Pleasant physical exercise program for prevention of cognitive decline in community‐dwelling elderly with subjective memory complaints

Aim: Japan is one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world. Measures to prevent dementia are urgently required in Japan, although such strategies have not yet been established. This study investigated the effectiveness of a pleasant physical exercise intervention on the prevention of cognitive decline in community‐dwelling elderly participants with subjective memory complaints. In this intervention, a pleasant atmosphere was emphasized to enhance the participants' motivation. Method: We administered a 12‐week intervention program consisting of pleasant physical exercise. This program for the prevention of cognitive decline was carried out as a service of Maebashi city. The service targeted elderly residents aged 65 years and older who had subjective memory complaints. After a control period of 12 weeks, 42 participants, aged between 65–86 years, received intervention once a week at community centers. Participants carried out group exercise, and were encouraged to perform home exercise and walking during the intervention period. The program was carried out by co‐medical professional staff, with the help of senior citizen volunteers. Results: A total of 30 participants were included in the analysis. There was significant improvement on the Wechsler digit symbol substitution test ( P = 0.01). Conclusion: Participants with subjective memory complaints who continued the pleasant physical exercise programs for 12 weeks showed improvement in some aspects of cognitive function. Participation of senior citizen volunteers enabled smooth implementation of the program, and alleviated the burden on the professional staff. The pleasant physical exercise intervention described in the present study could be regarded as a community‐led intervention to prevent cognitive decline. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; ••: ••–•• .