Participants
The project was led by Séan Dónal O’Shea (postgrad researcher at Technological University of the Shannon Midwest) with a supervisory team of Jennifer Moran Stritch, TUS Midwest Loss and Grief group/Social Sciences ConneXions, and Carmel McKenna of Munster Academy of Dance/Social Sciences ConneXions. Dance participants included people living with dementia and their professional carers attending dementia day and respite care in the Midwest of Ireland.This research project aimed to investigate the psychosocial effects arising from the introduction of a pilot adaptive Irish céilí dance programme for people with dementia and their carers.
It addressed several underexplored areas in the literature, including research on dance and health in Ireland, the mutuality of connection among people living with dementia and their carers, and the variety of spaces and contexts in which care professionals practice. The project examined the need to expand arts-based training for health and social care professionals, so that they can engage with and lead these creative interventions within their practice.
Aims
This research project aimed to investigate the psychosocial effects arising from the introduction of a pilot adaptive Irish céilí dance programme for people with dementia and their carers.
It addressed several underexplored areas in the literature, including research on dance and health in Ireland, the mutuality of connection among people living with dementia and their carers, and the variety of spaces and contexts in which care professionals practice. The project examined the need to expand arts-based training for health and social care professionals, so that they can engage with and lead these creative interventions within their practice.
Methods
An adaptive céilí or traditional Irish group dance format was introduced with individuals attending day programme services for people living with dementia. In this context, céilí dance refers to those vernacular progressive, couple or circle Irish dances which are generally performed with a partner (or partners) in a social and recreational context. The dances consist of a small number of simple, repetitive movements, danced to a rhythmic beat to which partners create patterns across a dance space.
The dance participants included programme attendees and care staff, and it was designed as an optional and voluntary activity led by Séan Dónal O’Shea as the research investigator.
The dance programme and data collection took place in a dementia day care/respite centre in the mid-west region of Ireland over a nine-week period between October 2019 and February 2020. All participants were Irish, and all had previous experience of Irish dance albeit to varying degrees.
Séan Dónal had some practical knowledge of potential dance adaptations such as formation (circle instead of a line); partnering holds (to ensure maximum safety for more physically fragile and vulnerable participants), and footwork (for example, walking instead of hopping or skipping). These potential adaptations were discussed with the participants. Through a process of collaboration between Séan Dónal as facilitator and participants, it was decided what adaptations best suited participant needs in terms of mobility, agility, cognitive skills, confidence and potential for enjoyment.
A total of 10 semi-structured interviews with people living with dementia and 15 care staff were conducted before the first dance activity, at the mid-point of the dance programme, and after the final dance activity. All interviews were transcribed, and the data analysed using thematic analysis. Researcher observations and the use of a reflective journal supplemented the data analysis process.
Participant consent was sought on an ongoing basis and ethical approval to conduct the research was sought from, and approved by, the Research Ethics Standing Committee at Technological University of the Shannon Midwest.
Artistic Outputs
It is hoped that the programme may be replicated at other sites in future, and the production of an adaptive céilí dance handbook for both dance and social care practitioners is planned. A Level 6 special purpose award for dance and social care practitioners is also in development, aimed at upskilling competencies for the provision of inclusive dance activities from both professional perspectives.
Evaluation Methodology
This pilot project was the basis for a research Masters programme through the Technological University of the Shannon Midwest. It was assessed by internal and external academic examiners regarding ethics, implementation, theoretical underpinnings and the validity of the findings.
Evaluation Outcomes
Findings from the research interviews included:
- Dance participants living with dementia displayed an enhanced ability to reminisce before, during and after each dance activity. In some cases, the reminiscence process gave care staff access to new knowledge about the person with dementia and informed life-story work and person-centred care plans at the Centre.
- Dance adaptations such as changing the formation from a line to a circle to minimise the risk of falls, resulted in a care staff member holding hands with a person with dementia on either side. This enabled all participants to move around the dance space as a single unit, enhanced eye contact and promoted a heightened sense of inclusion and safety.
- In some instances the participants living with dementia instructed care staff on how to perform a dance. This reversal of everyday roles within the dementia-carer relationship served to strengthen bonds among all participants.
Documentation and Dissemination
- During the project, Séan Dónal O’Shea kept a reflective research journal to capture his experiences of engaging in dance with people living with dementia.
- The final thesis was submitted to TUS in August 2021, titled ‘Some Dance to Remember: Exploring the Psychosocial Effects of the Introduction of an Adaptive Irish Céilí Dance Group Activity with People Living with Dementia and their Carers.’ The MA was awarded to Séan Dónal in November 2021.
- The outcomes and learnings from the project have been disseminated through academic and professional conferences including Alzheimer’s Europe, Dementia Research Network Ireland and the University of Lisbon Caring and Sharing: Medical Humanities in Today’s World International Conference; further presentations and publications are being planned.
- Séan Dónal has also delivered lectures to TUS undergraduate and postgraduate health and social care students and has presented in postgraduate symposia at the University of Limerick and TUS.
- As this was a pilot project, we hope to initiate further adaptive céilí dance programmes for people living with dementia with interested dementia support partners in Ireland and internationally.
Partners
Munster Academy of Dance
