"The arts engage the whole brain." No surprise to those of us who engage in the arts, but it is, oh, so wonderful, to hear the virtues of my beloved profession extolled in the media.
Arts & the Mind, a two-part special produced by Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) airs nationwide this fall. (Check PBS for schedule in your area.) I can't wait to see it
September 13 online article by Gary Drevitch explains "Why a Love of the Arts Will Help Your Brain Age Better". I'm not sure that simply loving the arts does that, but rather engaging in them.
"[N]ew research — and a new public television documentary — make a strong case that engagement with music, dance and other arts may be just as powerful for preserving mental health and acuity throughout our lives."
“'The evidence says that participation in dance programs reduces the rate of development of dementia by maybe 75 percent,” says neuroscientist Peter Davies of New York’s Albert Einstein Medical Center. “There is no drug around or even on the horizon that can reduce the rate of development of Alzheimer’s disease by 75 percent.'”
"“Arts that combine physical as well as mental acuity are the best in terms of keeping the aging mind going,” Richman says, which is why dance appears to have such potent benefits."
Can't write anymore right now. Am off to run dance movement therapy groups at 2 facilities today. Am presenting Enhancing Quality of Life through the Dance of Interaction for the Texas Culture Change Coalition later this week in San Marcos.
I'll be presenting Enlivening People with Dementia through Dance/ Expressive Movement for a
conference co-sponsored by Artists for Dementia (ARTZ )and Hebrew
Senior Life (HSL) in Dedham, MA 10/4/12.
The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) 47th Annual Conference is in Albuquerque, NM 10/11 - 14. I'll be presenting on Dancing with People with Dementia as well. No matter whom you want to receive the benefits of dance, you'll learn more about it at the conference. Check out the ADTA's Conference Facebook page.
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