Dancing therapy

The Problem: Loneliness and Isolation

Approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. Disconnection fundamentally affects our mental, physical, and societal health. 

In fact, loneliness and isolation increase the risk for individuals to develop mental health challenges in their lives, and lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to

smoking daily. 

Impact: The physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke, and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults. Additionally, lacking social connection increases risk of premature death by more than 60%.

In addition to our physical health, loneliness and isolation contribute substantially to mental health challenges. In adults, the risk of developing depression among people who report feeling lonely often is more than double that of people who rarely or never feel lonely. 

Loneliness and social isolation in childhood increase the risk of depression and anxiety both immediately and well into the future. And with more than one in five adults and more than one in three young adults living with a mental illness in the U.S., addressing loneliness and isolation is critical in order to fully address the mental health crisis in America.

The Solution: Social Connection

Social connection is beneficial for individual health and also improves the resilience of our communities. Evidence shows that increased connection can help reduce the risk of serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, dementia, and depression. Communities where residents are more connected with one another fare better on several measures of population health, community safety, community resilience when natural disasters strike, prosperity, and civic engagement.

The Olbot Solutions: Seniors Dance and Connection 

The Olbot Seniors Dance and Connection Centres provide a platform for seniors  to come together to connect. The Centres provide Dancing ,Scrabble and other interconnecting opportunities. It enables our members to make new friends and connect with others.

Dance Therapy:

Studies show that Dancing helps memory and prevents onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s. 

What is Dance/movement therapy?

The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) defines dance/movement therapy as the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual.

Dance/movement therapy is focused on movement behavior as it emerges in the therapeutic relationship.  Expressive, communicative, and adaptive behaviors are all considered for group and individual treatment.  Body movement, as the core component of dance, simultaneously provides the means of assessment and the mode of intervention for dance/movement therapy.

• Practiced in mental health, rehabilitation, medical, educational and forensic settings, and in nursing homes, day care centers, disease prevention, health promotion programs and in private practice.
• Effective for individuals with developmental, medical, social, physical and psychological impairments.
• Used with people of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds in individual, couples, family and group therapy formats.
• Dance movement therapy is an embodied psychological intervention that can address complexity and thus, may be useful for people with dementia.

PET Imaging Study

Studies using PET imaging have identified regions of the brain that contribute to dance learning and performance. These regions include the motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. The motor cortex is involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movement. The somatosensory cortex, located in the mid region of the brain, is responsible for motor control and also plays a role in eye-hand coordination. The basal ganglia, a group of structures deep in the brain, work with other brain regions to smoothly coordinate movement, while the cerebellum integrates input from the brain and spinal cord and helps in the planning of fine and complex motor actions.

 Benefits: Here are the biggest benefits from dance:

• Cognitive: Dancing is a multifaceted activity that engages more than just your body. You must learn the steps, which fires off synapsis and associations in your brain.
  Since dancing involves music, too, your brain is doing more work at a subtle level. Listening to music with its varied structures, sounds, and rhythms calls on your brain to process and make sense of what you hear.
• Cardio: Music triggers hormones that raise your pleasure sensors enough to turn into happy feet. This means that you naturally get a cardio workout that you hardly notice.
• Flexible and Mobile: Maybe you’ve heard the adage, “someone can’t chew gum and walk at the same time,” meaning they can’t do two things at once. For seniors, the ability to multi-task while on their feet does become more of a challenge over time.
  Then, poor balance leads to falls.
  By consistently engaging in dance, you become reacquainted with thinking fast on your feet—simply by working to keep your chasey in motion to the music.
  Per S. News, researchers found a 31% reduction in falls and a 37% reduction in fall risk for those aged 65 and older when reviewing clinical trials on “dance-based mind-motor activities” from around the world.
• Creative: When you dance, you are also interpreting the music and expressing yourself through movement. You are an artist on your feet. Go ahead and allow yourself to channel a bit of Fred Astaire while you shimmy and sway. It’s good for your brain and spirit.
• Social: As humans, we all need some level of human contact. And dancing is often a social affair! Even if you go for some form of line dancing rather than ballroom, you are among people doing an activity that everyone can enjoy. Being social is good for your mind, your body, and most importantly your sense of wellbeing.

 TYPES OF DANCE

• Line dancing – Popular with country and western enthusiasts, this style of dancing involves groups gathering in lines and performing the same moves as a unit. There is something euphoric about people moving in unison!
• Ballroom dancing – Formal movement by couples that include dance styles like the waltz, cha-cha, rumba, foxtrot and many others.
• Jazzercise – This is touted as exercise, but really, it’s about moving to the music of jazz. If you love this type of music, you’ll be fooled into the fun of it rather than feeling you’re doing a workout.
• Freeform – Let your dance creative flag fly! This is literally for everyone because you move as you feel the music.
• Chair dancing – Also called seat dancing, this is moving to music while seated. You’d be surprised just how much cardio you can get from moving your arms and torso to rhythms while you sit!
• Ballet – This is a dance that is precise and highly formalized for steps and gestures, and brings big benefits with all-encompassing movement of the body.
• Folk dance – This could be dance that reflects traditional customs of specific places of origin.
• Clogging or tap – Use your feet like instruments as they clack and clomp to music. Clogging is stamping your feet to music, and it originated from folk dance in the United States. Tap dancing is not just about moving your feet, but also about creating rhythms with taps on special shoes. You become part of the music, in a sense.

Connecting:

Our DTC Connections are open to Seniors  for a membership fee of $500 per annum.

Please visit our website www.olbot.net/seniors/DTC  or call kendra -@ 404-276-8270

Kendra.williams@olbot.net

DISCOUNT: Olbot Healthcare Services private home care clients receive 10% discount.

Limited Spaces.(First Come,First Served)

General Liability Insurance.

Waiver Form.