Table 2.
Characteristics of the participants at baseline
| CAREGIVERS |
Exercise Group (n = 4) |
Control Group (n = 5) |
pa |
| Age (years) | 37.75 ± 8.14 | 36.40 ± 7.54 | 0.806 |
| Geriatric working experience (years) | 9.50 ± 3.51 | 8.60 ± 2.51 | 0.683 |
| CARE RECEIVERS |
Exercise Group (n = 38) |
Control Group (n = 26) |
pa |
| Age (years) | 77.29 ± 8.60 | 80.15 ± 2.80 | 0.179 |
| Men, No. (%) | 14 (36.8%) | 5 (19.2%) | 0.169 |
| CDR (points) | 1.18 ± 0.90 | 1.13 ± 0.63 | 0.808 |
| MMSE (points) | 18.11 ± 4.81 | 17.77 ± 5.07 | 0.268 |
| Educational level (years) | 2.60 ± 1.72 | 2.27 ± 1.54 | 0.381 |
| Neurocognitive Disorder due to, No. (%) | 0.259 | ||
| Alzheimer’s Disease | 16 (42.1%) | 18 (69.2%) | |
| Vascular Disease | 6 (15.8%) | 3 (11.5%) | |
| Parkinson’s Disease | 1 (2.6%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Lewy Bodies Disease | 1 (2.6%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Unspecified | 14 (36.8%) | 5 (19.2%) | |
| Diagnosis, No. (%) (Others than NCD) | |||
| Hypertension | 14 (36.8%) | 4 (15.4%) | 0.045* |
| Heart Disease | 9 (23.7%) | 2 (7.7%) | 0.141 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 5 (13.2%) | 5 (19.2%) | 0.463 |
| Osteoporosis | 3 (7.9%) | 3 (11.5%) | 0.650 |
| Blood Pressure (mmHg) | |||
| Systolic | 126.72 ± 22.50 | 128.81 ± 22.10 | 0.718 |
| Diastolic | 76.47 ± 14.64 | 76.73 ± 17.31 | 0.950 |
| Physical Fitness | |||
| Lower Strength (reps) | 8.95 ± 4.31 | 9.96 ± 4.16 | 0.352 |
| Upper-Strength (reps) | 9.71 ± 5.18 | 11.77 ± 4.11 | 0.096 |
| Lower Flexibility (cm) | 20.86 ± 10.43 | 19.69 ± 12.82 | 0.691 |
| Agility/ Dynamic balance (sec) | 19.33 ± 10.86 | 20.36 ± 12.52 | 0.726 |
| Upper Flexibility (cm) | 43.53 ± 16.44 | 42.88 ± 10.34 | 0.861 |
| Aerobic Endurance (steps) | 58.61 ± 32.82 | 69.46 ± 34.72 | 0.209 |
a Student’s t-test or Mann Whitney for continuous variables; Chi-squared or Fisher’s exact