The ancient form of gentle exercise known as Tai Chi has been shown to be a great way to improve a person’s health and wellbeing. However, little is known about how it can benefit people with dementia. This study will test the benefits of Tai Chi for people with dementia and their informal carers’ health and wellbeing.
We are a team of researchers led by Dr Samuel Nyman at Bournemouth University and we are interested in improving the health and wellbeing of people with dementia.
We are now closed to recruitment; all classes have finished.
We need up to 150 people with dementia together with their informal carer to take part in our study as a pair. Each pair will take part for six months. They will first receive a home visit by a member of the team to do some assessments and check they can take part. Then, each pair will be randomised to one of two groups:
- One group will receive Tai Chi for up to 20 weeks:
- They will attend a class once a week and practice Tai Chi at home, with the help of a qualified Tai Chi instructor
- Travel costs to attend the classes will be reimbursed
- One group will not do Tai Chi during the study:
- They will be asked to continue as usual with their weekly routine
- At the end of the six months they will be given £50 to attend their own Tai Chi classes
- Both groups will receive regular telephone calls from a researcher during the study and return a monthly calendar
- Both groups will receive another home visit to repeat the assessments done at the beginning, six months later
- Both groups are very important for the study.
Dr Samuel Nyman was funded by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Career Development Fellowship Award for this project. This was independent research funded by the NIHR. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
