From evidence to practice: Developing best practice guidelines for the delivery of activities to people living with moderate to advanced dementia using a pragmatic observational study

Abstract

The benefits of physical activities for those living with moderate to advanced dementia are well documented and include improved well-being and quality of life. What is less well known is how best to deliver such activities to make them meaningful for those taking part and, more generally, how to develop good practice guidance for working with this group. This article reports on an observational study of a physical activity programme in a residential care setting, Mobile Me, and on the process used to develop good practice guidance from it, which included input from a range of stakeholders. Learnings from this study conclude that changes in delivery and setting can contribute to a difference in the quality of the experience for participants and their levels of well-being during sessions. The findings from the study were consolidated into four themes for disseminating best practice: promoting the right atmosphere, environment, communication, and adaptations. These form part of a new multimedia best practice guide for delivering physical activities to those living with moderate to advanced dementia.

Pragmatic Evaluation of a Low-Threshold Sports Program for Older Adults in Group Homes

“…Some participants were not able to perform all, or some of, the Fullerton Functional Fitness Tests, or the standing balance tests, due to issues with their mobility or confidence. Some residents lacked capacity to consent and could not therefore be included in the main evaluation; however, a separate study was carried out with these individuals using structured observation ( Burke et al, 2021 ). Further limitations were a lack of randomization to the clusters, the inclusion of two rather than three follow-ups in the control group, the fact that the behavioral outcome measures were based on self-report, and small sample sizes for subgroup measures.…”

Exploring influences on evaluation practice: a case study of a national physical activity programme

“…Evidence generated from the Get Healthy Get Active programme mapped against the intended outcomes. Notes:1Get Active Get Healthy, what we have learned so far[34], Tackling Inactivity[43], 2Design Principles[44], 3Sport England Evaluation Framework[45], 4Hertfordshire Evaluation Framework[49], 5Examples of publications include[50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60] Fynn et al International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2021) 18:31…”