A glider swing intervention for people wih dementia

The soothing, repetitive movement of rocking and swinging is well known to anyone who has enjoyed a porch swing or rocking chair, Positive effects of rocking have been reported. However, investigations on its effect in people with dementia are limited, The purposes of this quasi-experimental, repeat ed-measures design study were to measure the effects of a glider swing on e motions, relaxation, and aggressive behaviors in a group of nursing home re sidents with dementia (n = 30). Data were obtained during a 5-day baseline phase, a 10-day intervention phase, and a 5-day post treatment phase. Subje cts were placed on the glider for 20 minutes each day during the interventi on phase. The results of the study indicate that the glider intervention si gnificantly improved emotions and relaxation. The most noted changes were f ound after 10 minutes of swinging. However, no differences were found in ag gressive behaviors.