Effects of dance in older adults at risk of falls. Exploratory review

Abstract

Introduction: Falls are considered a public health problem in older adults, and their approach should be multidimensional. Dance emerges as an intervention option that allows different schemes to be integrated in movement enhancement. Objective: To determine the effects of dance on balance, motor function and activities of daily living in older adults at risk of falling. Methods: Exploratory review of the effects of dance in older adults at risk of falling in terms of balance, gait, motor function and activities of daily living. Searches were carried out in PubMed, LILACS, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PEDro, OTSeeker, full text articles were searched in different virtual libraries (ProQuest, Ovid, Ebsco, Science Direct) and manual search was also carried out. Results: Nineteen studies were found, which report sessions of 45 to 60 minutes for 12 weeks. Dance can be considered a safe intervention that significantly decreases control intervention for balance and gait in older adults. Conclusions: The results of this work support that dance can be used as an interventional option in older adults at risk of falling.