The Effect of Supervised Physical Activity on Cognitive and Affective State of Geriatric and Psychogeriatric In-Patients

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the contribution of low intensity exercise programs to the psychological state of geriatric and psycho-geriatric in-patients, who suffer from cognitive or affective deterioration. Patients were divided into experimental and control groups by a randomized block design, according to their psychiatric diagnosis, geriatric patients also according to their physical diaenosis. The Mini Mental State Examination and the Geriatric Depression Scale were used for assessment. In both experimental groups patients were exposed to supervised physical exercise and in the control groups, to supervised social activity. Results indicated improvement on the cognitive test in the geriatric patients and on the depression scale in the psychogeriatric group. The improvement was indicated in both exercise and social groups. The exercise group, however, improved significantly more than the social group on the depression scale among the psychogeriatric patients.