Aquatic Therapy and Alzheimer's Disease
CASE REPORT Aquatic Therapy and Alzheimer’s Disease Kent W. Myers, MD 1,2 • Dina Capek, RN 2 • Holly Shill, MD 3 • Marwan Sabbagh, MD 3,4 Affiliations: Abstract: Aquatic therapy (AT) has been used for decades to provide physical 1 Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ therapy for patients with lower extremity deformities. Recently, investigators also 2 Royal Oaks Retirement Community, Sun City, have shown potential benefits for patients with neurological conditions, such as AZ balance disorders, Parkinson’s disease, and post-stroke effects. This case re- 3Department of Neurology, Banner Sun Health port documents a patient with severe Alzheimer’s disease who responded well to Research Institute, Sun City, AZ Halliwick-concept AT, and both subjective and objective evidence is presented to 4Department of Neurology, University of document his improvement. This case suggests a need to further investigate the Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ potential of AT to improve the quality of life of patients with dementia. Key words: Aquatic therapy, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, activities of daily living. Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial Citation: Annals of Long-Term Care: Clinical Care and Aging. 2013;21(5):36-41. relationships. Address correspondence to: t is estimated that 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and one Kent Myers, MD in three older adults dies with AD or another dementia.1 In the absence of a cure Midwestern University Ifor AD, there are numerous physical and cognitive interventions that attempt to 19555 N 59th Avenue slow further cognitive decline and improve quality of life, particularly in achieving Glendale, AZ 85308 greater independence in activities of daily living (ADLs).
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