背景：機構失智老人多維持靜態生活，缺乏身體活動，導致下肢肌力衰退之現象，許多文獻證實太極拳運動介入能改善老年人的下肢肌力，延緩日常活動功能退化之成效。但國內較少以失智症患者為對象進行太極拳運動之研究。目的：探討坐式太極操對失智老人下肢肌力及日常活動功能之成效。方法：採單組前後測研究設計，在中部某區域醫院失智照護中心以立意取樣16 名失智老人，介入12週、每週3次、每次90分鐘的坐式太極操，以描述性統計分析基本資料及日常活動功能，配對t 檢定分析下肢肌力檢測與日常活動程度改變之成效。結果：坐式太極操實施後，失智長者下肢肌力方面，30 秒坐站測試及8 英呎坐起往返繞物測試中，皆有顯著進步（P<0.05）；而於日常活動功能方面，巴氏量表平均分數後測較前測進步0.6分，雖無達統計顯著之差異，但日常活動功能無退化之現象。結論：實施坐式太極拳運動介入，可以改善失智長者下肢肌力，延緩日常生活功能退化；未來應持續運動介入，以維持良好的下肢肌力及日常活動能力。

Background: Institutionalized elderly patients with dementia who lack of physical activities with their sedentary life style, which led to lower-extremity muscle strength's degradation. Many literatures had proved that the intervention of Tai Chi chuan exercise for the elderly patients had increased muscle strength and prolonged the degradation of activities of daily living (ADL). However, a study focusing on the treatment efficacy of elderly patients with dementia has yet to be conducted in Taiwan. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of 12-wk Sitting Tai Chi Chuan training on lower-extremity muscle strength and the function of activities of daily living among elderly patients with dementia. Methods: The study utilized a one-group pretest-posttest design.16 study participants from dementia care center in middle Taiwan were selected as purposive samples. All subjects participated in a twelve-week sitting Tai Chi Chuan training for 90 minutes each time, three times a week. The basic data and ADL were analyzed by SPSS software and descriptive statistics. Paired t- test was used to analyze the efficacy of lower-extremity muscle strength and the function of activities of daily living among pre-test and post-test. Results: After training the sitting Tai Chi Chuan for twelve-week, there were significant improvements in 30-s chair-stand test and 8-ft up-and-go (p＜0.05). The posttest had progressed 0.6 point against pretest in Barthel's score. However, no significant variance was found in activities of daily living. Conclusions: The intervention of sitting Tai Chi Chuan exercise had represented an effective approach to improve lower-extremity muscle strength, delaying the degradation of ADL. However, the continuance of exercise intervention is magnificent to maintain lower-extremity muscle strength and the function of activities of daily living in the future.