Continued: Dancing Hearts: A full dance card for seniors

Cajun music cracks the air and Effie Calhoun laughs aloud. She pushes slowly from her chair, steps into the circle of elders at Dancing Heart program and starts to dance.

At age 84, Calhoun doesn't remember the year, her life as a cook -- or even that the "nice lady" who struggles to care for her in their St. Paul apartment is her granddaughter.

But when the old men and women with dementia start to sing, dance and create poetry at the Wilder Adult Day Health Memory Loss Program, the healing begins.

The impact of Dancing Heart is defying long-held notions about life for people with dementia.

The results are so striking that the program is attracting national attention, being studied by University of Minnesota researchers and seeking ways to expand.

Data collected by the day care staff show that 43 percent of those in the program improved their balance and gait -- crucially important to prevent falls -- and had better memory and judgment.

"We're creating new neural pathways, I'm sure of it," said Maria Genné of Minneapolis, who created the pioneering Dancing Heart program with members of her intergenerational Kairos Dance Theatre at the St. Paul adult day care center two years ago.

"The common notion is that people with Alzheimer's can't learn new things, that they're on a downward spiral," said Susan Ryan, who heads the Wilder program that serves about 40 people with medium to severe dementia who live at home.

They gather on weekdays at Cerenity Care Center nursing home on St. Paul's East Side.

"This isn't just some nice program that entertains people with memory loss," she said. It is showing that movement, music and group interaction helps people with dementia "tap into strengths they still possess, develop a sense of mastery and sweeten their quality of life."

Next Friday, Genné and the Dancing Heart program will be honored at the American Society on Aging conference in Washington. D.C., its second national award in a year.

The next day, Calhoun and other elders from Dancing Heart will perform at St. Paul RiverCentre during a keynote address by Genné at the annual dementia conference sponsored by Mayo Clinic and the Alzheimer's Association.

Enriching the moment

At home, Effie Calhoun spends much of her time sleeping, sitting in her rocking chair watching cars pass by and picking at her food.

"Since she's been in this dance program, you've been a little more alert, haven't you, Mama, more involved, more talkative," said her granddaughter, Gloria Williams.

That difference is pronounced when Calhoun is at the Dancing Heart program.

Once reserved, clutching her purse while others participated, she now initiates short conversations, laughs, dances and has memorized the words to "Great Big Love" by Minneapolis songwriter Barbara McAfee, the group's closing song each week.

"How do I know the words? I just know them. It's what we sing," she said after a recent Dancing Heart session.

The Dancing Heart results mirror a national study by Gene Cohen, director of the Center on Aging, Health and the Humanities at George Washington University. It found that older people in arts programs are healthier, happier and use fewer drugs than those not in arts programs.

The weekly Wednesday-morning Dancing Heart program began two years ago as "chair dancing," sitting in place and stretching, talking and singing to music. But members tired quickly and needed more breaks. Some fell asleep.

"So much has changed," said Lonnie Slorek, a staff member at Wilder who was trained by the Kairos staff and now leads her own sessions on Mondays and Fridays.

"Everybody's got more stamina. Nobody falls asleep anymore and they interact a lot more," she said. "For someone with dementia, what they have is this moment right now -- not the future and not the recent past. This program is enriching the present moment."

You just 'need heart'

Kairos ("the right time," in Greek) began life in 1999 after Genné shifted from teaching children modern dance to working with all ages.

Working in adult day-care and senior centers in Minneapolis, she was struck by how deeply dance seemed to affect older people who often insisted that they "couldn't do that stuff."

Now, with 18 professional and amateur dancers ages 4 to 88 -- a 98-year-old woman will join the troupe this summer -- Kairos has performed around the state and at national conferences, including the National Center for Creative Aging.

"This is fun," said stonemason and amateur dancer Peter Podulke, 57. "You don't need a particular body type or age to be a dancer. You need heart."

Into the nursing home?

By this summer, Genné may start the program in five Minnesota nursing homes operated by the Ebenezer Society. Ebenezer is seeking about $700,000 over two years from a special Medicaid fund to build a Dancing Heart program with Kairos, train nursing home staff to take it over and help other homes replicate it. Ebenezer would report the program's effect on resident health.

Back at the Wilder day care program -- after 90 minutes of flexing and stretching every muscle in her body -- Calhoun rises to her feet as the elders prepare for their closing song.

"Thank you, thank you for this great big love," a smiling Calhoun sings, arms swinging to the tune. "Thank you, thank you for this great big love."

Warren Wolfe • 612-673-7253