Introducing a multifaceted exercise intervention particular to older adults diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease: a preliminary study

Background and aim With a substantial increase in diagnosed Parkinson’s disease, it is of great importance to examine tolerance and physical measures of evolving exercise interventions. Of particular importance, a multi-faceted exercise intervention combining active-assisted cycling and resistance training to older adults diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease is being assessed. Methods Fourteen older adults diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and ten healthy older adults (67.5 ± 7.9 years of age) engaged in an 8-week, 24-session, multifaceted exercise protocol. The protocol consisted of both active-assisted cycling and resistance training. Tolerance was measured, as well as multiple indicators of health-related physical fitness. These indicators examined improvements in cardiovascular performance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility. Results Twenty-two older adults and older adults diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease tolerated the intervention by completing all 24 sessions. Repeated-measures analysis of variance demonstrated significant (P B 0.003) improvements in cardiovascular performance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility for both groups of individuals. Discussion and conclusion The multifaceted intervention is the first to combine both active-assisted cycling and resistance training. The older adult and the older adult diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease exhibited both tolerance and health-related improvements in physical fitness following the intervention.