Exploring the Effects of Dance-Based Therapy on Balance and Mobility in Older Adults

Abstract

Balance and mobility are a common concern among older adults. This pilot randomized controlled study examines the effect of dance-based therapy to increase balance and mobility in 27 participants with mean age 85 years (±7.5) from a single aging-in-place facility in the Midwest. Multidirectional reach, velocity, step length differential, and a Functional Ambulation Profile were measured before and after 18 sessions of low-impact dance-based therapy. Although a Wilcoxon rank sum test showed no significance, effect size analyses suggest that dance-based therapy was mildly or moderately effective in several components of balance and mobility. Additional research is needed with a full-scale trial.

A comparison of dance interventions in people with Parkinson disease and older adults

“…Aerobic [25–27], ballroom [28–30], line [31], creative [32], contemporary [33, 34], and video game based [35] dance programs have also been evaluated. In addition, previous studies have used dance therapy and adapted dance programs of unspecified style that were modified for seniors, including Agilando [36], The Lebed Method [37], and Senile Fancy Gymnastics [38]. …”

“…The sample sizes for participants included in analyses for studies in older adults ranged from 24 [37] to 97 participants [27]. In PD, sample sizes tended to be smaller, ranging from 10 [17] to 52 participants [16].…”

“…Studies on dance in older adults included similar short-term interventions of 10–13 weeks [19, 21, 22, 25–28, 30–32, 38], although some were as short as four [33], six [23, 37] or eight weeks [20, 24]. A few studies in PD have investigated longer intervention periods of six months [18], twelve months [16], or as long as two years [17].…”

“…In older adults, a much wider array of balance metrics have been used, including clinical balance tests, single item balance tests, and precise measures of static and dynamic balance (Table 2). Discrepancies between the effects of dance on multidirectional reach (did not improve) [37] and forward reach (improved) [26] may be attributed to differences in duration, frequency or sample characteristics between studies.…”

“…Participation in an exercise plus video game dance intervention also improved gait compared to an exercise only control, particularly for dual task conditions [35]. Gait velocity and other parameters did not change in a small pilot study of dance-based therapy [37]. However, only about half of the participants completed all classes.…”