Feasibility and effect of cognitive-based board game and multi-component exercise interventions on older adults with...

Taiwan is an aging society, and the number of people with dementia is rapidly increasing. Due to a decline in cognitive and physical function, older adults with dementia not only gradually lose the ability to complete daily living tasks on their own, but are also at a higher risk of falls and injurious falls. It is important to develop interventions that combine cognitive and exercise training for older adults with dementia to promote or maintain their cognitive and physical functions and reduce their risk of falls. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and effect of cognitive-based board games and multi-component exercise interventions on cognitive function, physical fitness, and fall risk in older adults with dementia.

This was a quasi-experimental study with a single-group pretest and post-test design. The study participants were 41 community-dwelling older adults with mild to moderate dementia. They received cognitive-based board games and multi-component exercise interventions once a week for 12 weeks. The interventions included 1 hour of exercise training and 1 hour of cognitive training. Scores for the Taiwan version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-T), physical fitness, and the St. Thomas Risk Assessment Tool for Falling Elderly Inpatients (STRATIFY) were measured as outcome indicators at baseline and after the 12-week period.

The overall MoCA-T score increased significantly (effect size = 0.402), with participants with mild dementia showing a greater increase (effect size = 0.522) than those with moderate dementia (effect size = 0.310). Participants' physical fitness performance improved. Female participants exhibited significant improvements in the 30-second chair stand test (effect size = 0.483) and 8-foot up-and-go test (effect size = 0.437). The fall risk score decreased by 0.05 points, the change was not significant.

The cognitive-based board game and multi-component exercise interventions used in this study are beneficial for improving cognitive function and physical fitness in older adults with dementia. These interventions are feasible and suitable for promotion among community-dwelling and institution-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia to delay the decline in cognitive and physical function.