Thursday 28 March 2013

The Smile Within – a film about an important study on dementia care

The Smile Within ... Trailer


This heart-warming film provides a fascinating insight into how life can be improved in aged care facilities and shows we don't stop living, till we stop breathing*. (*Jean-Paul Bell) The Arts Health Institute in Australia is now implementing this important research in residential aged care facilities. This program is called "Play Up".

The primary aim of the study* was to examine the effects of humour therapy on mood, social engagement, agitation and quality of life. The study is a multi-site blinded cluster-randomised controlled design with 406 residents in 36 Residential Aged Care Facilities in Sydney, Australia. There were 18 intervention sites. Each resident in the study had an average of 10 visits from the humour practitioner. There were more than 180 visits to the facilities and 1741 occasions of humour therapy. Of the five performers, Jean-Paul Bell delivered 88% of the humour intervention.

The primary aim of the SMILE study was to examine the effects of humour therapy on mood, social engagement and agitation. This 40 minute film documents the study, and follows comedian Jean-Paul Bell as he delivers the humour intervention to residents in aged care facilities.

We also meet staff from the aged care sector, family members of the residents and the academics and researchers who initiated and ran the study, Professor Henry Brodaty, Dr Lee-Fay Low and Dr Belinda Goodenough.

*The Sydney Multisite Intervention of LaughterBosses and Elderclowns (SMILE) Study is the world’s first high quality large scale research project that examined the effects of humour therapy on older people with dementia. SMILE study was initiated by Professor Henry Brodaty and Dr Peter Spitzer.

(Source:  Alzheimer's Australia News, posted by Michelle, 8 February 2013)

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