The program was created in 1981 at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin by an occupational therapist, Diane Harlowe MS, OTR, FAOTA, and a T'ai Chi expert, Tricia Yu, MA. It is an innovative mind/body exercise and rest program that combines Western medical model therapeutic exercise with Eastern T'ai Chi principles. It features slow, gentle, flowing movements that are accompanied by quiet music and a verse with relaxing images. The entire sequence takes about seven minutes to complete.
This program has been used internationally by people with arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, Parkinson's, MS, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other painful or limiting health conditions. Initial development, research, and cration of new versions and media for home use were supported in part by grants from the Arthritis Foundation. Published long-term efficacy studies have demonstrated the therapeutic effects of the ROM Dance.
The program includes 3 videos and a manual. This particular video is appropriate for both in-home instructional use as well as use by therapists. The movements are done both seated and standing and it includes a special hand exercise routine. The verse includes images of water, moonlight, and friendship. The video includes the following sections: 1)Introduction, 2)Demonstration of the ROM Dance: Moonlight Version, 3)Relaxation demonstration, 4)Discussion of the principles of the ROM Dance, and 5)Precautions and teaching of the movements.
Imprint: Madison, WI: St. Mary?s Hospital Medical Center: Distributed by ROM Institute, copyright 1993. Contact Information:To order, please go to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center online library catalog at http://www.paralysis.org
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