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The Effects of Whole-body Exercise to Improve Swallowing Function in Older Adults With Dementia

NCT04362228 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 9

Last updated 2023-02-06

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Swallowing impairment (dysphagia) is extremely common in older adults living with dementia due to age-related changes in swallowing and other disease-specific impairments. Dysphagia is commonly managed by modifying diet textures rather than engaging in rehabilitative swallowing therapy. This means that countless people with dementia are left to eat pureed foods and drink thickened liquids, which are unpalatable and lead to malnutrition. As the disease progresses, many are transferred to nursing homes. In Canada, speech-language pathologists, who manage dysphagia, are consultants within nursing homes; therefore, swallowing therapy is non-existent. However, exercise therapy is more commonly available. Rodent models have demonstrated that physical exercise strengthens tongue and vocal-fold musculature, which are critical components of swallowing. Therefore, it is possible that whole-body physical exercise, which increases rate of respiration, will help to strengthen swallowing-related musculature in older adults with dementia. In this study, older adults (65+) with early-stage dementia will complete a 12-week physical exercise program to determine improvement of swallowing function.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Whole-body exercise

10-week one-on-one, virtual, whole-body exercise class, 3x/week, focused on increasing respiratory rate through moderate-intensity aerobic exercises.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2021-05-01
Primary Completion
2022-09-30
Completion
2022-09-30

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases
Companies

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04362228 on ClinicalTrials.gov