Yoga an integrated mind body intervention for improvement in quality of life in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers

Background and objectiveAlzheimer’s disease (AD) presents profound challenges, significantly impairing quality of life (QOL) for patients and increasing the burden on caregivers. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a tailored 12-week yoga intervention in improving the quality of life...

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Main Authors: Meenakshi Kaushik, Anjali Yadav, Ashishdatt Upadhyay, Anu Gupta, Prabhakar Tiwari, Manjari Tripathi, Rima Dada
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-03-01
Series:Frontiers in Aging
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fragi.2025.1449485/full
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author Meenakshi Kaushik
Anjali Yadav
Ashishdatt Upadhyay
Anu Gupta
Prabhakar Tiwari
Manjari Tripathi
Rima Dada
author_facet Meenakshi Kaushik
Anjali Yadav
Ashishdatt Upadhyay
Anu Gupta
Prabhakar Tiwari
Manjari Tripathi
Rima Dada
author_sort Meenakshi Kaushik
collection DOAJ
description Background and objectiveAlzheimer’s disease (AD) presents profound challenges, significantly impairing quality of life (QOL) for patients and increasing the burden on caregivers. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a tailored 12-week yoga intervention in improving the quality of life for individuals with mild to moderate AD and reducing caregiver burden (CB).MethodsThis is yoga interventional study with healthy controls enrolled 30 participants (18 males, 12 females) diagnosed with mild to moderate AD by an expert neurologist. Participants were aged 60 years or older and were recruited from an old age home. A 12-week yoga program, including specific postures (asanas), pranayama (breathing exercises), and meditation, was conducted for 1 hour daily, 6 days a week. Neurocognitive assessments were performed pre- and post-intervention using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Caregiver Burden (CB) Scale. MoCA scores were analyzed across specific domains, including language, memory, attention, visuospatial ability, delayed recall, abstraction, and orientation.ResultsThe intervention led to significant improvements in quality-of-life measures. GDS scores decreased from 8.36 ± 2.79 to 5.13 ± 3.07 (P < 0.01; 95% CI: −3.98 to −2.31), while MoCA total scores improved from 18.23 ± 4.90 to 21.10 ± 5.09 (P < 0.01; 95% CI: 2.17–3.89). Domain-specific MoCA scores also showed significant enhancements, particularly in language, attention, and delayed recall. Caregiver burden, measured using the CB Scale, demonstrated notable reductions following the intervention (P < 0.01; 95% CI: −2.54 to −1.23).ConclusionThis study underscores the significant improvements in depression and cognitive function, and overall quality of life in individuals with mild to moderate AD. Additionally, the intervention alleviated caregiver burden, highlighting its potential as an effective mind-body approach for AD management.
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spelling doaj-art-4ffe92ab3d5c4923ba1b5216c93f2dcf2025-08-20T02:41:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging2673-62172025-03-01610.3389/fragi.2025.14494851449485Yoga an integrated mind body intervention for improvement in quality of life in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregiversMeenakshi Kaushik0Anjali Yadav1Ashishdatt Upadhyay2Anu Gupta3Prabhakar Tiwari4Manjari Tripathi5Rima Dada6Lab. for Molecular Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaLab. for Molecular Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaDepartment of Clinical Research Unit, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaDepartment of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaLab. for Molecular Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaDepartment of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaLab. for Molecular Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaBackground and objectiveAlzheimer’s disease (AD) presents profound challenges, significantly impairing quality of life (QOL) for patients and increasing the burden on caregivers. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a tailored 12-week yoga intervention in improving the quality of life for individuals with mild to moderate AD and reducing caregiver burden (CB).MethodsThis is yoga interventional study with healthy controls enrolled 30 participants (18 males, 12 females) diagnosed with mild to moderate AD by an expert neurologist. Participants were aged 60 years or older and were recruited from an old age home. A 12-week yoga program, including specific postures (asanas), pranayama (breathing exercises), and meditation, was conducted for 1 hour daily, 6 days a week. Neurocognitive assessments were performed pre- and post-intervention using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Caregiver Burden (CB) Scale. MoCA scores were analyzed across specific domains, including language, memory, attention, visuospatial ability, delayed recall, abstraction, and orientation.ResultsThe intervention led to significant improvements in quality-of-life measures. GDS scores decreased from 8.36 ± 2.79 to 5.13 ± 3.07 (P < 0.01; 95% CI: −3.98 to −2.31), while MoCA total scores improved from 18.23 ± 4.90 to 21.10 ± 5.09 (P < 0.01; 95% CI: 2.17–3.89). Domain-specific MoCA scores also showed significant enhancements, particularly in language, attention, and delayed recall. Caregiver burden, measured using the CB Scale, demonstrated notable reductions following the intervention (P < 0.01; 95% CI: −2.54 to −1.23).ConclusionThis study underscores the significant improvements in depression and cognitive function, and overall quality of life in individuals with mild to moderate AD. Additionally, the intervention alleviated caregiver burden, highlighting its potential as an effective mind-body approach for AD management.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fragi.2025.1449485/fullAlzheimer’s diseasequality of lifeyogameditationGDS &MoCA scalescaregiver burden
spellingShingle Meenakshi Kaushik
Anjali Yadav
Ashishdatt Upadhyay
Anu Gupta
Prabhakar Tiwari
Manjari Tripathi
Rima Dada
Yoga an integrated mind body intervention for improvement in quality of life in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers
Frontiers in Aging
Alzheimer’s disease
quality of life
yoga
meditation
GDS &MoCA scales
caregiver burden
title Yoga an integrated mind body intervention for improvement in quality of life in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers
title_full Yoga an integrated mind body intervention for improvement in quality of life in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers
title_fullStr Yoga an integrated mind body intervention for improvement in quality of life in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers
title_full_unstemmed Yoga an integrated mind body intervention for improvement in quality of life in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers
title_short Yoga an integrated mind body intervention for improvement in quality of life in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers
title_sort yoga an integrated mind body intervention for improvement in quality of life in individuals with alzheimer s disease and their caregivers
topic Alzheimer’s disease
quality of life
yoga
meditation
GDS &MoCA scales
caregiver burden
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fragi.2025.1449485/full
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