Transitioning into Assisted Living Facilities: A Community Engagement Project

Transition is a process and involves many physical, cognitive, and emotional changes for an older adult. In an assisted living facility (ALF), a new community was formed where established residents welcomed new residents into their new home. The residents came together in the morning dance/movement therapy (DMT) groups. DMT has many benefits to help older adults with the transition into the assisted living facility, such as providing the residents an opportunity to learn and rewire their brains through movement. In order to best support the residents and create a sense of community and accomplishment, this project involved a community engagement project of co-choreographing a dance with the residents to a popular song. After seven weeks of hard work creating the dance, there was a performance during an afternoon social. This study supported previous findings that older adults need to keep moving, socializing, and learning in order to grow developmentally. Dancing together allowed them to express themselves, to learn new skills, to come together, and to enjoy time with each other