ROM Dance is a Therapeutic Intervention in OT Well Elderly Lifestyle Redesign Study

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Uncharted Country Newsletter Spring/Summer 1999

"The music and visual imagery encouraged relaxation...We found the gentle movement to be especially helpful for seniors with arthritis."
- Deborah Mandel, MA OTR,
Coordinator for the USC Study

The ROM Dance was recently included as an intervention tool in the USC (University of Southern California) Well Elderly Study Occupational Therapy Program. This three year randomized, effectiveness study was funded by the National Institute of Health and the American Occupational Therapy Foundation.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Lifestyle Redesign Program, an innovative preventive occupational therapy intervention. The program provides participants with information and experience to support them in actively and strategically selecting personally satisfying and health-promoting occupations. The program includes discussion topics and activity in the following content areas: Introduction to the Power of Occupation (the activities that fill a person's time), Aging, Health and Occupation, Transportation, Safety, Social Relationships, Cultural Awareness and Finance. At the conclusion of the program, participants develop their personalized plan for lifestyle redesign. The ROM Dance is utilized as a group activity to promote both mental and physical health for the Aging, Health and Occupation portion of the program.

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports: "The Well Elderly Study provides the most comprehensive test to date of the effectiveness of OT. Significant benefits were found across various health functions and quality of life domains" (JAMA Oct. 22/29 1997). This study has implications for the future of OT: "The wide-ranging effectiveness of this program supports the occupational therapy profession's emphasis on occupation in affecting health, and positions practitioners to extend their services in the realm of preventative interventions" (AJOT, May 1998). Deborah Mandel, the coordinator for the USC Well Elderly Study stated, "We chose to use the ROM Dance for our program because the technique is framed within the context of occupation. The music and visual imagery encouraged relaxation. We found the gentle movement to be especially helpful for seniors with arthritis" .

Editor's note: In the study The ROM Dance was referred to as the "range of motion dance." The ROM Dance is also part of the curriculum in the Department of Occupational Science and Therapy at the University of Southern California.