Swimming for dementia: an exploratory qualitative study

Swimming is a non-weight bearing form of exercise that can be enjoyable and promote physical fitness. This qualitative study investigated a local group established as part of a national dementia swimming initiative. Semi-structured interviews with people with dementia (N=4), carers or companions (N=...

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Main Authors: Hobden, Tanya, Swallow, Mary, Beer, Charlotte, Dening, Tom
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50442/
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author Hobden, Tanya
Swallow, Mary
Beer, Charlotte
Dening, Tom
author_facet Hobden, Tanya
Swallow, Mary
Beer, Charlotte
Dening, Tom
author_sort Hobden, Tanya
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Swimming is a non-weight bearing form of exercise that can be enjoyable and promote physical fitness. This qualitative study investigated a local group established as part of a national dementia swimming initiative. Semi-structured interviews with people with dementia (N=4), carers or companions (N=4) and the organisers and facilitators of the group (N=6) were analysed using thematic analysis. This revealed four main themes: (1) the pleasure of swimming and its benefits as a form of exercise and for building confidence and empowering participants; (2) the importance of insight and empathy in creating a safe and secure experience; (3) the impact of dementia; and (4) how participants valued being part of a group ‘all in the same boat’. ‘Dementia friendly swimming’ appears to be a valuable form of exercise but it requires considerable preparation and support to make it happen.
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spelling nottingham-504422020-05-08T09:30:09Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50442/ Swimming for dementia: an exploratory qualitative study Hobden, Tanya Swallow, Mary Beer, Charlotte Dening, Tom Swimming is a non-weight bearing form of exercise that can be enjoyable and promote physical fitness. This qualitative study investigated a local group established as part of a national dementia swimming initiative. Semi-structured interviews with people with dementia (N=4), carers or companions (N=4) and the organisers and facilitators of the group (N=6) were analysed using thematic analysis. This revealed four main themes: (1) the pleasure of swimming and its benefits as a form of exercise and for building confidence and empowering participants; (2) the importance of insight and empathy in creating a safe and secure experience; (3) the impact of dementia; and (4) how participants valued being part of a group ‘all in the same boat’. ‘Dementia friendly swimming’ appears to be a valuable form of exercise but it requires considerable preparation and support to make it happen. SAGE 2018-03-30 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50442/1/Swimming%20for%20dementia_resubmission%2008_02_18.pdf Hobden, Tanya, Swallow, Mary, Beer, Charlotte and Dening, Tom (2018) Swimming for dementia: an exploratory qualitative study. Dementia . ISSN 1741-2684 swimming dementia dementia friendly exercise people with dementia http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1471301218768372 doi:10.1177/1471301218768372 doi:10.1177/1471301218768372
spellingShingle swimming
dementia
dementia friendly
exercise
people with dementia
Hobden, Tanya
Swallow, Mary
Beer, Charlotte
Dening, Tom
Swimming for dementia: an exploratory qualitative study
title Swimming for dementia: an exploratory qualitative study
title_full Swimming for dementia: an exploratory qualitative study
title_fullStr Swimming for dementia: an exploratory qualitative study
title_full_unstemmed Swimming for dementia: an exploratory qualitative study
title_short Swimming for dementia: an exploratory qualitative study
title_sort swimming for dementia: an exploratory qualitative study
topic swimming
dementia
dementia friendly
exercise
people with dementia
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50442/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50442/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50442/