The ancient form of gentle exercise known as Tai Chi has been shown to be a great way to improve a person’s health and wellbeing. However, little is known about how it can benefit people with dementia. This study tested the benefits of Tai Chi for people with dementia and their informal carers’ health and wellbeing.

A team of researchers led by Dr Samuel Nyman at Bournemouth University have finished the study and published their key results in a scientific journal article:

Nyman, S. R., Ingram, W., Sanders, J., Thomas, P. W., Thomas, S., Vassallo, M., Raftery, J., Bibi, I., & Barrado-Martín, Y. (2019). Randomised controlled trial of the effect of Tai Chi on postural balance of people with dementia. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 14, 2017-2029. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S228931.

A plain English summary of these results is available in a flyer (pdf 374kb), and a video abstract of the research can be viewed below.

© Nyman et al. This work is published by Dove Medical Press Limited, and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

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