Helpline: Tips for staying active with dementia

Whether you’ve always been a marathon runner or just love getting out in your garden, staying active is an important way to manage symptoms of dementia. 

Here’s your quick guide on building physical activity into your routine in a way that suits your lifestyle. 

If you’d like support to stay active with dementia, you can contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500. You can call 24 hours a day or request a callback, start a webchat, or send an email with whatever is on your mind. 

If you want to learn more on exercising with dementia, listen to this episode of Hold the Moment. 

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Hold the Moment is a podcast from Dementia Australia, produced by Deadset Studios. 

Follow Dementia Australia on Facebook and Instagram and find support resources online. 

This episode was hosted by Jim Rogers and Kristin, a National Dementia Helpline Advisor. Producer is Luci McAfee, executive producers are Grace Pashley and Kellie Riordan. 

The National Dementia Helpline is funded by the Australian Government. 

Dementia Australia and Deadset Studios acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. 

Dementia Australia acknowledges and appreciates the support of the Australian Government for this initiative.

Episode Transcript

(00:05):
- Before my diagnosis ofyounger-onset Alzheimer's,
you'd never catch me in a gym,
but now, I look forwardto each exercise session.
I treat it like medicine.
It's just something I have to do
if I want to live well with dementia.
I'm Jim Rogers, andthis is Hold the Moment,
a podcast from Dementia Australia.

(00:27):
It's full of stories aboutlife after diagnosis.
We have a whole episode on exercise
you can download in yourpodcast app right now.
In it, I head to the gymwith my trainer, Nick,
and we meet Heather,who loves line dancing,
walking her dogs, and evenrunning marathons to stay active.

(00:49):
This is our bonus episode on exercise
with an advisor from theNational Dementia HelpLine.
So whether you prefer to swim laps,
try something new like yoga,
or you just want to keepactive in your garden,
here's some advice.
- I'm Kristin, an advisor onthe National Dementia Helpline.

(01:09):
When you call us, you'llspeak to someone like me.
We're available 24-hours aday, every day of the year.
So, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed
after a diagnosis of dementia
with all the changes thatpeople are suggesting.
If you have an exerciseroutine that you like,
you can keep doing thatif it feels like it's safe

(01:31):
and makes you feel good, go for it.
If exercise is somethingnew that you're looking
to include in your routine,then you might have
to think about how it might fit.
Now, that doesn't mean you have
to start running marathons today.
That might mean you parka little further away
and walk to the shops,
or maybe you've always wantedto join the community garden

(01:53):
so you can go meet some new people,
and get digging in the dirt.
If you're wondering abouthow physical activity
can help with dementia,
there are some of thephysical health benefits
that everybody thinks about with exercise,
getting stronger, building upmuscles, but there's a number

(02:13):
of other things thatexercise can help with,
things like improving your mood,
you'll feel better if you're on the move.
It can make you feel moreconfident in yourself that
you're able to do things thatmaybe you couldn't do before
if you practiced them enough.
And there's also a social piece.
If you're sharing exercise ofany kind with other people,

(02:34):
you might meet some new friends,and that's also important.
It does seem like there'ssome research that suggests
that exercise regularly canhelp slow the progression,
especially if some of the symptoms
that you're experiencingare physical, so you can
build up strength thatreduces the chance of falls,

(02:56):
and gives you confidence againin moving through the world.
The types of exercise that youdo really comes down to you.
What sorts of things do youenjoy? What do you love?
What makes you smile, and feel good,
and strong, and confident?
If you've run marathonsbefore, that's great,
you can keep running, but ifwhat you really love is dogs,

(03:19):
walk yourself up to the local dog park,
throw a couple of ballsfor the dogs there.
It's really about finding whatmakes you feel good inside,
doing a bit more of that.
And if you're the adventurous type,
you could try something new,
something you've alwaysbeen interested in.
Look in your local council for something
that might be going on like Tai Chi,

(03:40):
if you've never tried that,
you could give something new a try too.
What's really importantis finding an exercise
that you like to do, somethingthat makes you feel good,
that makes you feel strong,and that you enjoy doing.
- If you want to talk more aboutkeeping active with dementia
you can contact theNational Dementia Helpline

(04:01):
on 1800 100 500,
and speak to an advisor just like Kristin.
The helpline is available 24-hours a day,
every day of the year, andthere's lots more episodes
of Hold the Moment in yourpodcast app right now,
so do follow the show, orhave a friend or family member
help you access each episode.