Effects of Tai-chi Programme on Mobility of People With Dementia

NCT03341091 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: 4-ZZFT
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 26
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

This study evaluates the feasibility and the preliminary effects of a simplified 10-step Tai-chi programme (a dyadic approach) on the mobility performance of people with mild to moderate dementia. Four community health centres were recruited and each was randomised to either the intervention group (Tai-chi) or the control group. Tai-chi group received a 16-week 10-step simplified Tai-chi training programme in which additional measures were implemented to enhance participants' engagement. The control group took part in group recreational activities organized by the community centres. It was hypothesized that the Tai-chi group would outperform the control group regarding their mobility performance.

Conditions

Accidental Falls

Keywords

Tai-chi; Dementia; Dyad approach; Fall prevention; Mobility

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Recruitment rate

  The number of dyads who provided consent to join the study over the eligible dyads

  Enrollment date

• Attrition rate

  The attrition rate was indicated by the percentage of dyads withdrawing from the study

  At the end of the 16-week programme

• Participants' adherence to practising Tai-chi at home and in the training sessions

  Exercise adherence (Tai-chi group only) was assessed by both the exercise diaries and training session attendance. Caregivers were instructed to record participants' adherence in terms of the frequency and duration of their Tai-chi home practice in a weekly exercise diary.

  Throughout the 16-week programme

• Occurrence of adverse events such as falls

  Any adverse events at home were recorded.

  Throughout the 16-week programme and during the training sessions

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Time measured in the Timed-up-and-Go test

  Baseline, 8th week and 16th week from baseline

• Time measured in the Timed Chair Stand test

  Baseline, 8th week and 16th week from baseline

• Length measured by the Functional Reach test

  Baseline, 8th week and 16th week from baseline

• Number of steps recorded in the Step Test

  Baseline, 8th week and 16th week from baseline

• Focus interview groups

  17th week from baseline

Study Arms (2)

Tai-chi group

EXPERIMENTAL

16-week 10-step simplified Tai-chi programme. Two 1-hour sessions of centre-based Tai-chi training and a minimum of three 30-minute Tai-chi sessions at home on a weekly basis.

Other: Tai-chi group

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

Group recreational activities and continue their usual lifestyles and levels of physical activity as usual for 16 weeks. Two 1-hour sessions of group recreational activities on a weekly basis.

Interventions

Tai-chi group OTHER

The Tai-chi group received a 16-week 10-step simplified Tai-chi training programme in which additional measures were implemented to enhance participants' engagement.

Tai-chi group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• community-dwelling older people aged \> 60 years;
• able to walk independently with no walking aid or no more than a single point stick for at least 10 minutes to ensure their mobility was good enough for taking part in the Tai-chi training;
• formally diagnosed with a form of dementia;
• classified with mild to moderate severity of dementia, assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment 5-minute scale with a cut-off score at the 16th percentile according to participants' age and education; and
• able to identify a caregiver who was willing to work as an exercise partner for their Tai-chi practice.
• adults aged \> 18;
• living with the participants or actively involved in their daily care;
• sufficiently mobile to be able to take part in the Tai-chi training together with the participants; and
• willing to work as an exercise partner with the participants and monitor and encourage them to practice Tai-chi at home.

You may not qualify if:

• if at the time of and three months before recruitment, they
• had any diseases that might severely affect their balance and coordination, such as Parkinson's disease or myasthenia gravis;
• were hospitalized due to acute illnesses such as myocardial infarction, stroke or hip fracture, or had major surgeries;
• reported that they regularly performed moderately intensive exercise, such as hiking or Tai-chi, for more than 2 hours per week;
• had terminal illnesses such as cancer and were in palliative care; or
• had severe visual or hearing impairment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: lead

Study Sites (2)

Caritas Hong Kong - Services for the Elderly

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Location

H.K.S.K.H. Lok Man Alice Kwok Integrated Service Centre

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Location

Related Publications (32)

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MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dementia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Yat-wa Justina Liu

  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: An independent assessor who was blinded to group allocation assessed the participants' motor performance variables.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: A two-arm parallel (single-blinded) cluster randomised controlled trial involves two groups of participants (Tai-chi and the control group). Four community health centers that provide dementia care services were recruited through convenience sampling and each was viewed as one cluster and was randomised to either the Tai-chi or the control group, based on computer-generated random numbers. So during the trial, participants in one group receive Tai-chi group programme "in parallel" to participants in the other group, who took part in group recreational activities and continue their usual lifestyles and levels of physical activity.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 8, 2017
• First Posted: November 14, 2017
• Study Start: November 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2017
• Study Completion: March 31, 2017
• Last Updated: November 14, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

HK (2)