Vitality, an Indicator of Meaningfulness and a Goal in Its Own Right

Last night I watched the inspiring Netflix interview of Jane Goodall, Famous Last Words, released posthumously as intended. It was a powerful story of one woman remaining true to her path from childhood, steadfast in her world view which informed her actions. A woman who dug down deep into her reality to care for the animals and the planet she loved.

In addition to reaffirming my intention to care better for Mother Earth, the film validates my following of my own path. After a career in dance/movement therapy which I have loved, whether it be working with people in acute psychiatric distress or in medical rehab, 20 years ago I discovered my true calling was in dancing with people living with dementia, providing dance from the perspective of dance/movement therapy.

Now in my late 70s, I continue to be driven to understand all that I can about how and why dancing with older adults and people with dementia is so effective. Foundational is my ongoing involvement in the art of the dance, continuing to take classes and perform with intergenerational dance company, Back Pocket Dancers pictured above. On Friday, December 12, 10:30 - 12, we will have an open rehearsal at the Dance Complex in Cambridge, MA. All are welcome, although space is somewhat limited.

A Memory Café at Dedham Public Library which I helped get started.

Dancing with people with dementia, whether in Assisted Living residences or at Memory Cafés is joyously uplifting, energizing me and them and providing me with material to reflect upon to better understand the connections between dancing, increased vitality and aging/ dementia. To that end, Dr. Cecilia Fontanesi and I presented "Embodied Connection in Dementia Care: Dance/ Movement Therapy at the Edge of Human Dignity, Advocacy, and Neuroscience" at the recent American Dance Therapy Association conference. Cecilia and I discovered during the presentation that we are both highly motivated by syncopation. When the music and movement are only synchronous, we find it boring. Cecilia shared The Quality of Life Movement Assessment for Persons with Advanced Dementia, an assessment form which I created based on Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) and which intends to correlate movement observed with indicators of Quality of Life. You can download the assessment form for free here on this website. One of my findings in using this assessment tool is that vitality is both a measure of meaningfulness and a goal. When an experience is meaningful, people’s movement becomes more complex. I would venture a guess that more of the brain is lit up because of the many connections. I am grateful to Dr. Fontanesi, a dancer, dance/movement therapist, and neuroscientist for our continued work and explorations together.

My research is based on practice, my own lived experience, and that which I observe in the participants in my groups. I attempt to read extensively the research from related fields. My findings are hard even for me to believe. The more I consider what has worked, explore my hypotheses, teach, and write about them, the more joyous and meaningful the groups seem to be, based on participants’ responses and the number of business cards I am asked for following a group.

Oh - and by the way - if you've been wanting an Octaband®, now is a good time to purchase one. I've been holding out, trying to keep prices as stable as possible for as long as possible. Prices will go up in January 2026.

When we dance with older adults, "we invite them to be in their bodies, to savor the sensations and experience of vitality, now, in their last days, while they still have bodies." That, too, is what I ask for myself.