Engaging Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease in Exercise: Impact on Caregivers

Dr. Tai Simms continues her research, FIT-Caregiver Study is an ancillary study of the randomized control trial titled Aerobic Exercise in Alzheimer’s disease: Cognition and Hippocampal Volume Effects (The FIT-AD Trial) that investigates the effects of a 6-month cycling intervention on cognition and hippocampal volume in community-dwelling older adults with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The purpose of this mixed methods ancillary FIT-Caregiver study is to examine the effects of the FIT-AD Trial on its participants’ caregivers, with attention to the caregiver outcomes of burden, emotional well-being, and physical health. Each caregiver was followed for one year, with data collection time points at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. At each data collection time point participants complete 7 questionnaires, and at the 6 and 9 month time points a semi-structured interview. Twenty-five participants were enrolled and completed all data collection points. Currently, the study is in the data entry and analysis phase. The funding provided by the Glen Taylor Institute provided gift card incentives for study participants, and transcription services for interview data.