Walking for Elderly Dementia Patients

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses walking as an intervention for older adults with dementia within the community. It describes the possible benefits of such a program, both from the point of view of the elderly person and from the perspective of cost-effective healthcare management. The paper also discusses the goals of the program and the evidence that supports it.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Outline of the Intervention
Importance of Intervention to Occupational Therapy
Potential Aims of the Intervention
Critique of the Evidence
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"While every individual will have unique needs and abilities, it is possible to formulate a general outline of a walking regimen intervention for older adults. According to Ebersole and Hess (1998), when carefully supervised, walking for short periods can be effective in reducing pain and increasing walking capacity for older adults. While there are a number of other health-related benefits related to such programs, older adults suffering from dementia stand to benefit in particular because of the camaraderie as well as the exercise that accrues to older walkers."

Sample of Sources Used:

• College of Occupational Therapists Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. (2005). College of Occupational Therapists. [Online]. Available: http://hsc.uwe.ac.uk/practicesupport/.
• Ebersole, P. & Hess, P. (1998). Toward healthy aging: Human needs and nursing response. St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
• Evans, S. & Garner, J. (2004). Talking over the years: A handbook of dynamic psychotherapy with older adults. New York: Brunner-Routledge.
• Hill, R. D., Thorn, B. L., Bowling, J. & Morrison, A. (2002). Geriatric residential care. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Kane, M. N. & Houston-Vega, M. K. (2004). Maximizing content on elders with dementia while teaching multicultural diversity. Journal of Social Work Education, 40(2), 285.

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