Dance for Your Health!

Dancing is wonderful, and age does not have to slow anyone down – people can enjoy dancing their whole lives! In fact, dancing is very beneficial for seniors! Here are some reasons why we love dancing at Private Home Care:

Improving Strength, Mobility, and Balance

Many older adults have balance and mobility issues, which can lead to feelings of instability and increased risk of injury for falls. As we know, falls can be very dangerous for seniors, but luckily dancing can help reduce the risk or even help avoid falls! This can also have the bigger effect of compromising independent living. Several types of dance can help improve mobility, flexibility, and balance, while strengthening the muscles. By helping support and strengthen the way the body moves and functions, people are able to age in place safely and live a high quality life.

Good for Heart and Cardiovascular Health

All doctors recommend regular cardiovascular exercise as an essential practice for maintaining good heart health and preventing cardiovascular disease. Even though you may not realize it because you are having so much fun, you can get the same cardiovascular benefits from dance as they would through traditional cardio exercises like walking or cycling! Another great thing about dancing as exercise is that it can be done basically anywhere, with no special equipment or particular location needed. Dancing is available to those who may be physically limited – chair dancing is just as fun! All you need is some music, knowledge of the steps, and the will to practice. (And sometimes you don’t need knowledge of the steps, you can just ‘wing it’ and move however makes you feel good!) Regularly practicing dance can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, maintain a healthy body weight, and protect the heart from cardiovascular problems.

Reduces Muscle Pain and Joint Stiffness

A high percentage of seniors suffer from chronic inflammation that often results in joint and muscle stiffness. In addition, knee and hip issues are highly prevalent. Promising research into relieving chronic joint and muscle pain showed that low impact dancing routines can actually offer comfort as well as improved mobility! One study showed that after 12-weeks of a low intensity dance program, the participants with an average age of 80, reported being able to reduce the amount of pain medication they were taking for their stiff joints and muscles. They were also able to move around more freely and easily, helping to maintain an independent lifestyle. This goes to show the power of dance and how it can improve lives: dancing can help older adults stay living in their home for longer as well as reduce the amount of pain medication needed. Instead of pills, put on your dancing shoes!

Socialization

Dancing is a fun and social activity! Whatever style dance you choose – swing, latin, square dancing, or zoomba, it is tremendous fun to dance with others and meet new friends! Loneliness and isolation are a major issue for seniors, and can lead to health issues as well as a lower quality of life. However, when you socialize and connect with others, it is beneficial for your mental, emotional and even physical health! It has been proven that those who are most socially active and maintain meaningful relationships throughout their lives and in old age do end up living longer! Age does not have to be a factor for dancing as long as you practice and are doing it from the heart. (If truth must be told – some of our younger caregivers and staff have had seniors dance circles around them in dance classes!)

Minimizes Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

All exercise helps Dancing has been found to have a positive effect on mood! A study in Australia showed that older adults battling anxiety and depression, improved their mood levels and experienced a reduction in stress through dancing. Just a two-week program involving tango lessons showed significant improvements, due to the social and physical benefits of the activity. When you practice and improve at dancing, it can also give you more confidence!

The potential health benefits of routine dancing for seniors are tremendous. The physical, social, and mental aspects make dance one of the best overall health practices for seniors to boost independence, mobility, balance, mood, and overall wellness.

Defends Against Dementia

When compared to other leisure activities like playing golf, doing crosswords, reading and cycling, dancing appears to offer the best chance of helping stave off dementia. According to a 21-year study led by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, aging adults who danced regularly had a 76 percent reduced risk for developing dementia. Experts theorize that dancing is beneficial for our brains because it combines cardiovascular exercise with split-second decision making that taxes our neural network, forcing it to create new pathways.

What is special about dancing is that it is a universal form of exercise and recreation as well. Every culture or country has their own type of dance, and engaging in that is a way of celebrating that! Seniors with conditions like Parkinson’s disease, dementia, cancer, arthritis, asthma and heart disease can all participate. Research into using dance as a therapy for each of these ailments has unearthed a host of advantages and very few risks. However, it’s always important to clear any exercises with a doctor before beginning a new regime, especially for those with pre-existing health conditions.