Effectiveness of Tai- Chi Intervention

Running head: EFFECTIVENESS OF TAI- CHI INTERVENTION
Effectiveness of Tai- Chi Intervention
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

EFFECTIVENESS OF TAI- CHI INTERVENTION
1
Introduction
Every year around the world a huge amount of fall related cases are reported and in
most of the cases, it is observed that the people under the age group of 65 years or more are
mostly affected by this fall related cases in different countries of the world. As per the data
of the UK government, it was observed that in each and every year, one out of 3 older adults
under the age group of 65 years or more face fall related injury and it was reported that fall is
one of the major reason of injury among the older adults in United Kingdom (UK) (Plummer
and Bradley 2017). Moreover, the study findings of the Plummer and Bradley (2017) also
stated that the fall related problem among the older adults is also responsible for high rate of
hospitalization, disability and death and it causes almost 2 billion pounds in every year for the
management of those conditions in UK. . In this context, it can be stated that the loss of gait
balance among the older people are quite common during the older age and thereby the
chances of fall risks are also enhanced (Taylor et al. 2012). In this context, the application of
the Tai Chi intervention programs can be introduced by the physiotherapists and health care
professionals. Tai chi intervention were used over any other intervention because Tai Chi has
severe impact on the cognitive functions such as visuospatial skills, semantic memory,
learning memory, and self-perception of memory unlike any other intervention that failed to
involve all cognitive domain. The dementia patients usually have impairment in one to two
cognitive domains. Consequently, cognitive impairment is considered as one of the most
crucial risk factors that subject patients into sudden fall and associated injury. Hence, this is
context, unlike any other group of the patient, tai chi intervention is most suitable for the
patients who are suffering from dementia to improve cognitive function of the patients. In
this context, the outcome measures for effectiveness of the intervention will be OCAIRS,
COPM that will provide the idea of effectiveness in each part of the section. In this essay, the
effectiveness of the Tai Chi intervention for reducing the fall risks among the older people is

EFFECTIVENESS OF TAI- CHI INTERVENTION
2
discussed and along with this a brief description of this intervention process is also described.
This paper will incorporate Theory of Occupational Reconstructions in occupational therapy
theory and Allen's Cognitive Disabilities Model (CDM) in the models to demonstrate the
effectiveness of the intervention. This paper will provide in depth analysis of the tai chi
intervention, suitable group, occupational therapy model and outcome measures in following
paragraphs.
Methodology:
In the methodology section, for preparing the literature review, secondary research
was conducted where relevant and recent data was collected from a range of sources such as
peer reviewed journals and government documents. For collecting relevant data, the
electronic databases were used such as CINAHL, PubMed and Google scholar where
inclusion criteria was used to obtain relevant data. The peer reviewed journal focused on the
tai chi intervention and research collected based on the publication date from 2010 onwards
which will be assessed based on the relevancy of the articles. The keywords that were used
for obtaining article include, “occupational therapist use of Tai Chi”, “effectiveness of the tai
chi intervention” and “ tai chi intervention in dementia patients”.
Review of Literature
Description of the Intervention:
As per the data, it is reported that Tai Chi is a conventional and traditional Chinese
martial art comprised of slow and beautiful movements. Along with this, the traditional
martial arts also provides special emphasis on the combination of mind and body of the
individuals and as a result various physiological system of the body are also engaged. In the
Tai Chi interventions, the individuals have to practice rotation of the organs, transferring of

EFFECTIVENESS OF TAI- CHI INTERVENTION
3
weights to the multiple organs of the body, practicing of circular movements for making the
body more flexible. Moreover, practicing of Tai Chi interventions also allows the individuals
to control the joints of the human body accurately. Furthermore, the muscle coordination and
balance of the individuals are also improved by practicing this Tai Chi intervention (Hu et al.
2016). As a Chinese traditional martial art practice, it has become a global intervention and it
is observed that a huge number of trainers are present in Korea, Japan, United States and
Europe. According to the study of Zhong et al. (2019), it is stated that practicing Tai Chi
intervention can be used as a way of balance training through the practice of soft and gentle
movements of the different parts of the body. The study also states that Tai Chi is very easy
to practice and it is not limited by venues. The study also identified that in the Tai Chi
intervention process, not only the physical exercises are included, but the mental
coordination, mental exercises are also required. In order to provide mental and physical
peace, in this intervention process muscle relaxation exercise, relaxed breathing exercises are
practiced by the individuals. It is believed that this particular martial art can improve the
balance function of the body and thus practicing this exercise can improve the limb function
of the patients suffering from the problem of dementia. The study also identified that the use
of this Tai Chi intervention can also affect the functionality of the knee joints and thereby
improves the pain in the knee joints of the individuals. However, this intervention also has
proven to be successful among the stroke patients. In another study by Tousignant et al.
(2013), it is stated that Tai Chi is effective in various other ways and it can be mentioned that
Tai Chi not only improves the balance control of the body but also can help in the
enhancement of the cardiovascular fitness of the body as well. However, in recent time, in
spite of having multiple usability of Tai Chi intervention this intervention process is mainly
used to improve the gait balance, muscle flexibility, fall prevention among the older adults.
Hence, occupational therapist must involve patients with dementia in tai chi intervention