Senior citizens fit by dancing in their old age

Dancing keeps the heart and circulation in shape even in old age

03/13/2013

Scientists studied a dance program developed for seniors. The participants showed that after the training not only their physical fitness, but also their attention and responsiveness was improved.

The neuroscientists examined the influence of the dance program for seniors AGILANDO © of the General German Dance Teachers Association. The subjects were divided into two groups. While one group (25 participants between the ages of 60 and 94) danced once a week for one hour for six months, the control group did not do a dance class during the same period. Before and after the course the study participants went through various tests, whereby the focus of the investigations was on the motor skills, sensors, attention, thinking and memory as well as the subjective life satisfaction and the performance of the cardiovascular system.

While there were no changes in the control group, the researchers found significant improvements in the dancers after the course in the above areas. Only in the cardiovascular system they could not detect any changes. (Original publication: J.-C. Kattenstroth, Six months of postural intervention enhancements postural, sensorimotor, and cognitive performance in elderly without affecting cardio-respiratory functions., Front, Ag Neurosci; doi: 10.3389 / fnagi.2013.00005; 2012)

Image: Gerd Altmann / Shape: SadMonkeyDesign.com