The Happy Antics programme: Holistic exercise for people with dementia

SummaryBackgroundHolistic exercise for people with dementia could have psychological and physical benefits, but there is a lack of research on the experience of this type of exercise. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptance of holistic exercise among people with dementia.MethodA holistic exercise programme for people with dementia was designed and implemented. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore participants' experience of holistic exercise, transcribed verbatim and analyzed.ResultsSeven themes were generated from the data. They were enjoyment, relaxation, keeping active, social interaction, pain relief, learning something new and intention to continue, respectively.ConclusionThe results of the current small-scale study provide evidence for the feasibility and acceptance of holistic exercise for people with dementia. In addition, participants appeared to benefit in terms of psychological and physical wellbeing.