Tango Therapy UK

As the population ages, the incidence of neurodegenerative disorders associated with old age, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of dementia, will rise significantly, placing an emotional and economic burden on an increasing number of individuals and families as well as on the public health system. Fortunately, most people do not develop such diseases as they age, but they do experience age-related memory and other cognitive declines. By better understanding how and why those declines occur, scientists hope to find preventive and therapeutic treatments that will help the growing population of the elderly retain active, productive lives throughout their lives.

According to new research, two effective treatments for maintaining a healthy brain include tango dancing and a specialized computer training program.

A research trial is finding out if concentrating on dance steps keeps negative thoughts away.

Sydney 2000

What flamenco is to Spain, or what jazz was to the United States, tango is to South America.

Its sensuous formality has inspired poets and composers and an art form thought to have begun in Argentinian brothels has fans around the world.

Now there is new research in Australia which suggests that tango may help people fight depression.

McGill physical and occupational therapy professor Patricia McKinley finds that the tango offers excellent training for improving balance in the elderly.

When McGill physical and occupational therapy professor Patricia McKinley took up tango, she began musing about the benefits the sultry Argentine dance might provide for the senior citizens she worked with as a researcher - individuals who were especially vulnerable to debilitating tumbles. A nasty spill can have devastating consequences for the elderly, notes McKinley. Forty percent of hospital admissions for seniors are the result of fall-related injuries.

(Extract from Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy,  Dec 2007  by Hackney, Madeleine E,  Kantorovich, Svetlana,  Levin, Rebecca,  Earhart, Gammon M)

 Recent research has shown that dance, specifically tango, may be an appropriate and effective strategy for ameliorating functional mobility deficits in people who are frail and elderly. Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience declines in functional mobility that may be even more pronounced than those experienced by frail elderly individuals without PD. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two movement programs: tango classes or exercise classes.