Knowing how devastating falls can be for older adults -- the CDC says they are the leading cause of death among seniors -- the real trick is, not only to find physical activities that will help them maintain their balance, but ones they'll enjoy doing regularly. Hard to imagine physical activity more fun -- and social -- for seniors than dancing, and a pair of recent studies from the University of Missouri bear that out.
Not surprisingly, the effect of a low-impact, dance-therapy program -- The Lebed Method tailored for seniors in two elder-care environments -- did the trick for patients who participated regularly in therapy sessions, improving their ability to maintain balance, gait and overall functionality.
Interestingly, the Lebed Method was developed by Sherry Lebed Davis, a former professional ballroom dancer and cancer survivor with the help of her two brothers who are physicians, originally to brighten the spirits of her mother who was recovering from breast cancer. After receiving her own breast cancer diagnosis in 1996, Sherry used that very same regimen to dance her way back to emotional and physical health.
Watch Susan DeCristofaro, a nursing veteran of some 30 years and director of patient and family education at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, demonstrate The Lebed Method, a gentle way cancer patients can incorporate an exercise plan during and after their recovery.
Nursing Administration Quarterly, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 156-161, April/June 2010
ScienceDaily April 17, 2010