Multidisciplinary or physiotherapeutic intervention may improve balance in institutionalized elderly patients with mixed dementia, and multidisciplinary intervention may provide some cognitive benefit.

In the study that yielded these findings, 54 participants were placed in three groups: one with an interdisciplinary program of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and physical education; one with physiotherapy only; and a control group.

Researchers tested cognitive functions with the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Brief Cognitive Screening Battery, and they assessed balance with the Berg Balance Scale and the Timed Get-Up-and-Go Test. Although neither multidisciplinary nor physiotherapeutic intervention improved global cognition, multidisciplinary intervention did provide some benefit in two specific cognitive domains.

Source: Christofoletti G, et al. A controlled clinical trial on the effects of motor intervention on balance and cognition in institutionalized elderly patients with dementia. Clinical Rehabilitation. 22(7):618-626, July 2008.

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