The Watermemories Swimming Club for People with Dementia: Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

• Register: ANZCTR
• Last refreshed on: 13 January 2020
• Main ID: ACTRN12615000458538
• Date of registration: 11/05/2015
• Prospective Registration: Yes
• Primary sponsor: A/Prof Christine Neville
• Public title: The Watermemories Swimming Club for People with Dementia: Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
• Scientific title: Cluster randomised controlled trial of an aquatic exercise program for people with dementia to reduce behavioural and psychological symptoms (BPSD)
• Date of first enrolment: 01/06/2015
• Target sample size: 100
• Recruitment status: Not yet recruiting
• URL: https://anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12615000458538.aspx
• Study type: Interventional
• Study design: Purpose: Treatment; Allocation: Randomised controlled trial; Masking: Blinded (masking used);Assignment: Parallel;Type of endpoint: Efficacy;
• Phase: Not Applicable

Countries of recruitment

Australia

Contacts

• Name: A/Prof Christine Neville

• Name: A/Prof Christine Neville

Key inclusion & exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Eligibility criteria for RACFs:
1. > 50 high care beds
2. > 40% residents with dementia
3. within 25 kms of Toowoomba CBD

Eligibility criteria for residents:
1. Past history of swimming or a desire to go swimming
2. Residing in a residential aged care facility (low or high care)
3. Diagnosis of dementia
4. Able to walk a minimum of 10 metres self-ambulating or with a walking cane or wheelie walker
Exclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria for residents:
1. Unstable or terminal illness
2. Wheel-chair or bed bound
3. Medications contradictory to exercise
4. Unable to obtain medical clearance from GP to participate
5. Unable to obtain substitute decision-maker consent

Age minimum: 65 Years
Age maximum: No limit
Gender: Both males and females

Health Condition(s) or Problem(s) studied

Dementia;
Dementia

Neurological - Dementias

Physical Medicine / Rehabilitation - Other physical medicine / rehabilitation

Intervention(s)

The intervention will be implemented over 12 weeks, post-intervention will assessment will be at 12 weeks and follow-up assessment will be completed at 26 weeks.

The Watermemories Swimming Club (WSC) is an established aquatic exercise intervention designed by a team which includes a gerontological exercise physiologist and dementia experts. This intervention targets resistance, balance, flexibility and aerobic training, and includes a warm up and cool down phase. Exercises include walking, marching and weight transfer, lower and upper body resistance activities. Following each session the intervention has a time allowance of up to 15 minutes for free swimming so participants can engage in laps, playing or relaxing. Specific exercises can be tapered to cater for both group and individual capacity. Sessions are delivered by experienced swimming instructors and in-pool assistants trained in the intervention delivery.

The Watermemories aquatic exercise intervention is designed to increase physical activity, improve health as well as enhance social, BPSD and affective outcomes. The need to increase physical activity in people with dementia is straight-forward. The beauty of swimming is that not only is accessible, simple, measurable, safe, non-invasive, inexpensive and enjoyable but it addresses the adverse physical effects of inactivity as well as having a significant impact on BPSD, psychological distress, anxiety and depression.

Water is a supportive environment ideal for people with arthritis and at risk of falls and importantly, offers resistance to maintain exercise progression and intensity. From the perspective of person-centered care, it is appropriate for people who have a history of aquatic exercise, or do not like, or are unable to partake i

Primary Outcome(s)

Functional capacity, assessed by the Balance Outcome Measure for Elder Rehabilitation (BOOMER) test[Baseline (week 1), first follow-up post-intervention (week 12), and final follow-up (week 26).]

Psychological well-being, as assessed by the Psychological Well-Being in Cognitively Impaired Persons test[Baseline (week 1), first follow-up post-intervention (week 12), and final follow-up (week 26).]

Behaviour and psychological symptoms of dementia, as assessed by the Revised Memory and Behaviour Checklist [Baseline (week 1), first follow-up post-intervention (week 12), and final follow-up (week 26).]

Secondary Outcome(s)

Functional capacity, as assessed by the Short Physical Performance Battery [Baseline (week 1), first follow-up post-intervention (week 12), and final follow-up (week 26).]

Functional capacity, as assessed by the Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living Evaluation Form[Baseline (week 1), first follow-up post-intervention (week 12), and final follow-up (week 26).]

Anxiety, as assessed by the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory[Baseline (week 1), first follow-up post-intervention (week 12), and final follow-up (week 26).]

Depression, as assessed by the Cornell Scale for Depression[Baseline (week 1), first follow-up post-intervention (week 12), and final follow-up (week 26).]

Daily physical activity and ambulatory activities, as assessed by an Actigraph triaxial accelerometer activity monitor worn on the wrist of participants during waking hours for 7-day periods[Baseline (week 1), first follow-up post-intervention (week 12), and final follow-up (week 26).]

Secondary ID(s)

Nil known

Source(s) of Monetary Support

The Queensland Department of Health

Secondary Sponsor(s)

Dr Theresa Scott

Professor Elizabeth Beattie

Ethics review

Status: Approved
Approval date:
Contact:

The University of Queensland Behavioural and Social Sciences Ethical Review Committee