A Randomised Controlled Trial of Home-based Exercise Intervention for Caregivers of Persons With Dementia

Inclusion Criteria:

Caregivers

• 18 years of age and above
• Live with persons with dementia
• 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) >0 and <8
• No regular (i.e. ≥ 3 times/week) Tai Chi practice or other forms of mind-body exercise (e.g. yoga, qigong, mindfulness training) in the past six months
• Understand Chinese
• If they are on an antidepressant, they will not be included in the study unless they have been receiving pharmacological treatment on a steady dose for three months

Care recipient

• Aged 60 years or above
• Dementia diagnosis confirmed by a physician
• Dependence in at least one Activities of daily living(ADL)
• Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) > 10
• No regular (i.e. ≥ 3 times/week) Tai Chi practice or other forms of mind-body exercise (e.g. yoga, qigong, mindfulness training) in the past six months

Exclusion Criteria:

Caregivers

• Presence of psychotic symptoms, imminently suicidal, unstable medical conditions (e.g. recent heart attack, recent stroke, episodes of dizziness, fainting attacks) or significant orthopaedic problems rendering participants unsuitable for physical training
• Carers who are found to have mental conditions that warrants psychiatric assessment and/or treatment (e.g. GDS >8, i.e. local cut-off score for significant depressive symptoms, or suicidal) will be referred to appropriate units for follow up

Care recipient

• Presence of psychotic symptoms, unstable medical conditions (e.g. recent heart attack, recent stroke, episodes of dizziness, fainting attacks) or significant orthopaedic problems rendering participants unsuitable for physical training