Exercise Slows Physical Decline of Alzheimer’s

A guided home exercise program can help slow physical decline and reduce falls in people with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests. The study included 210 people. All were living at home with a spouse who took care of them. They were randomly divided into 3 groups. One group did exercises at home twice a week with a physical therapist. Another group exercised in a group setting at a gym. The third group just received usual care and information about exercise. After a year, people in all 3 groups had declines in physical function. But people in the home-exercise group had only half the decline of those who got usual care. They also had only half as many falls. The gym group got stronger but had less benefit than the home-exercise group. Annual health care costs were about $34,000 for the usual-care group, $25,000 for the home-exercise group and $22,000 for the gym group.