ATLANTA – James Parham is doing
something he never imagined a guy like him, with Parkinson's Disease, would be
doing, dancing the Argentine tango.
"As a young child I took
ballroom dancing and learned about that much tango,” says the 74-year old
retired business professor. “So, I was very interested in doing it."
Each dancer here in the Atlanta
VA Medical Center is paired with a partner who doesn't have Parkinson's.
There are caregivers, and
spouses, and medical and physical therapy students in the crowd.
Dr. Madeleine Hackney, Ph.D, is
both their instructor and the lead researcher.
"I was a professional dancer
for 11 years before I went to graduate school,” says Hackney.
Eight years ago, the Atlanta VA
research scientist and Assistant Professor at the Emory School of Medicine
began adapting Argentine tango for people with movement disorders, like
Parkinson's.
She thought dance might be
helpful for their symptoms like difficulty walking, tremors and stiffness.
“We think that the music, the
partner, the steps will allow them to improve things like gait, and their
walking ability, their ability to do more than one thing at a time,” she
explains. “And, certainly, their ability to catch themselves if they should
trip."
This is James Parham's third
tango study since his diagnosis 4 years ago.
"Tango is, how can I say?
It's regimented,” Parham says. “You know where you're going and your partner
knows where you're going. It's really going to the music. So you're brain and
your body is forced to coordinate."
The dancers are
medically-evaluated on their motor skills and cognitive function before and
after the 12-week program, and then a few months down the road.
Hackney is using MRI to measure
the effect this type of dance may have on the brain.
In previous studied, Hackney
says, they’ve have been able to document measurable improvements in the
dancers' mobility, balance, and gait.
She thinks dancing the tango may
also help improve the participants’ spatial recognition, and quality of life.
"I notice a total difference
myself,” says Parham. “It was subtle It wasn't that I stopped shaking or could
leap tall buildings in a single bound. But due to the exercise and the
choreography of tango, I could tell my balance was a little bit better.
And, James Parham says, he's
hooked on the tango.
"The more fun it is, and the
more they enjoy it and feel like they're getting something out of it,” says
Hackney. “And maybe it makes them forget about their problems for a minute or
two, for an hour. That is what's really going to make a difference."
By: fox5atlanta.com / September 20, 2016
#fox5atlanta, #dazadance, #daza, #becomingbetter, #ballroomdanceatlanta
No comments :
Post a Comment
Thank you so much for your comment and/or feed back!