Adapted Home-based Exercise Program "T&E" (Test-and-Exercise) in Persons With Alzheimer's Disease (HOPE Trial)

Effects of the Adapted Home-based Exercise Program "T&E" (Test-and-Exercise) on Balance, Mobility, and Executive Functions in Persons With Alzheimer's Disease: Protocol for an Exploratory Pilot Study

The aim of this exploratory pilot study is to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the adapted T&E home-based exercise program on the basic functional mobility and executive functions in persons with mild or probable Alzheimer's Disease.

Primary and secondary outcomes will be measured at T0 (one week before the begin of the intervention) and T1, (one week after the eight weeks of the intervention) at home of the participants.

Eight home-based physiotherapy sessions will occur in two months, once a week, to activate the preserved implicit memory (PIM). The recommendations are to train three weeks with the same exercise program, three times a week (one time coached by the attributed physiotherapist and two times coached by a natural or family caregiver). After three weeks, the participants can choose if they want to keep the same exercises or change all or some of these, in testing other tasks. Every training session will be planned to last 45 minutes. During each training session, the participant will note on his/her own "Training booklet" each task performed. The "Training booklet" will be used to plane, organize, and remember details for the next training session.

Twelve participants will take part at this study.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Must living at their own home,
• Clinical diagnosis of mild or probable Alzheimer's Disease,
• Must be medical stable,
• Must be able to walk with or without assistive device without physical assistance of another person,
• Must be able to follow one-step commands,
• Family caregiver's must agree to participate at the training sessions.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe vision and verbal impairment,
• Any serious orthopaedic condition,
• Any major neurologic or musculoskeletal comorbidity that might affect their functional mobility,
• Any limiting cardiac or pulmonary condition.