Effects of Nonpharmacological Interventions in Older Adults With Dementia: Chair Yoga, Chair-Based Exercise, and Participatory Music Intervention

This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of having older adults with dementia participate in a nonpharmacological treatment—chair yoga, chair-based exercise, or participatory music intervention—and assessed the effects of the interventions on physical, behavioral and psychological symptoms, general quality of life, and sleep patterns throughout the course of the study. The study employed a three-arm cluster-randomized, longitudinal design. Sites were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to chair yoga, chair-based exercise, or music intervention. Twenty-seven participants completed 24 sessions in 12 weeks. We administered evaluation measures at baseline, midline (6 weeks), and post intervention (12 weeks). Repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to examine group differences at the collection points, controlling for baseline variability (i.e., gender, age, race/ethnicity) in outcomes.