Major project

Major Project

Effect of  Hatha –Yoga Program on a Group with Alzheimer Disease

1.      Summary of the paper with citation

Yoga effect on mental health ,physical functioning, flexibility and equilibrium was

evident. As people get older, these capacities are very important because articulations become

rigid, and it is more probable to fell. According to these was a patient who did not present any  

change, the only person who did not attend sessions and suffered more physical deterioration.

Some reported that Hatha-yoga poses increase flexibility (Terri L., Gibbons L., 2003).

Equilibrium and flexibility improvement make possible to improve in other aspects such as

Instrumental  functionality. From the caregivers report, it can be established that patients

started to get dressed and stand up, sit down faster; moreover, to go into or out of the car

more easily. Besides, these patients become tougher because they can  walk faster, get less

tired and have less possibility of falling down. In spite of the equilibrium poses difficulty,

participants got a good performance without  help. The healthy aged between 60 and 75 years

old have a prevalence ranging from 15% to 30% of having a fall. However, this percentage

increases in people over 71 years old. So, having a fall is one of the main causes of disability

in the aged (Manoux et al.,2005)

       One of the features of the program was precisely the simplicity of the instructions.

Additionally, repeated practice and visual feedback, which are the two variables that have

been considered as important in the relearning of motor skills people with dementia

(Chapman et al.,2005). In fact, Mangone(2004) suggest that because Alzheimer’s patients

have problem with episodic memory, constant and consistent practice is more effective for

the reason of the repeated execution of the same motor program does not require an intact

episodic memory, or other skills that can be  impaired in this population. The patients in this

program were able to acquire the movements positions by a constant repetition, without

showing awareness of learning from them. This ability of implicit learning, which is

preserved in Alzheimer’s patients, can be used as a starting point in non pharmacological

intervention programs.

2.Limitations or problems are listed and explained

       The following limitations are important to consider in work:

1.      To used hetero applied instruments. The person who answered pre-test and

post-test

2.      Home extra sessions were not developed by all the participants.

3.      Some instruments had a ceiling, which made it not possible to clarify quantitative

changes exactly

4.      There were not : waiting for a control group and aerobic control group.

3 Strength of this study are noted

            The strength of this research has shown that the underlying neuron anatomical system

Responsible for procedural memory is independent of declarative memory; and, therefore,

Patients with Alzheimer’s can acquire motor, perceptual and cognitive skills. Procedural

learning and implicit memory, kept until last stages of Alzheimer, is an opportunity of

learning a physical activity routine which implies the execution of motor skills. Changes

produced by skills practice are the result of moving from an attention processing situation

to an automatic processing one.

 Reference

1.      Mangone CA (2004) Clinical heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s disease. Different clinical

Profiles can predict the progression rate. Rev Neurol 38: 675-681.

2.      Chapman D, Marshall S, Strine T, Anda R, Moore M (2005). Dementia and Its

Implication for public health.3: 1-3.