Dancing Heart- Vital Elders Moving in Community Memory Loss Program

In 2006, Kairos Dance Theatre, an intergenerational modern dance company created a weekly pilot program, "The Dancing Heart- Vital Elders Moving in Community Memory Loss Program, " to engage a group of frail and older adults in a memory loss program in a structured dance and story-telling program taught by professional artists. Once a week for 90 minutes, participants were engaged in interactive ambulatory and “chair dancing,” encouraging each participant to create his own individual dances while learning the language of dance as a co-artistic collaborator.

The goals of "The Dancing Heart" Program are to delay the progression of dementia and have a positive impact on cognitive, physical, emotional and social health of individuals. This premise is based on a number of studies published in the last four years finding that “dancing was the only physical activity associated with a lower risk of dementia” and the positive impact of ongoing creative engagement.

Individuals initially hesitant to participate in the program now embrace the group process, and caregivers report their family members are more cooperative. Before the start of the program, participants were given the Folstein Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and a balance assessment to determine their risk for falls. When these same assessments were repeated after 6 months, six out of fourteen participants showed an increase in cognitive functioning and improvement in balance assessment, reducing their risk for falls. We now see consistent participation of all the participants. Staff and family members are thrilled to see such engagement and joy.