Laughter helps dementia patients
A new study says laughter and humor therapy is as effective as the widely used antipsychotic drugs in treating agitated patients with dementia.
The study, appropriately named SMILE is the first major research carried out about the impact of humor therapy on mood, agitation, behavioral disturbances and social engagement in dementia patients.
Conducted by University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers, the trial included about 400 elderly people in 36 Australian residential aged care facilities.
A staff member in each facility was trained to act as a "Laughter Boss" and work with a humor practitioner who had comedic and improvisation skills. They provided humorous conditions for half of the study participants.
Famous Australian "humor therapist" Jean-Paul Bell, who has co-founded the Humour Foundation was also involved in the study. He was originally a clown doctor working with patients in children’s hospitals.
After three months, dementia patients who received humor therapy showed a 20 percent reduction in agitation, which is comparable to the results seen with antipsychotic drug.
Those who received lighter therapy experienced none of the common side effects of taking antipsychotic medications.
Agitation also remained in laughter therapy group up to 26 weeks after the therapy ended.
Both positive behavior and happiness increased during the therapy when the humor practitioners visited the patients, but declined after the visits ended.
"Twenty percent sounds like a small effect but it’s about the same amount, the same effect as you would get if you gave them an antipsychotic medication -- medication you would use to treat schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder," said senior researcher Lee-Fay Low.
Dementia patients were not the only ones who benefited from humor therapy.
”The staff were invigorated, they felt that their jobs were enhanced,” said therapist Joanne Rodrigues. ”They were part of something that they could see the real benefits (of).”
Source: presstv.ir
