Please watch a selection of our customer testimonial videos below, as they explain how the Dancing for Health classes have helped them.
CASE STUDY – THE EFFECT OF SEATED AND PARTNER DANCING ON AN INDIVIDUAL DIAGNOSED WITH PARKINSONS DISEASE.
BACKGROUND
Cathy is 64 and first noticed tremors in one hand when she was 56. However, an official diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease was not made until 3 years later when she was 59. Following diagnosis her symptoms developed rapidly with stiffness of movement, rigidity/freezing and poor gait and balance added to her worsening tremors.
She would typically have 4-5 falls every month and as a result of these suffered a fractured wrist and concussion. She could only walk very slowly with the aid of a frame/walking stick with mobility limited to slow forward motion. Backward walking and turning were not possible for her. She was no longer able to work, felt socially isolated and her mental health deteriorated.
PARTICIPATION IN “DANCING FOR HEALTH”
After a friend suggested seated dancing Cathy joined a “Dancing for Health” Seated Dance Group. She immediately felt the psychological benefit of meeting and talking to other people who, like her, were living with Parkinson’s and a strong friendship group was quickly developed. This was a huge boost to her mental health and helped enormously with feelings of isolation, loneliness and fear.
Cathy was happy that dance routines could be taken at her own pace and that movements were easily modified to suit her level of ability. She soon noticed less stiffness and improved upper body mobility.
In April 2023, Tracey Barnes, the MD of Dancing for Health, invited Cathy to also try out Partner Dancing. Tracey knew that partner dancing could be especially helpful with the motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and hoped that it would help Cathy.
Within a month of Partner Dancing, Cathy noticed a significant improvement in her balance and walking. She became less reliant on her frame and on occasion – for example in the secure surrounding of her home – was able to walk unassisted. During the 18 months since she started dancing she reports no falls or freezing whatsoever. She is now able to take backward steps and can turn a full circle with fluidity. In addition, her fatigue is less severe, she feels “energised” following classes and – separate to Parkinson’s – an old knee injury which caused pain has all but disappeared.
Cathy now enjoys two sessions of partner dancing and one seated dancing session per week and has found that increasing the frequency of classes provides significant benefits. Anecdotally, after a week away visiting family Cathy noticed that her mobility, balance and flexibility had declined in that period. Within a week of returning to her classes she was back to her new ‘normal’.
Cathy’s doctor has noticed improvement and Cathy herself believes that dancing has slowed the progression of the disease and even reversed “freezing”. Huge improvements to her balance mean that she has had no falls whatsoever since she started dancing.
CONCLUSION
Joining a “Dancing for Health” group has resulted in many benefits including:-
Improved mental health specifically in terms of :-
• Self confidence
• Morale
• Feelings of Islolation/loneliness
Improved physical health specifically in terms of:-
• Balance
• Flexibility
• Fluidity of Movement (with particular emphasis on less ‘freezing’)
• Fewer aches and pains
• Less fatigue