Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive disorder of the nervous system. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting Canadians. Motor impairments, such as slowness, balance, stiffness and tremors, are its most common symptoms. Research has demonstrated that dance may be a beneficial therapy for people with PD, and may actually improve motor function as well as quality of life in people with PD. The purpose of this project is to share the research concerning the benefits of dance for people with PD. The main audience will be: healthcare providers who work with people with PD; people with PD and their families; and community members and healthcare leaders who are interested in neurological disorders and therapies such as dance. We will host two events at Toronto Western Hospital and at Canada's National Ballet School. The latter event will be live-streamed online and thus, accessible to audiences all over Canada and internationally. At each event, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a dance class as a way to experientially understand the benefits of dance. Visual displays will be exhibited to highlight the research concerning dance and PD and photographic images from the dance classes will be included. In addition, there will be a panel discussion at each event so that leading experts can share their experiences concerning dance and PD and engage in discussion with attendees. The panel will include a neurologist, a researcher and a person with PD who has been participating in these dance classes. These research dissemination events will demonstrate the accessibility and utility of dance classes for people with PD with the aim of raising awareness about the benefits of dance for this population. In addition to raising awareness, these events aim to increase referral for and uptake of dance as a therapeutic intervention for people with PD so that motor function and quality of life can be enhanced in this population.