Dance as emotional education and support for long-term carers

DanceCARE is an adult education Erasmus project based on Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and Conscious Movement (WM) as innovative tools in emotional education and support for long-term caregivers.

The main objectives of the project are to:

• reduce the burden of formal and informal LTC caregivers, reducing the risk of depression and isolation, through an innovative, flexible and blended educational program for LTC caregivers, based on DMT and WiseMotion techniques, which can be replicated, becoming a good practice to be adopted at local, national and European level.
• improve the quality of life in ageing and the way in which older people are cared for
• reduce informal caregivers’ isolation and promote communication and networking
• systematize and field-test the effectiveness of the body-mind methodologies used
• enhance and expand the DMT methodologies through the inclusion of the WiseMotion method
• optimize the use of the DanceCARE educational program through digitization
• disseminate the created educational program to various training institutions specialized in DMT
• involve stakeholders (care providers, elderly care organizations, caregivers’ associations) in adopting the DanceCARE curriculum as an ongoing education tool

The Consortium is coordinated by IRCCS INRCA –The Italian National Institute of Health and Science on Aging (INRCA), Italy. The national team is formed by Sara Santini (P.I.), Flavia Galassi (developer and Dance Movement Psychotherapist), Sara Pasquini and Mario Cantore.

Other members of the partnership are: Aktios Elderly Care Units (Greece); Polibienestar University of Valencia (Spain); Computer Solutions S.A., (Greece); European Association of Dance Movement Therapy (EADMT) and WiseMotion (WM).

Based on extensive consultation with European experts in DMT and on a research on the main caregivers’ needs and soft skills to be developed, seven body-mind sessions have been created for informal end semi-formal caregivers involved in long-term care:

1. Self-awareness: Breathing, grounding, and slowing down – Stabilize the nervous system and reconnect with bodily cues.
2. Self-awareness: Self-confidence (posture & mobility) – Use posture and mobility to cultivate presence and inner steadiness.
3. Mindfulness & the Surroundings (stress management) – Orient to space, track stress signals, and practise tension release.
4. Empathy (inward & outward) and Resilience (self-care) – Balance compassion with boundaries; embed sustainable self-care micro-practices.
5. Emotional Regulation (coping strategies) – Build a practical toolkit (breath, tempo, grounding, imagery) for real-time regulation.
6. Communication skills, expression & listening – Strengthen embodied listening, non-verbal clarity, and congruent verbal expression.
7. Social interaction & Creativity – Re-ignite play and co-creation to restore motivation and team climate.

Between October and December 2025, the course was piloted in Ancona (Italy), Athens (Greece) and Valencia (Spain) and facilitated in person by qualified DMT/WM professionals. The effects of the body-mind activities on caregivers’ well-being have been assessed through validated psychological tools with a pre-post mixed method design and constantly monitored through live observations, reaching art-based materials to enrich the qualitative part of the study.

The project has developed a community forum https://dancecarecommunity.flarum.cloud/ and learning platform https://dancecare-project.eu/courses/ that require a registration and represent a virtual space for caregivers, trainers, and stakeholders to exchange experiences and build good practices together. It complements the video series by turning individual learning into shared knowledge and mutual support.

Moreover, to broaden access beyond the in-person pilots, selected sessions and companion resources are also open and available via our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DanceCareErasmusProject