Research

For many older adults, the prospect of getting Alzheimer's disease or related dementia (ADRD) is terrifying. Dementia is the seventh-largest cause of death globally and one of the top causes of disability and dependency among the elderly. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered the transitional stage from healthy aging to ADRD, and people with MCI are at high risk for ADRD. Therefore, interventions for people with MCI to prevent and delay the onset of ADRD are significant in public health. However, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments and interventions have shown positive effects in delaying and alleviating the symptoms of MCI and ADRD. While many studies show the benefits of dance as a non-pharmacological intervention for older adults with MCI and ADRD, this study will be the first to compare the relative effects of improvisational and choreographic dance for older adults with MCI. This study will evaluate and compare the impact of Creative Dance (improvisational approach) and Body Percussion (choreographic approach) on attention, short-term and long-term memory, creativity, and positive well-being with quantitative assessments after conducting dance interventions for 10 weeks on older adults with MCI. In addition, the qualitative method will be used to explore the potential mechanisms of specific dance approaches that address targeted outcomes based on the arts & culture in public health framework. This study will inform the strengths and limitations of each dance approach. It will also help the dance instructors to use the dance materials accordingly to the participants' needs and situations in their intervention.