This week, the Queensland Ballet visited Mackay Base Hospital to demonstrate how modified dance classes can aid rehabilitation and improve the health and wellbeing of local patients.
Clinicians specializing in allied health, orthopaedics, neurology, rehabilitation, and geriatrics were invited to attend one of two dance sessions held at the hospital on Tuesday, July 23. These sessions were part of a program designed by the Van Norton Li Community Health Institute, a division of Queensland Ballet, to showcase the benefits of dance in terms of strength, mobility, and balance.
Dr. Pieter Nel, Acting Director of Medical Services Research and Innovation at Mackay Hospital and Health Service (HHS), highlighted the positive effects of dance on cognitive performance and reaction times, making it a valuable treatment option for various conditions.
“The Dance Health programs are supported by medical research and provide a ballet program tailored for hospital patients,” Dr. Nel explained. “These programs are useful treatments for conditions like arthritis, dementia, brain injuries, depression, and Parkinson’s disease.”
The sessions at Mackay Base Hospital allowed clinicians to consider dance as a therapeutic tool that could enrich patients’ lives and improve their health and wellbeing. The Queensland Ballet’s Dance Health programs include Dance for Parkinson’s, Ballet for Brain Injury, Dance for Arthritis, Dance Rehab, and Ballet Serene, which are modified dance classes for aged-care settings.
The Queensland Ballet received $750,000 in funding from Queensland Health to support and deliver these programs through the Van Norton Li Community Health Institute. The modified dance programs aim to understand the impact of dance on health, develop partnerships in regional communities, provide unique training opportunities for health professionals, and make dance more accessible.
