Barriers, motivators, and facilitators of physical activity in dementia patients: A systematic review

Physical activity (PA) has the potential to slow the progression of dementia patients' cognitive and physical decline. A better understanding of the factors that facilitate or hamper dementia patients' PA participation will increase the success rate of implementing PA in dementia patients' daily care. We systematically screened the barriers, motivators, and facilitators of PA participation in dementia patients, complementing previous analyses of quantitative correlates of PA in community-dwelling dementia patients.

Systematic searches yielded 78 potential studies of which seven met the eligibility criteria including 39 dementia patients and 36 caregivers (33 spouses and three daughters).

We identified 35 barriers, 26 motivators, and 21 facilitators related to PA. We reduced these factors to six themes within the social-ecological model. Prominent barriers to PA were physical and mental limitations and difficulties with guidance and organization of PA by caregivers. Motivators included the motivation to maintain physical and mental health and participate in preferred PA options. Facilitators included strategies to avoid health problems, providing support and guidance for PA, and access to convenient and personalized PA options.

The emerging picture suggests that dementia patients' PA participation will increase if service providers become familiar with the health benefits of PA, the characteristics of PA programs, methods of delivery, and the concepts of how such programs can be personalized to and synchronized with patients' individual needs.