As the world population ages, it is expected that the number of people aged 65 or more significantly increases in the next 25 years. But while we are living longer, we are also becoming more socially divided by age.
Age segregation is increasing and fewer people interact regularly with people outside their own generation. This growing division can feed the prejudice against age – A form of more common discrimination than many imagine.
About half of the world’s population has already suffered prejudice due to age at some point in their lives. This is not only harmful to society, but it is also associated with worst health results and increased health care costs.
We know that regular physical activity is vital to our physical and mental well-being in all age groups. However, many adolescents and the elderly do not reach the recommended levels of activity. For adults, staying active helps to prevent and control chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. For children and adolescents, it supports healthy growth and development.
A Dance is more than just movement – It is creativity, self -expression and social connection. As a form of physical activity, it offers a wide range of benefits in all phases of life.
For children, dance supports the maturity of development, attention capacity and memory. For adults, it can improve balance, flexibility, body composition and coordination.
A intergenerational dance goes a step further, gathering people of different ages in a common creative space. It is a form of social and artistic exercise that promotes health, strengthens community ties and helps challenge stereotypes on aging.
An investigation team is now conceiving and evaluating an intergenerational dance program for adolescents and elderly Irelandin order to explore to what extent the shared movement can improve physical and mental health – and promote stronger connections among generations.
To inform the conception, intergenerational dance initiatives were magazines around the world. Although some programs had been formally evaluated, most had not exploited the results for health or participants’ experiences.
In cases where evaluations were, the results were positive: participants of all ages considered the experience pleasant and appreciated the opportunity to connect with people from other generations.
Based on this, a pilot program was carried out in a local community center after school hours. The sessions were collided by a professional dance instructor and a physiotherapist with training in intergenerational practices. Each session followed a consistent structure: Games to break the ice, such as “human bingo” – warm -up – mirrored movement exercises – social dance in pairs – cooling – refreshments – informal conviviality.
Participants – adults over 60 years old and adolescents between 14 and 16 years old – feedback throughout the pilot program. For many, it was the first social interaction experience with people outside their age group – and the answer was extremely positive.
Before and after the program, participants filled evaluations that mediate physical activity, cognitive function and emotional well-being. The results showed a Reduction in sedentary behavior between the elderly and an improvement in cognitive performance in both age groups. These preliminary results suggest that intergenerational dance can offer measurable benefits to the brain and body.
This was the first study to use objective measures of physical activity in an intergenerational environment-previous research based mainly on qualitative feedback. Although objective data on activity levels have been collected separately in adolescents and the elderly, the study is the first to apply this approach to generations that participate together.
The next phase of the project introduces a new home component. Among the sessions, participants are encouraged to perform short exercises based on home dance. This element is designed to reinforce regular movement and promote sustained physical activity throughout the week.
O Ten Week Refined Program It is now being implemented in secondary schools in the Midwest of Ireland for fourth year students aged 15 to 16 and adults over 60. Each session increases in intensity, while adapted to the needs and evolution of participants.
To evaluate the impact, researchers will monitor physical activity through wearable participants devices, evaluate their balance, mobility and cognition, and use questionnaires to measure their mood, well-being and attitudes towards aging.
