shown to promote motivation in elderly. In this project we will combine these motivational strategies and investigate the efficacy and effectiveness of an innovative dance exergame intervention in residential patients with dementia. More in detail, we will explore the efficacy and feasibility of the intervention on the functional capacity, behavioral, psychological and cognitive functioning. We will also explore the efficacy of the intervention on fall incidents.

Date:1 Jul 2017 →  30 Apr 2019
Keywords:Exergame, dance, dementia, depression, quality of life, physical performance, falling
Disciplines:Orthopaedics, Human movement and sports sciences, Rehabilitation sciences