Physical activity and implications on well-being in mild Alzheimer's disease: A qualitative case study on two men with dementia and their spouses

Abstract

To improve the understanding of experiences of people with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their significant others, related to the physical activity of the afflicted persons and its perceived importance. A qualitative case study design was used. The study comprised two men with mild AD and their wives. Data were collected by qualitative interviews and participant observations. Data analysis followed a thematic guideline as described by Braun and Clarke ( 2006 ). Three central themes of experiences related to physical activity in AD were identified: 1) physical activity as health reinforcement; 2) barriers to physical activity; and 3) adaptation strategies. Important motivations for outdoor walks were enjoyable experiences of nature, body movement, and positive attitudes toward physical activity. Several factors were experienced as barriers to physical activity (e.g., tiredness, difficulties in finding one's way, and "peculiar behavior"). Significant others made considerable adjustments in everyday life to enable their partners to retain a physically active lifestyle. The findings indicate that in persons with AD, physical activities such as outdoor walking can play an important part in everyday life by creating meaningful routines and improving experienced well-being and health.

Patients’ and caregivers’ experiences of the impact of Parkinson’s disease on health status

“…Similar to qualitative studies of other neurodegenerative diseases, in our study patients discussed changes and adapting to the changes in physical functioning 18,19. The impairment in physical functioning due to symptoms of PD, which accounts for more than 40% of all comments, is an undeniable reality that affects both patients and caregivers.…”

Participation in physical and social activities among home-dwelling persons with dementia – experiences of next of kin

“…This shows that it is important for a person with dementia to have routines in everyday life. The studies by Berg et al16 and Cedervall and Åberg15 support the idea that routines give structure to the day and that the person with dementia usually prefers the same routines day after day 15…”

“…Corresponding findings are also present in other studies9,10 among people with dementia. In the study by Cedervall and Åberg,15 one next of kin found physical activity to be very positive because the activity provided benefits such as peace and quiet, and pleasure for the person with dementia. Furthermore, the present study revealed that it was positive that the activities gave the day a structure and that the different activities appeared on the same day, week after week, which made the days predictable.…”

(Mis)conceptualising themes, thematic analysis, and other problems with Fugard and Potts’ (2015) sample-size tool for thematic analysis

“…But in organic TA, frequency is not the only (or even primary) determinant for theme development: patterning across (some) data items is important, but relevance to addressing the research question is key. What is fundamental is the recognition of TA as a method of identifying patterned meaning across a dataset -it's not intended as an idiographic or case study method (although it has been used in case study research, Cedervall & Åberg, 2010). And a single instance is not evidence of a theme -which seems to be the logic behind a model based on likelihood of identifying an instance of the least common 'theme'.…”