Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease, and is characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms, including gait dysfunction and cognitive decline. Dance has emerged as a promising intervention for improving motor and non-motor symptoms in persons with PD (PwPD), yet long-term effects remain underexplored. Objective: To assess changes in cognitive function and gait performance over six years among PwPD who participated in a weekly dance program, compared to a Reference group who remained physically inactive. Methods: This six-year longitudinal observational study included 43 PwPD who attended weekly dance classes and were evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Movement Disorder Society–Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS). A Reference group of 28 PwPD, matched on age, gender, and Hoehn & Yahr scores, were selected from the Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative, and assessed using the MDS-UPDRS and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Cognitive scores were standardized. Generalized estimating equations were used to compare cognitive and gait outcomes across time. Results: The Dance group was significantly different from the Reference group ( p < 0.001), with improved cognitive scores in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The Dance group had worse gait at baseline, however, the Reference group showed significantly poorer gait performance by 2018. In a subset of our data (n=10), no significant association was found between gait and cognitive scores. Conclusions: After two years of weekly dance, the Dance group showed improvements in cognition and maintained stability in gait performance. The findings highlight the potential neuroprotective benefits of continued dance engagement over six years.

Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s, and is characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms, including gait dysfunction and cognitive decline. Dance has emerged as a promising intervention for improving motor and non-motor symptoms in persons with PD (PwPD), yet long-term effects remain underexplored. Objective: To assess changes in cognitive function and gait performance over six years among PwPD who participated in a weekly dance program, compared to a Reference group who remained physically inactive. Methods: This six-year longitudinal observational study included 43 PwPD who attended weekly dance classes and were evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Movement Disorder Society–Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS). A Reference group of 28 PwPD, matched on age, gender, and Hoehn & Yahr scores, were selected from the Parkinson’s Progression Marker Initiative, and assessed using the MDS-UPDRS and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Cognitive scores were standardized. Generalized estimating equations were used to compare cognitive and gait outcomes across time. Results: The Dance group was significantly different from the Reference group ( p < 0.001), with improved cognitive scores in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The Dance group had worse gait at baseline, however, the Reference group showed significantly poorer gait performance by 2018. No significant association was found between gait and cognitive scores. Conclusion: After two years of weekly dance, the Dance group showed improvements in cognition and maintained stability in gait performance. The findings highlight the potential neuroprotective benefits of continued dance engagement over six years.

Background: Dance is regarded as a multimodal experience which integrates movement, music, cognitive, and social engagement, potentially providing a non-pharmacological care approach for persons with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). While numerous studies have investigated the benefits of dance for motor outcomes, less is known about the influence on cognitive and non-motor symptoms.Objective: To explore the scope, characteristics, and influence of dance-based interventions for PD, while examining how often cognitive and non-motor symptoms were analyzed relative to motor outcomes.Methods: Guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodological framework for scoping reviews, a search was carried out across three databases to identify relevant literature, followed by title, abstract, and full text screening by three independent reviewers. Data were extracted on study and intervention characteristics, outcome domains, and reported effects. Results: Thirty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The most used interventions were tango and Dance for Parkinson’s Disease (DfPD) programs, typically delivered in community settings, twice weekly, for approximately 60 minutes per individual session. In contrast to motor symptoms, which were assessed most frequently (89%), non-motor and cognitive symptoms were assessed in 76% and 47% of studies, respectively. Motor outcomes demonstrated the most consistent improvements (84%), followed by non-motor improvements (53%) and cognitive gains (32%). Collectively, non-motor and cognitive outcomes were increasingly assessed within the last decade and demonstrated variable findings. Conclusion: Although cognitive and non-motor symptoms have a well-documented impact on quality of life in PD, these domains have received less attention than motor outcomes within the dance-based literature. Measures of cognitive and non-motor outcomes, alongside longer-term interventions with larger samples, should be incorporated in future protocols for a better understanding of the multidimensional impact of dance in PD.

Introduction: Dance is a multimodal experience, integrating movement and music, with cognitive and psychosocial effects, potentially providing a non-pharmacological care approach for persons with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). While numerous studies have investigated motor outcomes following dance interventions, less is known about the degree to which cognitive and non-motor outcomes are explored. The objective of this scoping review was to explore the scope and characteristics of dance-based interventions for PD, focusing on how cognitive and non-motor domains are represented relative to motor outcomes. Methods: Guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodological framework for scoping reviews, the PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases were searched to identify relevant literature, followed by title, abstract, and full text screening by three independent reviewers. Studies reporting the effects of dance on motor, non-motor, or cognitive health of PwPD were included. Data were extracted on study and intervention characteristics, as well as outcome domains and measurement tools. Results: Thirty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The most used interventions were tango and Dance for Parkinson’s Disease (DfPD) programs, typically delivered in community settings, twice weekly, for approximately 60 minutes per session. Motor symptoms were assessed most frequently (89%), followed by non-motor (76%) and cognitive domains (47%). Collectively, non-motor and cognitive outcomes were increasingly assessed within the last decade. Conclusion: While cognitive and non-motor symptoms contribute significantly to disease burden, motor outcomes continue to dominate dance-based literature in PD. Future research should continue to explore symptomatology beyond motor outcomes within dance-based literature in PD.

Background: Non-motor symptoms, including sleep and cognitive dysfunction, are major contributors to reduced quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). Dance has been proposed as a promising intervention to improve quality of life in PwPD. Previously, we reported longitudinal trajectories of global cognition following community-based dance; however, little is known about its long-term influence on sleep-related non-motor symptoms and their relationship with global cognitive performance. Objective: We examined the six-year trajectories of sleep and overall non-motor symptom severity among PwPD participating in weekly community-based dance classes compared to a sedentary Reference group. As a secondary objective, we evaluated their association with global cognitive performance as a functional outcome. Methods: This longitudinal observational study followed PwPD engaged in community dance participation as well as a matched sedentary control group from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative database over six years. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to model group-level trends, with sensitivity analyses conducted to assess the robustness of the findings. Results: Non-motor outcomes showed that insomnia worsened significantly within the Reference group ( p = .003) but improved among dancers ( p = .005), with daytime sleepiness remaining stable across both groups. When sleep was used as a predictor of cognition, global cognitive performance trended to improve in the Dance group ( p = .078) and declined mid-period in the Reference group ( p = .014). In addition, overall non-motor symptom severity worsened in the Reference group ( p = .011) but remained stable in the Dance group. Constipation also worsened significantly in the Reference group ( p = .012) compared to the Dance group. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that community-based dance may support select non-motor symptoms, including insomnia, and cognitive resilience in PwPD. Findings reinforce dance as a valuable, real-world, non-pharmacological approach to slow functional decline in PD.

Adult day programs (ADPs) are essential for dementia care. Ethnoculturally diverse older adults often benefit less due to culturally misaligned care and systemic inequities. Cultural safety addresses disparities by challenging provider biases and structural barriers, but it is underexplored in ADPs. This critical review examined how culturally safe ADP care for persons living with dementia is conceptualized, experienced, and implemented. We selected 20 studies from references included in a broader realist review by our team. Cultural safety and intersectionality guided study appraisal, data extraction, and thematic synthesis. Five themes emerged: first, definitions of culturally safe care in ADPs; second, experiences of ethnoculturally diverse older adults and their caregivers, including belonging alongside challenges (exclusion, language barriers, environmental incongruence); third, contexts and mechanisms shaping culturally safe care (organizational rigidity, provider-centered routines, workforce constraints); fourth, implementation of culturally safe care, (superficial adaptations vs relational change); fifth, gaps/future directions (absence of operational models, insufficient outcome evaluation, limited participant and caregiver voices). Culturally safe ADP care can advance equity for ethnoculturally diverse older adults living with dementia and their caregivers, yet current approaches remain largely symbolic. Achieving culturally safe care will require structural reforms, organizational accountability, participatory design, and policies that support flexibility, relational practice, and system-level responsiveness.