Overview
The purpose of this study is to determine the practicality/feasibility of a virtual physical activity intervention to improve daily steps for Veterans with mild cognitive impairment and their care partners living in rural areas.
Participation includes:
- Complete a 6-week walking program
- Complete 2 testing visits (1 before and 1 after the 6-week walking program) consisting of various surveys and questionnaires
- Complete a semi-structured interview on feasibility and feedback of the intervention
- Potentially serve on an advisory board with the research team to assist with implementing the walking program adaptations
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria for Veterans:
- 60-95 years of age
- Mild cognitive impairment as staged by Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR, a gold standard cognitive outcome in ADRD clinical research) score of 0.5 or equivalent
- Characterized as underactive by the Telephone Assessment of Physical Activity (TAPA)
- Have a care partner willing to participate in physical activity and assist the participant
- Own a smartphone or tablet and willing to download a fitness tracker application
- Live in a rural area according to the VA Office of Rural Health rurality calculator
Inclusion Criteria for Veterans \& Care Providers:
- No self-reported falls in the last year
- Able to walk across a room in the home with no assistive device(s)
- Stable doses of medication over the previous 30 days
- Pass the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire+ (answering "no" to questions are pages 1-3)
- Interaction as a dyad (Veteran and care partner) at least on a weekly basis
Inclusion Criteria for Veterans \& Care Providers:
- 19 years of age or older
- No cognitive impairment as indicated by a score of \< 1 on the AD8 Dementia Screening Interview
Exclusion Criteria for Veterans \& Care Providers:
- Neurodegenerative or acute neurological diagnoses (e.g., Parkinson's disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury)
