Understanding the Caregiver's Perception of Physical Activity on Disease Progression for a Person Living with Dementia

Abstract

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe cognitive disabilities marked by a decline in a person’s mental health and reasoning, to the extent that which it impairs a person’s activities of daily living and communication skills. According to the World Health Organization (2023), nearly 55 million people have a form of dementia, costing more than a trillion dollars annually. Moreover, Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common dementia diagnosis and is the form most easily recognized by the public (Mehta & Schneider, 2021; Monfared et al., 2022). Although aging is the strongest known risk factor, dementia is not an inevitable consequence of growing old (Seifert et al., 2022). Therefore, the implementation of global prevention and early identification strategies is critical in reducing the speed of dementia diagnoses. Modern research concludes that one promising prevention strategy is exercise, yet many often fail to incorporate it into their routines early enough or neglect it totally (Mortimer, 2019; De la Rosa et al., 2020; Alty et al., 2020). Through an interview and research analysis, this project explored a caregiver’s perspective on the importance of quality and consistent physical exercise for people living with dementia (PLWD). A case study model was utilized to address this research gap. One interview was conducted with a caregiver of a person living with dementia, and conclusions were drawn based on the the feedback provided.