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Purpose

Over 50% of the Veterans enrolled for VA health care are over the age of 65. Dementia prevalence increases with age, and with the increase in the population of people ages 65 and older, the total number of people with dementia is also increasing. Older Veterans often have comorbid PTSD, major depression and traumatic brain injury so that they are at 2 to 5 times the risk for cognitive impairment and dementia compared to the general population. There is evidence that exercise interventions in sedentary older adults could improve both physical and cognitive function. However, there have been very few studies on the effects of exercise on cognition in older Veterans and do not reflect the broader ethnic and health-status diversity of Veterans. Thus, improved knowledge of the role of exercise on cognition as well as the predictive power of biomarkers could have a major beneficial impact on Veterans' functional independence and quality of life. The investigators hypothesize that participation in the VA Gerofit exercise program will improve cognitive function in older Veterans and that blood and muscle biomarkers will predict these improvements.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 65 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • All Veterans eligible for VA Gerofit program 65 years and older - Clearance by PCP to participate in Gerofit exercise program

Exclusion Criteria

  • Inability to perform ADLs - Significant cognitive impairment - Inability to function independently without assistance - Unstable angina; proliferative diabetic retinopathy - Oxygen dependent - Unwillingly to commute and/or not able to provide own transportation to Gerofit - Incontinence - Open wounds - Volatile behavioral issue or unable to work successfully in a group environment/setting - Active substance abuse - Homelessness

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description
randomized controlled study
Primary Purpose
Prevention
Masking
Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking Description
Gerofit intervention vs Health Education Control

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Active Comparator
Gerofit exercise 		Participants enrolled in the Gerofit program
  • Behavioral: Gerofit exercise
    Individualized exercise prescription as well as a group exercise class based on physical function assessments offered 3x/week
Placebo Comparator
Health education 		Participants enrolled in monthly in-person health education sessions which do not include a physical activity/exercise promotion session
  • Behavioral: Health education
    Scheduled monthly in-person health education discussion sessions covering 12 different health topics not including a physical activity/exercise promotion session

Recruiting Locations

Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Contact:
Steven J Prior, PhD
301-405-2483
steven.prior@va.gov

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
VA Office of Research and Development

Study Contact

Cathy C Lee, MD
(310) 268-4110
cathy.lee2@va.gov

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.