Infinite possibility: clowning with elderly people.

Full Abstract

Over the past 30 years, there has been aplentitude of research into the health benefits of humor and laughter for healthy, sick, or depressed adults and children as well as for senior citizens. Medical research supports our human instinct that people who smile and laugh are happy, whereas those who are inexpressive are usually not happy. Research shows that humor stimulus results in mirth, which elicits a primarily emotional response with psychological efects, and laughter, which elicits a physical response with physiological effects. The many physiological benefits of laughter in older adults have been clearly demonstrated. Yet much of the medical research is based on experiments using funny videos and cartoons for humor sessions. I argue that "clowning around" with elderly people brings greater benefits than laughter alone. These benefits are clearly evident, though they may not be scientifically measurable:
When the game is rooted in the patient's own imagination, thereby giving agency to a powerless individual it is many times more personal and transformative. In this article, I focus on my experiences with older adults while working with Clowns Without Borders and Risaterapia as well as on my own relationship with my grandfather. I provide a framework for why humanitarian clowning and the principles behind it can be incredibly well suited for working with the elderly.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: McMahan, Selena Clare (SC);

Affiliation: selenamcmahan(-atsign-)gmail.com

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Care management journals : Journal of case management ; The journal of long term home health care (Care Manag J), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-; vol 9 (issue 1) : pp 19-24

Dates: Created 2008/04/11; Completed 2008/04/30;

PMID: 18402154, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Humans
Laughter
Laughter Therapy
Male
Parkinson Disease - therapy
Wit and Humor as Topic

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

The life threatened child and the life enhancing clown: towards a model of therapeutic clowning. 28 Feb 2008
[A pilot project with clowns in psychiatric clinics] 29 Apr 2007
[The definition of the medical clown's role with adult patients] 30 Dec 2007
Clowning around sets patients at ease. 10 Aug 2008
[Medical clowns at hospitals and their effect on hospitalized children] 30 Dec 2007
Clown doctors as a treatment for preoperative anxiety in children: a randomized, prospective study. 29 Sep 2005
[Dysfunction in the autonomic nervous system in prematurely aging patients] 30 Dec 2006
Very old people's experience of occupational performance outside the home: possibilities and limitations. 30 May 2007
Cobo and her friends: the caring clowns. 30 Aug 2007
[Clinic clown--only one small red nose in the hospital?] 29 Sep 2007

See 100+ related articles.