A Community-Based Approach to Engaging Older Adults in the Promotion of Their Health and Well-Being Through Social Dance

The purpose of this chapter is to describe a research partnership in Ireland where community members of a local retirement group collaborated with faculty, researchers and students from the University of Limerick. The aim of the research was to determine the feasibility of social dancing for promoting the well-being of older people. Social dancing was selected as the form of physical activity in this context, due to the cultural role of dance in Irish society and its prominence in many social activities. This chapter explains the pragmatic approach to community-based research that we adopted to tailor the social dance intervention to meet the needs, preferences and ability of the older adults. The multidisciplinary team included a geriatrician, physiotherapists, dancers and academic researchers, in addition to the community members. The chapter presents some important lessons to inform future community-based research in this area.