Yoga for Dementia Patients: Day 6
Bollywood dancing at the dementia day care centre
I had a full house which included 15 patients and three carers. Nita* was in a really good mood and she settled in her chair with a pleasant smile. Joe and Manny remembered the promise I made to them last week about a short Bollywood dance sequence. I have been planning it all week. I am finding myself researching Bollywood dance, Tai chi, Bhangra dance and Bharathanatyam as I want to make the sessions interesting and memorable so that people want to keep coming.
Chris was seated at the back and he hardly did anything. The staff told me that he has Parkinson’s disease. It explained why he often reminded me of my father who too has Parkinson’s. I am now starting to look at ways in which yoga could help that condition. The movements have to be rhythmic and flowing, and my instructions have to simple and systematic. He has an arched back and is often not able to see my upper body movements, so I realise that I have to articulate everything I do. It is slightly different from the dementia patients as they mime my actions rather than follow verbal instructions.
I am now getting a clearer picture of who should be seated in the front row. John definitely needs to be in the front. Today he too was seated at the back and did not do very much. Manny can sit at the back as he will diligently follow my instructions. I could see the anticipation in Julie’s face as she walked into the room. There are two others who have been coming regularly but they are so quiet that I have not mentioned them before — Carol and Jill. Carol, I am told, has advanced dementia. She copies some of my actions. I remembered to praise her several times, and when her attention wandered I was able to call her by her name (to which she responds) and get her to start doing the asanas again. But perhaps in my over-enthusiasm, I overdid it and after about 40 minutes she refused to do anything. I have to learn to keep things in proportion. I have to remind myself that consistency is more important than trying to achieve too much in one session. I shouldn’t put people off yoga!
As usual we worked our way from the upper body downwards. Half way through the session, I played a one minute clip from the movie Slumdog Millionaire, the famous ‘Jai Ho’ song. I had spent all week choreographing it with simple Bollywood dance type movements that could be done sitting on the chair. It was a big hit as everyone loved the rhythm and I noticed even the less flexible people naturally swaying with the beat. They were all so happy doing it that I promised that we would do it again at the end of the session. Following that we did different versions of the sun salutation ranging from easy to hard. Then we repeated our Bollywood routine.
It was time for the final relaxation. We consciously relaxed our body from toes to head and concluded the session with our final ‘Namaste’. There were extra smiles all around and I suppose that is due to the Bollywood dance sequence.
After coming home I received a lovely email from the centre coordinator which said
The benefits have been amazing, the feedback from the people is that they feel healthier, sleeping well, more flexible with body movement and better balance. We have noticed that there is less agitation, restlessness and a more relaxed atmosphere with the background music creating a friendly environment that everyone can enjoy.
This truly touched me. I only hope my enthusiasm sustains.
*All names have been changed
