Moving online: Experiences and potential benefits of digital dance for older adults and people with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Background Dance provides a range of beneficial effects for older adults including individuals with age-related neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of at-home dance programs delivered digitally through live and pre-recorded media, but little is known about how participants may engage with and benefit from these resources. Objective This study explored experiences and potential benefits of digital dance participation among healthy older adults and people with PD. Methods An online survey consisting of fixed-choice and open questions was designed in collaboration with dance program providers and distributed between June and November 2020. Results Healthy older adults (N = 149) and people with PD (N = 178) participating in at-home dance programs reported frequent engagement and a range of benefits. People with PD reported greater levels of motor (e.g., ease of movement, balance) than non-motor (e.g., energy, confidence) outcomes, while healthy older adults reported similar numbers of motor and non-motor outcomes. Positive outcomes were associated with the use of movement imagery during dance in both groups, while singing was associated with benefits in people with PD and vocalising was associated with benefits in older adults. At-home dance resources were found to offer convenience and flexibility, but participants missed the interaction, support, and routine provided by in-person classes. The majority expressed a preference to continue with both digital and in-person participation in the future. Qualitative analysis of participants’ comments further revealed that digital participation could help to maintain connection and well-being, as well as identifying further considerations for improving accessibility and facilitating digital engagement. Conclusions At-home dance appears to be accessible, engaging, and potentially beneficial for older adults and people with PD, although barriers to participation should be addressed. Digital resources will be increasingly important to enable cost-effective, large-scale provision of home-based therapeutic activities.

A Safe and Feasible Online Dance Intervention for Older Adults With and Without Parkinson’s Disease

“…Most participants perceived benefits (ie, to mood and perceived energy), which corroborates previous studies. [20][21][22] There were perceived benefits for older adults without PD as well, and the presence of older adults in this format did not cause any issues for the PD population. Nonetheless, social interaction varied between the groups.…”

“…2,6,[17][18][19] Recently, a previous observational study investigated the perceptions of people with PD who were active or interested in digital home-based dancing (synchronous and asynchronous). 20,21 The participants' perceptions included physical and non-physical benefits. Over a third of participants were not using digital resources due to a lack of motivation and/or knowledge on accessing online resources, 20 although dance at home appeared to be engaging and accessible.…”

“…Over a third of participants were not using digital resources due to a lack of motivation and/or knowledge on accessing online resources, 20 although dance at home appeared to be engaging and accessible. 21 Another qualitative study investigated the feasibility of a short online dance program in a one-to-one setting (ie, individually) involving people with mild PD. 22 The authors used a semi-structured interview with participants with PD to collect the data.…”

Music Moves Me in More Ways Than One: An Online Survey Investigating the Everyday Use of Music among People with Parkinson's

“…PwP also reported that they streamed their music (52%), and slightly more used a personal listening device (56%, mostly their phone) or used smart technology (34%) such as Amazon Alexa. Such as range of listening technologies could be expected as other studies show that PwP engage with interventions that are delivered online and that these can be effective and are highly valued (Bek et al, 2021a(Bek et al, , 2021b(Bek et al, , 2022Morris et al, 2021). Nevertheless, future studies should specifically evaluate how technology relates to musical engagement as has been conducted in other fields (e.g., Creech, 2019;MacRitchie et al, 2022).…”

Graceful gait: virtual ballet classes improve mobility and reduce falls more than wellness classes for older women

“…Dance interventions not only address mobility issues, but also promote cognition, emotional expression, kinesthetic awareness, and social engagement ( Hwang and Braun, 2015 ; Clifford et al, 2023 ). During the COVID-19 pandemic, many dance therapy classes moved online, which afforded the convenience and safety of participating from one’s own home but removed elements of social interaction and group support that are naturally structured into in-person classes ( Bek et al, 2022 ). Kinesthetic empathy, or the ability to perceive others’ emotions through action observation, is a key component of in-person classes ( Christopher and Tamplin, 2022 ) that may occur less spontaneously during virtual classes.…”