title: Is Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Feasible for People with Mild Cognitive Impairment?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Exercise is a promising strategy to prevent dementia, but no clinically supervised exercise program is widely available to people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The objective was to survey health professionals to assess the feasibility of using cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs for MCI populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We distributed surveys to: 1) health professionals working in cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs (36/72 responded); and 2) physicians who treat MCI (22/32 responded). Questions addressed clinician and clinic characteristics and feasibility of referring and accommodating people with MCI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs currently treat people with MCI (61.1%). Nearly all were willing and able to accept people with MCI and comorbid vascular risk (91.7%), though only a minority could accept MCI without vascular risk (16.7%). Although most physicians recommend exercise to people with MCI (63.6%), few referred patients with MCI to programs or people to guide exercise (27.3%). However, all physicians (100%) would refer patients with MCI to a cardiac rehabilitation exercise program.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study supports cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs as a feasible model of exercise for patients with MCI with vascular risk. Patients with and without vascular risk could likely be accommodated if program mandates were expanded.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo;
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Intzandt
authors.affiliation: Division of Cognitive Neurology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto; ; Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute; ; Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery (Sunnybrook Site); ; Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto;
authors.forename: Sandra E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute; ; Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery (Sunnybrook Site); ; Neuropsychopharmacology Research Group, Sunnybrook Research Institute; ; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto;
authors.forename: Krista L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lanctôt
authors.affiliation: Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute; ; Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery (Sunnybrook Site); ; Neuropsychopharmacology Research Group, Sunnybrook Research Institute; ; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto;
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.affiliation: Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery (Sunnybrook Site); ; Cardiac Rehab and Secondary Prevention Program, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network; ; Clinical Pharmacology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo; ; Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery (Sunnybrook Site);
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Middleton
keywords: cardiac rehabilitation; exercise; exercise therapy; mild cognitive impairment; referral and consultation