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Dr. McCaffrey is Sharon Raddock Distinguished Professor, Dr. Newman is Assistant Professor and Statistician, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Dr. Park is Assistant Professor, and Ms. Hagen is undergraduate student, School of Social Work, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida.
The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. The authors acknowledge Kristine Lee for her development of the Sit 'N' Fit Chair Yoga Program.
Alzheimer's disease (AD)-type dementia affects more than 5.4 million Americans and ranks as the most common type of dementia (Thies & Bleiler, 2011). Currently, there are few effective long-term treatment options for AD. Managing symptoms and limitations that stem from AD is important and can lead to a better quality of life. Substantial evidence indicates that physical activity enhances balance, strength, learning, and memory for people of all ages, including those with cognitive impairment such as AD (Liang et al., 2010; McCall, 2013; Oken et al., 2006)
One activity that may be beneficial to those with cognitive impairment is yoga. Yoga is a mind-body therapy (Wang & Feinstein, 2011) that involves a combination of physical activity or postures (asanas), breathing (pranayama), deep relaxation (savasana), and meditation. The mechanisms that underlie the benefits of the physical activity aspects of yoga for those with cognitive impairment are hypothesized to involve the simple, repetitive movements in yoga practice that provide a sense of familiarity and the active attentional and mindfulness components that are inherent within yoga practice (Oken et al., 2006; Wiltermuth & Heath, 2009). Oken et al. (2006) studied 135 healthy older adults and found that those randomized into the yoga group had improved scores on quality of life and physical measures compared to participants in the exercise and control groups. These researchers found that the mindfulness aspects of yoga helped the participants feel calmer and focus on their surroundings and fellow participants. Wiltermuth and Heath (2009) studied participants of yoga programs and compared those to a control group who did not participate in yoga. The 52 yoga participants reported the repetitive yoga movements to be comforting and allowed them to connect with others in the group and feel reduced levels of distress and stress.
A few studies have demonstrated that yoga can be a beneficial type of...