Stepping off a treadmill one day, nursing professor Patricia Alpert was reminded of her age.
The former hula dancer was active and healthy, but she noticed her sense of balance wasn't what it used to be. She changed up her exercise routine and enrolled in jazz dance classes. Over time she found her core muscles were getting stronger and her balance improving. "I saw myself following along with all these young students," Alpert says. Her experience got her thinking, and she decided to research what effect jazz dance might have on senior dancers.
Alpert partnered with dance professor Richard Havey for a study of 13 women, ages 52 to 88. After seven weeks in jazz dance, the women's balance improved significantly, Alpert says. After 15 weeks, the improvement was dramatic.
Any improvement to balance can also potentially save lives, Alpert says, as falls late in life can result in complications and death. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, falls account for 70 percent of accidental deaths in people 75 and older.
Alpert is currently researching factors that may contribute to the loss of balance. She plans to expand the study to include emotional and mental health components with a greater number of participants.
"As anecdotal evidence, people said that this really was a lifesaver," Alpert says. "Some were going through some hard times and the support group really helped them."
Havey modified his class to accommodate the women. He says the effect was apparent and more than in merely dance ability. "I realized that weekly they waited for this class. They loved coming and talking to people, practicing their routines," Havey says.
Alpert and Havey hope the results of the research will help promote a change in attitude toward exercise and aging. With clear-cut benefits derived for dance, they hope healthcare professionals will consider recommending the activity to patients. "It's the confirmation of how important exercise is in our life," Havey says. "When we get older, we tend to slow down and do less activities. It's very important to keep the body moving and agile. It improves not only our health but our lifestyle as well."
