“We found that many seniors are eager to participate and
continue to come back after attending
sessions because they really enjoy it,”
Krampe said.
“Among seniors that stand up
and move during sessions, we found that
dance therapy can increase their walking
speed and balance, which are two major risk
factors for falling.”
In 2008, Krampe and MU researchers conducted a six-week
pilot study with the
Alexian Brothers PACE Program (Program
of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) in
St. Louis. More than half of the eleven
participants self-reported improvements in
gait and balance.
TLM, also called Healthy Steps, was created by Shelley
Lebed Davis and her two brothers who sought
to improve range of motion and boost the
spirits of their mother who was recovering
from breast cancer. After seeing successful
results, they shared the program with
hospitals.
Today Healthy Steps is used by
many cancer patients and in nursing homes
worldwide. The MU study is the first to
examine the benefits of the program among
seniors.
The first study, “Dance-Based Therapy in a Program of
All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly,”
recently was published in
Nursing
Administration Quarterly.
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