Effect of neurobic exercise on memory enhancement in the elderly with dementia

Abstract

The objective of this Quasi-experimental research was to examine the effect of Neurobic Exercise on the Memory Enhancement in the Elderly people suffering from Dementia. During January to September 2012, twenty two female older adults suffering from dementia who were residing at Mitraparpsongkoh Foundation, PathumThani Province in Thailand, were purposively selected to participate in this research. Selected participants were involved in Neurobic Exercise Program on every 2 days continuously for 4 weeks. The instruments consisted of a Demographic Data Form, the Mini-Mental State Examination- Thai 2002, the Memory test and a Neurobic Exercise Program. The reliability of the Mini-Mental State Examination- Thai 2002 and the memory test using Kuder- Richadson 20 were.89 and .81 respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Paired t-test. The results revealed that the average memory scores of the experimental group after receiving the Neurobic Exercise Program were statistically and significantly higher than before receiving the Neurobic Exercise Program at a level of p < .001. The results of this study could be used as guidelines by health care providers in enhancing the memory retention of the elderly people suffering from dementia and delaying the deterioration of the brain.