Effects of Tai-chi Programme on Mobility of People With Dementia

Time measured in the Timed-up-and-Go test

The Timed-up-and-Go test assess mobility of the participants. The time taken by participants to execute the tasks - stand up from a standard chair, walk three meters, turn around, walk back to the chair and sit down - was recorded in seconds.

Time frame: Baseline, 8th week and 16th week from baseline

Time measured in the Timed Chair Stand test

Timed Chair Stand test assesses functional lower limb muscle strength of the participant. Each participant was instructed to stand up fully and sit down five times as quickly as possible. The time needed to complete this task was recorded.

Time frame: Baseline, 8th week and 16th week from baseline

Length measured by the Functional Reach test

Functional Reach test assessed the dynamic bilateral stance balance of the participants. Participants stood beside a wall with their dominant arm raised to 90 degrees. They were then instructed to lean forward as far as possible, with the hand remaining at shoulder level. The Functional Reach score was the additional reach of the raised hand from the starting position in centimeters

Time frame: Baseline, 8th week and 16th week from baseline

Number of steps recorded in the Step Test

The Step Test assesses the dynamic single leg standing balance of the participants. Participants stood with their feet parallel and apart. They were instructed to place one whole foot onto the 5 centimetre-high block in front of them and then return it fully back down to the floor repeatedly as fast as possible, for 15 seconds. Each leg was tested separately, and performance on the side with the least number of steps was the recorded result.

Time frame: Baseline, 8th week and 16th week from baseline

Focus interview groups

Feedback from participants and their caregivers was collected by focus group within two weeks of completing the Tai-chi programme

Time frame: 17th week from baseline

Menorah Park Engagement Scale

The engagement of participants with dementia when attending the Tai-chi training sessions was assessed by four items extracted from the Menorah Park Engagement Scale. The four items are constructive engagement, passive engagement, self/other engagement, and non-engagement. Each item was rated on a three-point Likert scale (i.e., 0 = "not observed", 1 = "up to half the observation", and 2 = "more than half of the observation"). In addition, Engagement was also rated by the Tai-chi master on a 4-item scale (i.e. engagement during class, following proper steps, satisfaction with participants' learning progress, and satisfaction with participants' performance) based on the Tai-chi instructor's in-class observation. Each item was quantified on a 10-point Likert scale, with higher scores representing a greater degree of engagement.

Time frame: every week of the 16-week Tai-chi programme