Adapted tango dance boosts mobility for veterans with Parkinson’s Disease
By Leondra Head
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ATLANTA (WUPA) — An Emory University professor is teaching adapted tango dance classes to veterans living with Parkinson’s disease, helping them reclaim their lives.
Dr. Madeleine Hackney recently completed a clinical trial on the benefits of Parkinson’s patients taking a specific type of tango class.
“I’ve lost a lot of my balance because of Parkinson’s,” said Jerry Feldman, a veteran living with the disease.
Sixty-nine-year-old Jerry Feldman is living with this incurable illness, which affects his mobility and balance. His remedy is a combination of medication and dancing.
Feldman has attended these adapted tango classes every week for more than three years.
“It makes a difference for me. Dancing is great exercise. It gives me an opportunity to get out of the house, socialize, and have fun,” Feldman said.
That’s the goal, according to Emory School of Medicine professor Madeleine Hackney.
She teaches adapted tango as a form of therapy and modified dance for people with Parkinson’s.
“Why is adapted tango more beneficial than other forms of movement for people living with Parkinson’s?” CBS Atlanta’s Leondra Head asked Hackney.
“I don’t want to say necessarily that it’s more beneficial than any other form of exercise. We do think dancing could be an excellent form of exercise and physical rehabilitation, because you have to engage the mind and try to remember steps,” Hackney said.
She completed a nationally registered clinical trial.
It included around 80 Parkinson’s patients who took adapted tango classes for 16 months—twice a week for the first three months, then once a week for the remaining 13 months.
“We had a pleasant finding that patients were reporting their medications were working better for them. We also noted that motor symptoms improved after the three months,” Hackney said.
The clinical trial findings suggest adapted tango improves balance in Parkinson’s patients with mild symptoms.
“Our participants, which included many veterans, had improved quality of life related to activities of daily living and disease burdens,” Hackney said.
Here’s Feldman’s advice to others living with Parkinson’s disease:
“Movement is critical. You gotta keep moving,” Feldman said.
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