Effects of the Buddy-Up Dyadic Physical Activity Program on Health Outcomes of Care Dyads of Dementia: A Pilot Study

The Effects of the Buddy-Up Dyadic Physical Activity (BUDPA) Program on the Health Outcomes of Care Dyads of Dementia: A Pilot Feasibility Study

This project seeks to develop a novel dyadic intervention (titled as Buddy-Up Dyadic Physical Activity; BUDPA), using exercise as the common treatment component to improve the cognitive outcomes of persons with dementia and manage the stress-related symptoms of their family caregivers.

This project is a pilot study that seeks to develop a novel dyadic BUDPA intervention, using exercise as the common treatment component to improve the cognitive outcomes of persons with dementia and manage the stress-related symptoms of their family caregivers. BUDPA has integrated the concept of developing social capital for dementia management. By applying partner exercise, the longer-term provider for this therapeutic care will be shifted from service providers to the family caregivers and the persons with dementia. Helping them to translate the practice to a home-care setting further strengthens the notions of family responsibility and ability in dementia management. BUDPA fully engages the care dyads in a mutual helping relationship during the exercise training. The partner exercise also creates a platform to enable more meaningful encounter within the care dyad. The family caregivers are facilitated to find meaning in the caregiving process, which eventually can benefit their role commitment and mental wellness. Also, the use of mixed-method study design can provide high quality findings to inform both the feasibility and preliminary effects of the BUDPA program.

Inclusion Criteria:

For PwD,

• confirmed diagnosed of mild to moderate-intensity dementia
• cognitive impairment as indicated by a HK-Montreal Cognitive Assessment (Hong Kong version; HK-MoCA) score of 8-19 to indicate mild to early moderate dementia will be recruited

For family caregivers

• live together with the PwD
• identify as the primary family caregivers of the PwD

Exclusion Criteria:

• engaging in > 60 minutes per week of moderate or more vigorous exercise in the previous six months
• acute muscular-skeletal problem, stroke or cardio-respiratory disease.