(Bringing Dance to Older Adults and People with Dementia, 2020)
In this module, I completed a placement in which I co-facilitated ‘Dance and Dementia’ sessions with one other co-facilitator. The ‘Dance and Dementia’ sessions were held in the dance studio, a vast and deep space, allowing room for a circle of chairs at the entrance and an open space beyond, ideal for a large group of people. The size of the space was important, to allow for wheelchair access and enough space for all participants to dance in a circle or with partners, with enough space between the couples as they moved. The sessions followed a structure of activities that utilised music, movement and singing, to improve and maintain physical and cognitive skills, and increase wellbeing. The sessions were accessible to people living with early onset dementia and their partners, carers and family members. My co-facilitator and I entered the classes as observing participants, then went on to devise and deliver four one-hour-long sessions, whilst embedding creative themes such as daily routines, Springtime, magic and a day at the seaside. We decided to use different themes as a stimulus, and incorporated relevant props, images, videos and associated music and songs, to allow participants to engage all senses (we even offered chocolate Easter eggs and fresh flowers, during our Springtime session).
I was initially apprehensive of this placement, as I had not experienced, nor contemplated working with older adults. I worried that I would not have the ability to deal with the complexities of enabling older people with dementia, as my previous experience was with children and young people, where my role was to impart knowledge that I had gained over a long period of time. In the ‘Dance and Dementia’ sessions, I had no prior knowledge of working creatively with adults and was concerned that my inexperience might hinder the progress of the group. During the first 2 weeks as a participant, I completed research into the benefits of dance, movement, music and song for people living with dementia, which helped to understand why the sessions were so important. They increased the opportunity for social interaction, for both the carer and the person living with dementia, and reduced isolation. The sessions allowed time for interaction beyond dance and movement, as participants, student volunteers and facilitators ended each session with tea and biscuits in the cafeteria. This enabled friendships to be forged, carers to support each other and offer advice, along with a well-earned rest, but it also encouraged members of different generations to interact, which does not often occur under typical circumstances. Acquiring a better understanding of the physical and emotional benefits of the sessions, enabled me to adjust my focus away from my insecurities and hesitations, and enabled me to facilitate the sessions confidently.
(Dance in Dementia, 2020)
As I progressed from participant to co-facilitator, I became familiar with the structure of the sessions and began to compile new activities that would complement them. My co-facilitator and I preferred different elements of performing arts, as my co-facilitator was a dancer and I was a singer. Our backgrounds complimented the planning of the sessions, as dancing made up the middle section, whilst singing marked the beginning of the ‘cooling down’ period towards the end. My co-facilitator used her knowledge to create effective movements, and I found great enjoyment in selecting well-known songs and leading the group singing. Co-facilitating blended our passion for the subjects and boosted our creativity through sharing our talents as we encouraged each other to take on the responsibility of facilitating the activities that we were not comfortable with at the start of the process. This ensured that we were further developing our skill set and challenging ourselves as facilitators.
The most valuable aspect of learning I gained from co-facilitating the dance and dementia sessions, was improving my ability to feel comfortable when activities veered slightly from the plan. After reading ‘More than a sum of parts?’ (Hepplewhite, 2016) I understood the concept of respond-ability, which enabled me to effectively respond to actions and responses made by the participants. An example of this occurred at the end of a choreographed dance activity, when the participants were invited to return to their seats at the opposite end of the studio. As most people left the space to sit down, one couple were so captivated by the music that they continued to dance. As everyone watched the couple dancing, my co-facilitator and I glanced at each other and remained in our positions, silently agreeing to let the couple continue. If one of us had turned off the music or hurried the couple to their seats, this could have had a negative effect on the individuals. It was a wonderful moment to witness, as husband and wife seemed to forget their worries and stress as they swayed to the music. Although this added additional time to the activity and resulted in less time for the following, it was a poignant reminder of why the dance and dementia sessions were so valuable.
As I reflect upon my initial sessions as a participant, I realise that I completed a very different journey to that of my previous facilitation module (Drama in Education), because I had entered the space as a novice. I had to rely upon the participants to guide and direct me throughout the first few sessions, which they did naturally and without hesitation. It was beneficial for me to gain experience from this perspective, as I was able to place myself in the position of new participants that joined us in future sessions, and will take it forward when preparing facilitated workshops in the future.
References
2020. Bringing Dance To Older Adults And People With Dementia. [image] Available at: <https://www.dancetherapymusings.com/2019/03/dancing-with-people-with-dementia-an-antidote-to-loneliness-and-isolation.html> [Accessed 30 April 2020].
2020. Dance In Dementia. [image] Available at: <http://dementiapathfinders.org/circle-dance-in-dementia.html> [Accessed 30 April 2020].
Hepplewhite, K. (2016). More than a Sum of Parts? responsivity and Respond-ability in Applied theatre. In: S. Preston, ed., Applied Theatre: Facilitation – Pedagogies, Practices, Resilience. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, pp.165-188.