Aged care provider engages laughter therapists to boost mood, morale

Aged care provider Cranbrook Care is rolling out the Laughter Care program, delivered by Australian charity The Humour Foundation, at five care facilities.

The program involves weekly visits from professionally trained Laughter Care performers, who engage with residents using stories, music, props, improvisation and reminiscence, with costumes often designed to connect with relevant eras in aged care residents’ lives, such as the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

“We’re constantly reviewing our lifestyle offering to identify opportunities to enhance the emotional, social and physical wellbeing of our residents, and with research underlining the many benefits of humour and meaningful connection for the elderly, we decided this would be a fantastic opportunity for both our residents and staff,” said Cranbrook Care CEO Lee Carissa.

The Laughter Care program is delivered in conjunction with The Humour Foundation, best known for its Clown Doctors program which improves the hospital experience for children and their families in more than 20 hospitals across Australia.

Findings from The Humour Foundation’s SMILE Study, measuring the impact of laughter and joy on residents living with dementia, showed a decrease in agitation levels to the same extent as anti-psychotic drugs, but without side effects.

“Our research has shown that the Laughter Care program can help decrease resident depression and behavioural disturbances while increasing positive behaviour, boosting staff morale and uplifting the atmosphere of aged care facilities,” said Karey Payne, National Programs Manager of The Humour Foundation.

Cranbrook Care chose to introduce laughter therapy not just to bring a touch of joy to their valued residents and staff, but also to help improve the quality of life for residents who may be having a ‘blue’ day, who are struggling with physical and/or mental health deterioration, who may be isolated from family and friends, who have suffered the recent passing of a spouse, or who have conditions which may make it difficult to communicate or be understood.

“Since rolling out the Laughter Care program, we’ve received some fantastic positive feedback from both participating residents and staff, who have said it’s an ‘absolute joy’ to watch Laughter Care performers interact with residents, who have been ‘entranced’ by the new activity,” Carissa said.

“Our Laughter Care performers are not ‘slapstick’ clowns, they’re empathetic souls with a talent for breaking down barriers and bringing smiles and joy to those who need it most. In addition to clearly boosting the morale of residents, the program is also having a significant impact on staff who derive real pleasure from seeing the impact of laughter therapy on the residents in their care. Our staff are already employing some of the tactics they’ve observed these specifically trained performers use to develop fun and practical humour therapy tactics that break down barriers and elicit physical and verbal reactions, especially from some of our less outgoing residents,” Carissa said.

So far, every resident who has experienced a Laughter Care visit has had a positive reaction, with nobody refusing to interact, which is a great testament to the skill, empathy and sense of humour of performers. The residents are all still smiling when they leave, and some dance, laugh out loud, clap, sing and tap their toes from the moment they arrive.

One participating resident who lost her husband several days before a recent Laughter Care visit, said, “I enjoy the performer’s visits and he brings me down to earth. I can talk to him naturally about my interests, about my experiences, including backpacking in England many years ago, and we share photos and talk about them together”.

Image caption: Judith and Monty dancing. Image courtesy of Cranbrook Care.