Dance movement therapy, yoga, and older adults with Parkinson’s disease: balance confidence, anxieties, and wellbeing

Abstract

There is evidence that older adults with Parkinson’s disease (PD) benefit from dance movement therapy (DMT) and mind-body techniques such as yoga. DMT and yoga (Y) are often seen as complementary strategies in promoting wellness as they focus on embodied self-awareness. This article reports a study comparing the effectiveness of DMT sessions vis-à-vis DMT + Y sessions on balance confidence, geriatric anxieties, and wellbeing of older adults with PD. Both the groups reported significant post-test improvements in balance confidence. The DMT + Y group also reported significantly lower geriatric anxieties and higher wellbeing scores. Balance confidence greatly improved in older women and those who regularly attended and completed the DMT homework. DMT + Y sessions were more effective for older women, currently married, participants living with their spouse or with spouse and adult children, and whose DMT + Y program compliance (attendance, homework completion) was higher.