From my perspective, the training of dance movement therapists and those in training in DMT at Kinections in Rochester, NY went beautifully. Students were provided the curriculum so that they can train caregivers of people with dementia using embodied techniques, something which is ESSENTIAL when it comes to nonverbal communication.
The fact that this is not already being taught boggles my mind. People with cognitive deficits communicate nonverbally and understand that language far better than those of us who also have verbal language. However, current training is severely limited to static guidelines. It does not make sense to me that the Alzheimer's Association and our governmental agencies do not consider it best practice to speak the language of the recipient. And regardless of the verbal language, EVERYONE SPEAKS NONVERBALLY.
Current guidelines are concerned with understanding the emotional communication of the person with dementia. How about the emotional communication of the caregiver? Without deep self reflection, we are unaware of our own emotional subtleties and conflicts which the perceptive person with dementia is picking up on. Trainees in the Nonverbal Communication Training which I provide learn to become more aware of varying emotions which they may be experiencing, and how those are transmitted through the many aspects of nonverbal communication.
Prior to last week-end's training, I visited the National Museum of Play at the Strong in Rochester. I was delighted by the focus on play and the many wonderful quotations. I will include a few here:
“[T]he true object of all human life is play.” G. K, Chesterton
“Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities.” Stuart Brown, M.D.
“Play is training for the unexpected.” Marc Bekoff
It is this last quotation that speaks especially to the importance of play for caregivers who work with people with dementia. When people are trained using embodied techniques, they are trained for the unexpected. When we are trained through static guidelines, the locus of power and action resides outside the caregiver. We need to empower the caregiver to know intuitively how to respond to the person with dementia to provide the best care. To relate in what Martin Buber would call an "I-thou" manner of relating, rather than "I-it".
I think that I brought that feeling of playfulness into the training, allowing me to be spontaneous in response to the trainees, and the group of folks at Wesley Gardens where we provided a dance movement therapy group to residents. One favorite song that came out of my iTunes playlist was Fats Waller's "Your Feets too Big".
A photo of the trainees at the end of our training.
I am grateful to Kinections for providing a lovely space, welcoming and hospitable for us to learn together. I am grateful to the trainees for exploring and contributing to the curriculum. I am grateful to my colleague Meg Chang who helps me refine and edit my handouts and curriculum. Thanks to the Marian Chace Foundation of the American Dance Therapy Association for sponsoring my work, and to the 2010 Brodsky grant of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America for supporting the ongoing work of creating the training manual and video.
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