What it is
A short, honest summary.
- —Dementia affects movement, balance and coordination — not only memory.
- —Walking can become slower and less steady, and falls become more likely.
- —Familiar, repeated, well-cued movement is retained well — and that is what rehabilitation builds on.
What families notice
The signals worth taking seriously.
- 01Slower, more hesitant, or shuffling walking
- 02Unsteadiness, near-falls, or falls
- 03Difficulty rising from a chair or bed
- 04Growing reluctance to walk or move about
- 05Loss of confidence and stamina, and more time spent sitting
My approach
How the work is structured.
- —Simple, repeatable exercise that suits memory and attention, using clear cues.
- —Strength and balance work to keep standing, walking and transfers safe.
- —Home-environment and routine adjustments that reduce falls and confusion.
- —Caregiver training in safe assistance, prompting, and gentle daily activity.
What recovery looks like
A plain-language picture.
“Dementia is not reversed, but mobility responds to the right work. Staying active reduces falls, eases caregiving, and protects independence and dignity well into the journey.”
FAQ
Common questions, answered briefly.
- Can someone with memory loss still do exercises?
- Yes. Movement is best kept simple, familiar, and repeated with clear cues — and caregivers are coached to weave it into the daily routine.
- Does staying active really help in dementia?
- Yes — regular movement supports walking, lowers fall risk, helps mood and sleep, and keeps daily care more manageable for everyone.
For clinicians
Clinical detail, assessment and evidence.
Clinical summary
The picture in clinician register.
Dementia affects gait, balance and dual-task capacity alongside cognition, raising falls risk substantially; the pattern varies by subtype. Procedural and well-cued movement is relatively preserved — rehabilitation builds on this with simple, repetitive, errorless exercise and carer-delivered programmes embedded in daily routine.
Terminology
Terms worth being precise about.
- Dual-task cost
- The drop in gait performance when a cognitive task is added — a falls marker.
- Errorless learning
- Teaching that minimises mistakes, suiting impaired memory.
- Procedural memory
- Memory for skills and routines, relatively spared in dementia.
- Cueing
- External prompts (verbal, visual) that trigger and sustain movement.
Assessment & measures
What the first sessions measure.
- —Gait speed and variability.
- —Berg Balance Scale or a simpler functional balance test; Timed Up and Go.
- —Falls history; carer-capacity and environment review.
Red flags
Signs that need urgent escalation.
- A sudden change in mobility or cognition — consider delirium, infection, or new pathology.
- Recurrent falls with injury.
Referral & MDT
When and to whom to refer.
The memory or old-age service. A falls service; occupational therapy for home and routine adaptation; carer support.
Evidence
References and guideline anchors.
- Exercise and falls reduction in dementia — PLACEHOLDER — verify against current guidelines before launch.