Ethel looks deeply into my eyes, softly swaying to the music. Gentle side-steps yield to a slow wiggling of hips; the music ends and the audience cheers. Our gaze still intertwined, she tells me she loves me, and I tell her I love her, too. What makes this scene special is not the dance itself, but the fact that Ethel is an eighty-seven-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease. We are dancing together at the Irene Swindells Residential Care Program in San Francisco, the permanent home for a diverse group of twenty-five people with moderate to advanced dementia.

For nearly three years, I have offered dance therapy and other creative arts groups for Swindells residents: Jean, a Navy nurse during World War II who loves to share stories of global travel; Hannah, a prim and proper San Francisco native with her own tales of the city. At first, I simply appreciated the wonderful living history eighty- and ninetyyear- olds have to offer. Gradually, however, I have come to view my work as a spiritual practice: finding grace in suffering, based in the body and creativity. As I work to dissipate the fog of disorientation and low-energy states, I feel and express love for people with a deadly disease who are losing connections to the world around them, and whose family members already grieve their loss of personality and ability.

Ethel’s love of dance and music was obvious from the first moment we met. Taking a tour of the facility, I met her coming out of the dining room. She smiled, perhaps trying to recognize me, and she offered me her hands almost instinctively. As I took her hands, I felt her swaying and I joined in. I had felt out of place and uncomfortable in that nursing home setting until that moment, but her welcoming touch brought me back to my own body. Once connected with her, my discomfort and awkwardness melted away. I cherish that moment, and we have danced together every visit since.

Dance is an ideal activity for adults with dementia because it offers sensory stimulation, physical exercise, and creative expression; just as importantly, it allows the chance for people to connect to each other in ways that are not dependent on memory, a joy that is not lost on the frail elderly. Creative movement transcends differences—of age, language, and culture—and offers diverse groups, including caregivers, a chance to appreciate and learn from one another. One day, for example, a woman proudly demonstrated the Charleston. She should know; at ninety-six, she learned it when it was popular! Another time, Jean and I shared a vigorous dance that we imagined took place at a Paris nightclub. When I said, “Oh no, your boyfriend’s coming!” we hustled back to our seats as the whole group joined in our exhilarated laughter. Hannah always says she isn’t good enough to dance, but she always enjoys it when I gently escort her to the center of the circle and put her walker aside. We hold each other as ballroom dancers do, something she must have done with her husband for so many years.

Though thoroughly rewarding, volunteering in your local elder-care community involves a significant commitment of energy and emotion. Your own spiritual practice will give you ground to open to the potential of this type of dance. I encourage all conscious dancers to open your hearts to the frail elderly in your community, and experience this unique intergenerational dance. It has been a transformative experience for me.

 

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Tips for Community Outreach

1. Contact local residential and day-treatment programs for seniors, including Alzheimer’s care programs, to inquire about volunteering. Find a program you like, and build rapport with both staff and program participants. Learn names and use appropriate touch. Go online to learn more about aging and age-related diseases.

2. Be curious and playful. Experiment with different dance styles and structures. Warm up using unison movements (and sounds!) for the whole group. I have enjoyed sharing a wide range of somatic and movement approaches, including self-shiatsu massage, martial arts, folkloric and social dance, improvisation, and even experiments in 5Rhythms. Go with your passions, but be patient: it may take time to learn how to modify your approach for your new dance partners.

3. Use props to amplify the movement and expand the play. Jean does powerful movements with her walker, and I borrow it myself for more acrobatic moves. Wheelchairs, of course, spin very gracefully. Silk scarves, flowers, and other items can also amplify the arm movements of seated dancers. Sewing together the ends of a long, thick piece of elastic creates a “buddy band,” which each member of a group can hold to create a dance circle where everyone feels the movements of the other group members.

4. Use a wide range of music. Recorded music that your dancers will recognize is best. Singing acapella while you dance is a great way to engage the inside with the outside of the body, especially for watchers, and it allows for split-second improvisation; inserting names and made-up lyrics into popular tunes, for example. Musical instruments are great for amplifying the physical movements of hands and feet. Colead with a friend or staff person to share the dance/music roles.

5. Take care of yourself. Intimate relationships with the elderly involve coping with grief. Know that dancing will not cure their disease, but will have a tremendously positive effect—on your dance partners, their caregivers and family, and yourself. A simple leave-taking ritual, like washing your
 hands, can be helpful in transitioning off-site.