AbstractBackgroundIt has been proposed that aerobic exercise can have positive effects on people who have cognitive impairments. While systematic reviews have been completed on the effects of aerobic exercise on the cognitive function in those with Alzheimer’s Disease, there has yet to be a systematic review that focuses on the effects of aerobic exercise on physical function and quality of life in patients diagnosed with dementia. The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the existing literature concerning how aerobic exercise should be prescribed to those with dementia.MethodMultiple databases were searched for randomized controlled trials published from: Medline Complete, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Central Register, SportsDiscus, PEDro, Health Source, PubMed, Ageline, Health Reference Center Academic, OT Seeker, and Science Direct. Our search included articles published from January 2011 through February 2021. A screening of relevant articles was then performed to identify literature to be included in the systematic review. Data was extracted for the following information: specific details about the study populations, interventions, and outcomes of significance related to the review analysis.ResultTen studies, all of which were found to be fair to excellent quality according to the PEDro scale, met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. Overall results indicated positive effects of aerobic exercise on the physical functioning of patients diagnosed with dementia. Many of the studies indicated a change with small effect sizes for the outcome of physical function. Other outcomes such as cognition, activities of daily living, and quality of life had inconsistent effect sizes between studies.ConclusionThe results of this systematic review indicate that there is currently mild to moderate evidence in support of implementing an aerobic exercise program for patients diagnosed with dementia. Additional higher quality studies are needed to establish specific exercise parameters that promote physical function in people with dementia.