A transformation is underway. The melodies of familiar tunes echo down the corridors of an IRT Group aged care home on the southern coast of New South Wales. In this beautiful setting, seniors are reclaiming their joy and vitality through the power of dance.
Led by a dedicated staff member trained in the DanceWise program, residents gather to embark on a journey of movement and self-expression.
With music ranging from the classics of Doris Day to the rock ‘n’ roll beats of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Nancy Sinatra, the group is transported, their spirits lifted by the rhythm and melody.
“We need a bigger room,” says Alex Reed, Group Head of Operations at IRT Group. “Our staff keep telling us so many residents love this activity, the program is so popular.”
Another IRT Group aged care home in Queensland used to get 10 people for exercise classes, and now they get 25 for DanceWise. According to feedback, “The residents love it; they just seem to come alive when that playlist fills the room. It changes the residents’ mood for the rest of the day.”
DanceWise is one of two programs offered by Sydney-based notfor-profit Dance Health Alliance. Established in 2015, the organisation has created a therapeutic dance for older people based on evidence-based advancements used in Europe, particularly Holland.
Former ballet dancer and Dance Health Alliance CEO and founder Gwen Korebrits says, “At Dance Health Alliance, we advocate for a holistic approach to wellbeing that encompasses physical health and mental, spiritual and creative fulfilment.
“Dance is a potent means of achieving this balance, with proven benefits for both body and mind.
“Through our work over the past nine years, we’re slowly changing perspectives on the value of a dance-based therapeutic program, and we now have more studies that show its benefits in a cost-effective way.”
Dance Health Alliance programs are in 172 aged care homes across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland – reaching remote areas like Lightning Ridge and Bourke, bringing the joy of movement to all.
DanceWise is a 30-minute seated movement program, that targets strength, balance, flexibility, memory and neurological challenges, while DanceMoves is a 45-minute program that begins seated, transitions to standing movements behind the chair and culminates in independent dancing.
The Dance Health Alliance programs use the train-the-trainer model, with 379 movement practitioners trained to date, who are now delivering the programs in residential aged care settings.
There are also 10 qualified Dance Health Alliance staff who run the program for aged care homes in Sydney, as well as four qualified trainers who deliver the movement practitioner training.
Training has also been conducted for NSW Health, with allied health professionals like occupational therapists and physiotherapists now running the program in community settings.
The two-day training for staff and volunteers has two delivery modes: online or onsite at participating residential care homes. Once certified, movement practitioners can run programs as often as the lifestyle timetable allows, without the need to source an external contractor.
Karn Nelson, Executive General Manager of Strategy & Innovation at The Whiddon Group, which also uses the program, highlights the significance of programs like DanceWise in aged care settings, saying, “By empowering staff to lead such initiatives, organisations can ensure sustainability and accessibility, regardless of geographic location.”
Therapeutic dance also has particular benefits for those with cognitive decline or limited mobility.
Joyce, a resident confined to a wheelchair, used to be reluctant to join group activities, but DanceWise has become a source of liberation for her. She speaks of feeling a renewed sense of connection to her body, believing that the rhythm and movement might even help her regain mobility.
Benefiting facilitators as well as participants, a DanceWise movement practitioner said she used to dance regularly up to the age of 18, but when she started full-time work she let that pursuit go. Now she is thrilled to reignite her passion for dance alongside her love for her work environment.
Through the simple act of dancing, individuals find community, vitality and a renewed zest for life. As the music plays on, the hallways of the aged care home reverberate with laughter, joy and the timeless rhythm of the human spirit – a cost-effective evidence-based way to support health and wellbeing.
Dance Health Alliance