Walking and Dementia

By Robin Bush, ISR Communications

Alicia and her husband, Marcial, have been walking nearly every morning for over a decade.  Last summer, Alicia noticed Marcial was beginning to shuffle a bit as he walked, and the spring in his step was gone.  He was originally a New Yorker and had always walked what she called “commuter pace,” a speed walk that was focused on reaching his destination as fast as possible. Now he was walking slower than her, something that had never been true in their 42 years of marriage.  It was subtle, but she wondered, should they ask their doctor why?  Could it be more than just the result of passing years?  She called and was told yes, he should be medically evaluated, including evaluation for possible early dementia. A person can have difficulty walking for a variety of reasons unrelated to cognitive issues, such as pain and exhaustion, so medical evaluation is essential. In the appointment, however, Marcial was told he was exhibiting signs of early dementia. Due to Alicia noticing the change in his gait, they received this vital early diagnosis. One step in walking became one step toward early treatment and support in planning for the years ahead.

What does it mean to be evaluated for dementia? Usually, evaluation for dementia is done with a brief cognitive test, but gait is a relatively new tool used to evaluate cognitive functioning and can lead to more accurate early diagnosis.  Gait is the pattern of how you walk and may identify specific forms of dementia.  In 2022, a study of 17,000 individuals in Australia and the US was released that revealed walking at a slower pace is linked to an increased risk of dementia.  These individuals had been given a gait measurement test every two years for seven years.   Those with a decline in gait had an increased risk of dementia, and 178 participants developed dementia over the study period.

People with Alzheimer’s disease or Lewy body dementia have unique walking patterns, researchers say. “The way we walk can reflect changes in thinking and memory that highlight problems in our brain, such as dementia,” says Dr Ríona McArdle, Post-Doctoral Researcher at Newcastle University’s Faculty of Medical Sciences.  Analysis of walking patterns is a key development in accurate diagnosis.

So, if you or someone you know begins walking unsteadily, shuffling, taking shortened steps, walking stooped, or having difficulty turning or maintaining balance when turning, it is time to get evaluated.

One important aspect of walking we should all know:  walking every day may diminish the likelihood of developing dementia. “Compared with people who didn’t walk much at all, people who walked about 9,800 steps per day (about five miles) were 51% less likely to develop dementia. People who walked just 3,800 steps per day (about two miles) were about 25% less likely to develop dementia,” says Harvard Health.