Tango for Older People With Dementia

Cognitive impairment (CI) is the leading cause of loss of autonomy and has a huge impact on physical performance and quality of life (QOL) in older people. Pharmacological treatments currently available have modest efficacy at best. Dance as both artistic and physical activity, combining emotions, social interaction, and sensory stimulation, therefore appears as a non-pharmacological intervention, which could contribute to the prevention of functional decline. Among all the existing dances, tango occupies a special place because of the cultural and emotional resonance it carries, but also because of what it leads to motor mobilization (variations in the rhythm of walking, rotation of the belts, weight transfers…). These characteristics seem to make the tango an excellent tool for the rehabilitation of balance and gait, as well as for the prevention of the loss of autonomy in older adults with CI. The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of an intervention based on tango and classical physical activity.