WISE & Healthy Aging in Santa Monica, in partnership with City of Hope, is conducting a 12-week pilot study on the lingering physical and mental effects of treated disease on cancer survivors.
With funding from the California Breast Cancer Research Program, the “Mindful Movement Program for Breast Cancer Survivors” is designed to assess whether patients who take part in body movement programs experience improvements in quality of life. Researchers hope to find a correlation between movement-dance therapy and a decrease in anxiety, pain or depression, which are often felt by cancer survivors even long after their treatment has ceased.
During classes, enrollees are asked to move freely, often to music, in ways that are comfortable, fun and natural. Self-expression is a key element of the program, as patients will hopefully become more aware of their feelings and thoughts and express them without fear of judgment.
Enrollees receive compensation ranging from $75 to $145, and must be breast cancer survivors age 50 or older without metastatic disease who completed treatment at least 12 months ago. Those interested can call 310-394-9871, ext. 390 for more information.
