Ellen and I have become very good friends.  It is because we have been interacting regularly, tap chatting and jamming back and forth to music.  We laugh as we enjoy music from the 20’s on up to the Beatles.  Our favorite one that we do together is Obla Di.  It makes us giddy.  I recently visited on a day when she said she was tired and not her normal self.  I took time to tap with a group of other residents down the hall.  She could not stay in bed.  She was out with me demonstrating and tapping in no time.  “Music is good medicine.” We laughed.                                                           Laurie Lunsford

Our rehabilitation & nursing center has a wide variety of ages and disabilities, with a median age in the 40’s and a population that is 60% male!  Regular nursing home activities do not work well for them and we have been creating our own materials & games for them.  Thank you for coming to us to demonstrate the Dancing Hands.  This activity was so successful, I purchased a set on the spot.  It has now proven to be so popular that I am now ordering additional sets to keep up with the demand.   It works as well with 20-year-olds as with 80-year-olds.  In addition, the hand taps are easy to manipulate for anyone with even partial use of their hands.  As an added bonus, no matter how hard we pound (I mean dance) the taps, there are no marks on our beautiful wooden table.  We wish you continued success with this wonderful addition to an Activities Program.

Dr. Gary Dubler, Activity Professional

South Florida

Members of The Ohio Association of Senior Centers convened in Columbus, Ohio  May 12 - 14 for a convention that was packed with opportunities hear excellent speakers.  The closing Keynote was by Vicki Rosebrook of Macklin Intergenerational Institute.  When children and the elderly relate, boredom, and loneliness are much lessened. 

Dancing Hands presented one of the workshops. 

Pictured are Kim Corey, OASC Executive Coordinator and Bryan Glover, 2008 president of OASC.  They were the friendly faces at the registration table.   We found warmth and friendliness during our time there.

Florida was a great place to be for the NAAP Convention. We enjoyed all the smiling faces…and “tappers” who came to the Dancing Hands table.   We took a photo of the co-chairs for next years National Association for Activity Professionals convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico (top left).  You can see them in the yellow shirts with the hot air balloons….Laura Rhodes and Kenni Barnett….with friends. 

We drew names for winners.  Here are some of them (left to right):  Eileen Miller from Oakland Park, Kansas, Beth Hampton from Montevideo, Minnesota, and Cheryl Meeks, with Linda Prusak, from Ormond Beach, Florida.   Happy tapping!

Click on the thumbnail photos to see larger version.

Tapping Tunes for Dancing Hands is a fun-filled bunch of bouncy tunes that bring back memories….memories that energized the soul.  There is international flavor along with old songs from the 20’s.  There are several new ones written especially for Dancing Hands.  Honky Tonk is especially fun.  This CD will be a new addition to all the elderly packs.  This means when you buy a set, you will receive a book with CD and also this new CD.

“I am recreation therapist at a skilled nursing facility, and Dancing Hands was brought to my attention by the marketing director. She thought it would be a fun activity for nursing home week, but she had no idea how therapeutic this program can be.  A lot of our residents used to be avid dancers, but many of them can’t do it anymore due to illness or disability. Your product will be a great way to raise their spirits! Thanks so much!”

Amber Gerber, CTRS, Colorado

Amanda Good is the activity director at the Health Care and Rehabilitation in Parker City. She has initiated a group called Toe Tappers. She explained that they can tap their toes while they tap dance with their hands. It is a Western theme for the month of April, and Amanda has chosen Western Gospel for improvisational tapping. Amanda believes that many of the residents, are discovering something new….it is their own inner rhythms!

“Dancing Hands is an innovative way to incorporate music and physical exercise for those who are not able to attend regular exercise sessions.” Amanda Good, Activity Director, Parker City, Indiana

The folks at Hand-in-Hand Adult Day Care of Richmond, Indiana, are enjoying the new activity that has been added to their schedule. As you can see in the photos, there are many ways to hold hand taps, and tapping to reflect each personality! Thank you, Mary, for the photos!

There was a great turnout of therapists at the Music Therapy Convention in in Chicago.  Many college students showed up at the Dancing Hands booth and experimented with the hand taps.  Here are some quotes:

“Hand taps are perfect for improving grip control and range in the hand.  A person can grip the handle with two fingers.  Set up two target points and a steady beat to create music.  At the same time there is improvement in active/passive range in the wrist, elbow and arm.“ 

 Lindsey Landek, Western Michigan University

“You can do hand taps with fast/slow beats or music - even choreograph it with clients in a circle for social interaction.  Each client can experiment with different surfaces as they group or partner up.” 

 Ellen Walther, Baldwin-Wallace College, Ohio.

“We used them for improvisation by giving one client the Dancing Hands and then the other clients had other percussion instruments.  The client with the Dancing Hands was able to do a solo with them when the other clients cut out. Their creativity was amazing.  I also like the fact that it provides an outlet for adults in wheelchairs who cannot dance with their feet, but still can with their hands.” 

Beth Kaufman, Indiana-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

  Dancing Hands was recently introduced to some children in Haiti.  They were feeling the beat!