The Effect Of Adapted Taichi On The Cognition And Emotion Of Patients With Mild Dementia

Objective:We has modified the traditional Chinese Tai Chi to suit people with mild dementia,and to explore the effects of adapted Taichi intervention on cognition and emotion through a randomized controlled trial after six months.Methods:According to the joint discussion of taijiquan experts,dementia specialists,and sports experts,the content of the adaptation was determined,and 10 volunteers were selected to do pre-experiment in March and April 2017 to ensure the feasibility of changing the routine.A total of 80 patients with mild dementia were enrolled in after the programme was determined,with 40 patients in the experimental group and 40 patients in the control group.In this experiment,the control group received medical care and nursing,while the experiment group were to take adapted Taichi exercises thrice a week for thirty minutes each time in six months besides medical care and nursing.Measuring tools include:Clinical Dementia Rating(CDR),Simple Mental State Examination(MMSE),Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA),Geriatric Depression Scale and Mental stress analyzer.The above scales and examinations were measured in the baseline period,three months and six months respectively.SPSS20.0 software was used for statistical analysis.The generalized estimation equation was used for the comparison between the groups and the time as a whole.In the group,the paired sample test was used to match the normal distribution,and two related samples were not tested in the non-normal state.Results:The adapted Taichi was safe,the intensity of exercise was suitable,and the degree of difficulty was accepted by the old people,and it had a strong feasibility.After six months,4 participants of the experimental group and 2 participants of the control group dropped out,so the experimental group effective data was 36 and the control group effective data was 38.The age of the experimental group was 82.00±5.89years old and the control group was 81.89±6.07years old.The results of generalized estimation equation show that there is no difference between the experimental group and the control group at CDR score,MMSE total score and sub-item score,MoCA total score and sub-item score(P>0.05).There was a significant difference in the score of MoCA naming when comparing six months to three months(p=0.034)and six mouths to baseline periods(p=0.008)in the experimental group;In the experimental group,abstract thinking scores were significantly different when compare baseline to three months(p=0.046)and six mouths to the baseline period(p=0.049).There was a significant difference between groups in the Geriatric Depression Scale(p=0.011).There was a significant difference between groups in the PSI(p=0.040).Conclusions:Adapted Taichi was suitable for patients with mild dementia,more than three months of exercise can improve part of the cognitive ability,lower levels of depression who are patients of mild dementia,and the effect could be much better if longer practice was taken.So,we hold the belief that this adapted Taichi can serve as nonpharmacologic treatments and can be used together with the conventional treatment for mild dementia patients.