"Shall We Dance?" Older Adults' Perspectives on the Feasibility of a Dance Intervention for Cognitive Function

We explored perceptions of social dance as a possible intervention to improve cognitive function in older adults with subjective memory complaints. A total of 30 participants (19 females; mean age = 72.6 years; SD = 8.2) took part in the study. This included 21 participants who had self-reported sub...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of aging and physical activity 2018-10, Vol.26 (4), p.553-560
Main Authors: Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Cecilie, Papathomas, Anthony, Foster, Jonathan, Quested, Eleanor, Ntoumanis, Nikos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amnesia
Chronic illnesses
Cognitive ability
Cognitive functioning
Complaints
Dance
Dementia
Exercise
Feasibility
Intervention
Memory
Older people
Social functioning
Social interaction
Social perception
Spouses
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Summary:We explored perceptions of social dance as a possible intervention to improve cognitive function in older adults with subjective memory complaints. A total of 30 participants (19 females; mean age = 72.6 years; SD = 8.2) took part in the study. This included 21 participants who had self-reported subjective memory complaints and nine spouses who noticed spousal memory loss. Semistructured interviews were conducted, and a thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three main themes were constructed: (a) dance seen as a means of promoting social interaction; (b) chronic illness as a barrier and facilitator to participation; and (c) social dance representing nostalgic connections to the past. Overall, the participants were positive about the potential attractiveness of social dance to improve cognitive and social functioning and other aspects of health. In future research, it is important to examine the feasibility of a social dance intervention among older adults with subjective memory complaints.
ISSN:1063-8652
1543-267X
DOI:10.1123/japa.2017-0203