Feasibility of reducing frailty components in older adults with Alzheimer's dementia:a randomized controlled home-based exercise trial (AD-HOMEX)

Objectives: There is a need for interventions to reduce frailty in older people with Alzheimer's dementia (AD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a home-based multimodal exercise program for older adults with AD (AD-HOMEX) on frailty.Design: A parallel single-blind randomized controlled trial comparing a home-based exercise program and usual care.Setting and participants: A home-based program in Brazil. Forty individuals aged 65 years or older with mild to moderate AD.Methods: The intervention group (IG) participated in a 16-week protocol involving three 60-minute sessions per week of progressive individualized physical exercises supervised by a physical therapist. The participants in the control group (CG) maintained their usual care. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL questionnaire, the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) and a subjective assessment by the evaluator (SAE) at baseline and follow-up. Per-protocol analysis was performed.Results: Thirty-five participants completed the program (IG = 16; CG = 19). Frailty improved in the IG based on the EFS (P = .004) and FRAIL (PConclusions and implications: AD-HOMEX seems to reduce frailty and improve frailty transition patterns. Our findings provide a further theoretical basis for designing home-based physical interventions as routine practice for older frail adults with AD.