Analyzing the Effectiveness of Dance Movements in Enhancing Activities of Daily Living for Geriatric Patients and Relevant Implications for Nursing Care

Within the healthcare industry, the geriatric population holds a unique set of patient-care needs due to a myriad of physical and cognitive challenges. The presentation of these challenges can negatively impact the quality of a patient’s life and overall independence. One specific challenge providers must account for when providing care to geriatric patients is a decreased range of mobility as age increases. Reasons as to why mobility decreases varies, and include but are not limited to degenerative musculoskeletal conditions, poor nutrition, poor physical mobility or lack thereof, and other comorbidities. According to peer-reviewed resources, by engaging in frequent Dance Movement Therapy, geriatric patients experience increased function, mobility, balance, and coordination. As patients experience an increased level of independence, they are able to participate in their own self-care needs and provide individual care as appropriate. This in turn improves the delivery of patient-centered care by nursing staff, as they are able to provide further specialized care which will improve the patient’s overall recovery and decrease the recovery period. Despite the fact that this is not a common topic in nursing-related practice, there is evidence that frequent inclusion of Dance Movement Therapy into a patient’s daily care plan improves their physical state and in turn, nursing care. This literature serves to argue this concept by synthesizing over 20 peer-reviewed research articles and literature reviews published from 2009 to 2024, which highlight positive findings towards the implementation of Dance Movement Therapy within patient care settings.