Alzheimer's disease is a type of neurological disease that gradually alienates the person from his immediate environment, then from himself, and after a while, memories of his current life fade one by one, and eventually he has difficulty even recognizing himself. Alzheimer's can often be confused with psychiatric diseases.
Alzheimer's disease manifests itself as a disease that begins with forgetfulness. However, not every forgetfulness means Alzheimer's disease. If forgetfulness occurs along with loss of skills and personality traits change, it is necessary to be more careful. Alzheimer's disease, just like dementia, is a disease that progresses with the deterioration of daily activities, the patient's inability to express himself, the deterioration of his relations with the environment, the deterioration of calculation, reasoning ability and perception, and even causes the patient's personality changes and some psychological symptoms to appear in the later stages. In later stages, the patient may no longer be able to even care for himself. He may become bedridden and become a completely dependent patient by not being able to meet his daily needs.
Regular exercise for a better quality process in Alzheimer's patients, as in all individuals, provides improvement in the cardiovascular system and immune system, while also improving the muscle mass. It also serves to increase strength and endurance. It has also been shown that exercise reduces falls and related fractures in Alzheimer's patients, regardless of their stage. Regular exercise programs are also beneficial for some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease.
Medical studies have shown that depression and behavioral problems are less common in Alzheimer's patients who exercise, and there is an improvement in memory and social skills.
The important thing here is that the exercise to be done should be appropriate for the period of the disease. Therefore, a personalized exercise program must be organized in consultation with a specialist doctor. It is recommended that the patient continue the exercise program three or four days a week.
Before starting the exercise program:
The patient should consult his doctor and undergo a medical check-up. must. Joint rheumatism and Health problems such as high blood pressure may cause some restrictions in terms of safe exercise.
In order to create a personalized exercise program, a physical therapy and rehabilitation specialist must evaluate the situation and provide supervised exercise suitable for the patient.
Exercise sessions should be started very slowly in all patients, sometimes it is aimed to start with a five-minute exercise program and increase it by one minute over the months, reaching a total of 30 minutes.
Each activity should be shown to the patient completely and the patient should be asked to follow it exactly.
It is recommended to diversify the activities and make them interesting so that the patient does not get bored.
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Exercise types:
If the patient has a sport that he likes to do in his life, he can be encouraged to continue doing it as much as possible. Apart from this, the most suitable exercise suggestions are:
Walking: It is the cheapest exercise that does not require any equipment and can be done almost anywhere. It is also suitable for the need to move around, which is especially common in Alzheimer's patients. It must be done in a safe environment and under supervision.
Bicycle: If the patient does not have a knee or hip problem and is deemed appropriate by the doctor, an exercise bike can be used.
Strengthening exercises: Small weight exercises based on the principle of low weight and many repetitions can be done in the gym or at home under supervision.
Following up the exercise:
It is important to monitor the progress of an Alzheimer's patient through exercise. Therefore, information such as the patient's walking distance, exercise duration, weight lifted and number of repetitions must be recorded. For example, increasing the distance a person walks in 5 minutes is an indicator that the patient's aerobic capacity, that is, endurance, has improved.
Safety precautions:
For exercises performed outdoors. A safe environment must be created and the patient must be controlled.
The patient must be supervised while working with weights.
The patient should wear appropriate thick shoes in case he/she drops the weights.
If the patient can talk while exercising, he/she is aerobically comfortable. is assumed to be in a situation. If the patient begins to have difficulty talking while exercising, it is understood that he/she needs to slow down a little.
For outdoor activities, it is recommended to provide sunscreen and appropriate clothing, and to wear a hat.
The patient should be ensured to drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.
When the patient feels tired and weak or has any pain, the activity should be stopped and A doctor should be consulted.
It should not be forgotten that exercise in Alzheimer's patients has positive effects on many systems, as well as on the results of the disease. However, in order to achieve these effects, an exercise program planned with the doctor's recommendation and specific to the patient must be made a part of life.
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