Background: It is estimated that as of 2019, 5.6 million Americans age 65 or older are currently living with Alzheimer's Dementia (Alzheimer’s Association, 2019). Neuropsychiatric symptoms such as agitation are challenging to manage and lead to greater dependence on caregivers resulting in increased caregiver burden. An examination of the current literature is needed to assess the effectiveness of dance therapy to reduce agitation and improve mood.
Methods: Evidence was searched for in the following publication databases: CINAHL, PubMed, Nursing & Allied Health Source (ProQuest), and ScienceDirect. In addition, bibliographies were manually searched from literature in Dissertation and Thesis (ProQuest) for relevant articles. Keywords used included Alzheimer disease, dementia, dance therapy, delirium, behavior, psychomotor agitation, and mood.. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to assess the quality of relevant articles. Studies included were required to have dance therapy, adapted dance, dance exercise, modified dance, or recreational dance as the primary intervention. The population in each study must focus on persons with Alzheimer Disease or Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia (ADRD). Due to the limited publications in this area, all publication dates and local as well as international studies were included. The research yielded 9 relevant articles that met inclusion criteria.
Findings: The nine articles included cohort, quasi-experimental, randomized control trial, and a qualitative study. Three studies found dance therapy reduced agitation. Two of the studies were cohort non-randomized, and one qualitative. The different dance styles used were international ballroom, Wu Tao, modified jazz dance, poco-poco dance, and Greek dance. All of the studies noted that the movements were feasible and safe for participants with dementia.
Summary: This review has found some evidence to support dance as a non-pharmacologic intervention to reduce agitation. Further research with higher quality design studies, including randomized control trials, should be conducted.
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