Evaluation of Age & Dementia Friendly Gymnastics Programme

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of an bilaterally asymmetric gymnastics-based exercise programme on older people participating in a care home and day centre setting.Design/methodology/approachThe research design comprised a small-scale pilot in two care homes and one day care centre in Cambridgeshire, England. The research was a qualitative evaluation that included observing sessions delivered; interviews with older people participating, their spouses, family members and friends; interviews with staff; and a review of the diary of each session written by the person delivering the exercise programme.FindingsOlder people participating in the programme showed a demonstrable improvement with aspects of their physical, emotional and cognitive ability. Older people with mild to advanced forms of dementia appeared to benefit most. The sessions were enjoyable and a real bond developed between the older people.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research will benefit from understanding whether the observed improvements are reflected in objective measures. The inclusion of a comparison group will be important to further add to the belief that the observed changes are caused by the programme. The inclusion of a large sample size covering different geographic areas will be needed to test more widely the viability of this programme.Originality/valueThis research is the first to investigate the impact of an asymmetric gymnastics-based exercise programme on older people, with varying levels of dementia, in a care home and day centre setting.