Summary Background: Holistic exercise for people with dementia could have psychological
and physical benefits, but there is a lack of research on the experience of this type of exercise.
Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the feasibility and acceptance of holistic
exercise among people with dementia.
Method: A holistic exercise programme for people with dementia was designed and implemented.
Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore participants’ experience of holistic
exercise, transcribed verbatim and analyzed.
Results: Seven themes were generated from the data. They were enjoyment, relaxation,
keeping active, social interaction, pain relief, learning something new and intention to
continue, respectively.
Conclusion: The results of the current small-scale study provide evidence for the feasibility
and acceptance of holistic exercise for people with dementia. In addition, participants appeared
to benefit in terms of psychological and physical wellbeing.
ª 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.