ABSTRACT
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disorder that negatively affects quality of life of patients and family members.
Objective:
The aim of this study is to compare the cognition, level of physical activity and functioning of elderly individuals with mild AD and those without dementia.
Methods:
The study comprised 24 elderly with mild AD (mean age = 76.9 ± 5.3 years) and 30 elderly without dementia (mean age = 74.1 ± 5.6 years). The following instruments were applied to evaluate cognitive functions: MMSE; Frontal Assessment Battery; Clock Drawing Test; Corsi Blocks, and Verbal Paired Associates. Event-related potential P300 was used to evaluate cognitive processing. The Modified Baecke Questionnaire For Older Adults was applied to evaluate the level of physical activity together with use of a pedometer for 7 consecutive days. For the evaluation of the functioning, the Direct Assessment of Functional Status-Revised scale and functional tests were used.
Results:
There was a significant difference between the groups in level of physical activity and functioning, except on the test evaluating flexibility.
Conclusion:
Elderly with AD had cognitive, functional and physical activity deficits which can manifest even in the early stages of the disease.
Key words:
dementia; cognition; functioning; exercise; motor activity
