A home-based intervention combining occupational therapy, physical therapy, and nursing support improved physical function and reduced disability in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia. The model demonstrates that targeted, in-home support addressing both cognitive and physical decline can be sustained and accepted by this population.
Key Points
- Home-based multidisciplinary intervention improved physical function outcomes
- High acceptability and feasibility in cognitively impaired older adults
- Combined occupational, physical, nursing support addresses dual decline patterns
Longevity Analysis
Cognitive decline and physical disability are typically treated as separate problems in clinical practice, yet they accelerate together and compound mortality risk. This intervention demonstrates that simultaneous attention to movement capacity, environmental adaptation, and functional independence can interrupt the cascade of decline in aging populations with early neurodegenerative disease. The feasibility data suggests that even patients with compromised cognition can engage in and benefit from structured, multimodal rehabilitation — a finding that reframes what's possible in this population and identifies a pathway to extend functional lifespan before advanced dementia or institutionalization becomes necessary.
Original published by SAGE Research on Aging, by Inga Antonsdottir, Emerald Jenkins, Janiece Taylor, George Rebok, Erika Hornstein, Allyson Evelyn-Gustave, Jennifer Wolff, Grace Huynh, Quinn Seau, Jenni Seale Reiff, Ja’Lynn Gray, Rhonda Smith Wright, Qiwei Li, Valerie Cotter, Hae-Ra Han, Chiadi Onyike, Mona Bahouth, Samantha Curriero, Sarah Szanton115851Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA2Department of Psychiatry, 1500Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA3Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA4Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA5Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.