Effect of a Course of selected Cawthorne-Cooksey and Frankel Exercises on balance, Coordination and walking speed of Elderly men with Dementia

Abstract

Introduction: Aging is a period during which the physiological structures and functions of the bodygradually decrease and a person experiences a significant decrease in various skills. This study aimed tocompare the effect of a selected CawtorneCooksey and Frankel’s exercise course on some physical andmovement factors of elderly men with dementia.
 Method: This research, semi-experimental and includes 24 elderly men with dementia, living in TawheedGolamgan Elderly Care Center of Mashhad, purposefully based on Examination (MMSE), in to two groups ,divided. The experimental group performed the selected exercises of Cawtorne Cooksey and Frankel, thecontrol group did not perform any specific exercises during this period. Fullerton test was used to evaluatebalance, tandem gate test was used to evaluate coordination, 10-meter walking test was used for walkingspeed. used to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercises, and covariance analysis and T at the significancelevel of P≤0/05 were used.
 Results: The results of the paired t-test illustrated that of the Fullerton advanced balance test (P=0.001),movement coordination (P=0/001), and walking speed (P=0/001) of the experimental group improved afterthe exercise program, while did not show improvement in the control group. the results of the analysis ofcovariance in the pre-test stage did not mark a significant difference between the groups, but in the post-teststage, the scores of the experimental group increased significantly.
 Conclusion: It is recommended to use the benefits of these exercises in order to prevent dementia andinclude in the elderly care programs.