Dance therapy for the elderly

Women at Aradhana, the NDMC’s old age home, now have something to look forward to starting June.

A team of four students from the Creative Movement Therapy Association of India, a Council of International Dance-UNESCO partner, will introduce elderly women at this home to dance therapy sessions.

The workshop will be conducted thrice a week by the NGO for two weeks in the first phase starting June 1.

“Running any programme in an old age home is very sensitive. Initially, we gave them two weeks for conducting workshops at Aradhana. Our officials will be present during the programme. If the response is positive, we will give permission to extend the duration of the project. Other old age homes can also adopt the project then,” a senior official of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said.

An NDMC official will also be present during the workshop. The municipal council will not allow photography or videography of the sessions. “Neither will any certificate be issued to the team. It is for the sole purpose of recreation of the inmates of the home,” the senior official added.

The dance sessions will be conducted in batches of 10 participants.

“We were keen to work with an old age home to help bring enthusiasm among the elderly. Dance therapy helps integrate the body and mind. It will make them feel well both physically and emotionally as we will introduce them to a lot of movement,” one of the team members of the project, Meenakshi Gupta, said.

Movement therapy can help improve social skills of the elderly, especially those who are socially withdrawn.

“Movement therapy will allow them to be more active. It will help enhance their social skills. The session will be divided in four parts: warm up, theme development, cool down and verbal reflection,” one of the founder-directors of the therapy association, Tripura Kashyap, said.