Community Recreation to Enhance Function in Aging

A Community-Based Recreation Program to Improve Function and Quality of Life in Older Adults

This aim of this study is to examine the therapeutic impacts of a group-based recreational program that delivers guided visual artmaking and dual-task exergaming, to older adults. Outcomes of interest include cognitive function (attention, task-switching, interference inhibition), physical function (balance, walking, lower-limb strength), and dual-task performance. Key implementation outcomes including intervention fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability will be explored to inform design of future community-based intervention programs.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have no more than MCI (Montreal Cognitive Assessment score ≥ 24 points)
• Have no contraindications to exercise guided by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
• Fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have a condition that would prevent safe participation in the exercise, as determined by the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Older Adults
• Have severe neurological disease.
• Have severe psychiatric illness.
• Have a likelihood of withdrawing from the study due to severe illness or a life expectancy of < 6 mo.
• Having a lower or upper limb amputation