Dancing for Wellness at The Bridges Assisted Living Community

Dancing is more than moving your body; it is also working your brain. Our brains are the directors of our bodies’ movements. The more moving you do, the more the brain is stimulated. At The Bridges Assisted Living Community, our residents have many opportunities to move and groove and exercise their brain at the same time! Take for instance our Chair Dancing class. While seated in a chair, residents move their arms, legs and body in an instructed method to the music of their era. This popular class is fun and beneficial. A new addition to our Activity Calendar is a class called “Brain Dancing”. This class specifically targets the brain with body movements. For example, the instructor will ask participants to write their name in the air using their elbow. (Give it a try; it’s not as easy as it sounds). Next, participants may be instructed to use their arms and body to sway like a tree to the soothing music. For sixty minutes participants use different body movements all while working their brain and their body.

The website, Examined Existence, reported, “A study conducted by researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine proved the benefits of dancing on the brain. The study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that dance is the best exercise to improve a person’s cognitive skills – whatever age he might be. The research, in fact, targeted senior citizens to determine which activity reduces the risk of dementia. As per the results, 76% of those who danced frequently exhibited lesser signs of dementia, compared to those who answered crossword puzzles and read often.” While dancing is good cardiovascular exercise, it turns out it is also good exercise for our brains.

Brain Dancing class