INCLUDING EXERCISE SELF-MANAGEMENT AS PART OF INPATIENT REHABILITATION IS FEASIBLE, SAFE AND EFFECTIVE FOR PATIENTS WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT.

Abstract

Objective: To test the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of the My Therapy programme for inpatients with mild-moderate cognitive impairment.

Design: Observational pilot study.

Patients: Rehabilitation inpatients with mild-moderate cognitive impairment.

Methods: During their inpatient admission, participants received My Therapy, a programme that can increase the dose of rehabilitation through independent self-practice of exercises, outside of supervised therapy. Outcomes included My Therapy participation, falls, Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and 10-m walk test. Outcomes were compared with those of participants without cognitive impairment from the original My Therapy study (n = 116) using χ ² and independent t-tests.

Results: Eight participants with mild-moderate cognitive impairment (mean (standard deviation (SD)) age 89.6 years (4.8); 3 women) were included. All participants completed the My Therapy programme on at least one day of their admission, with no associated falls. Participants had an 8.4 s (SD 5.1) reduction in their 10-m walk test and a 21.5 point (SD 11.1) improvement on FIM scores from admission to discharge. There were no significant between-group differences in feasibility, safety or effectiveness for participants with and without cognitive impairment.

Conclusion: This pilot study has shown that including exercise self-management as part of inpatient rehabilitation is feasible, safe and effective for patients with cognitive impairment.