Remember to Dance

Evaluating the impact of creative dance activities for people in different stages of dementia.

The aim of the project was to assess the effect on quality of life (QOL) of two specialist dance programmes for people in different stages of dementia and their carers living in east London: i) two-year, weekly community programme for those recently diagnosed; ii) a rolling five-week programme for people in crisis in an acute assessment unit.  

Quantitative and qualitative tools were used to assess changes in QOL over the two-year period in the community group and over a minimum of a five-week period in the hospital group.  

A significant rise was seen in physical and social engagement in the community group and a linear trajectory in the hospital group. Levels of improvised creativity were consistently higher in the hospital group. These findings suggest that specialist dance programmes have the potential to support quality of life in different ways in people in different stages of dementia.   

The report is due in November 2015, and the study has been shortlisted for presentation at the AESOP Arts and Health Showcase Symposium, London, February 2016.