A tear-jerking story of a mother and daughter navigating the ups and downs of dementia emerged from Los Angeles in September of 2019. Certainly, experiencing dementia or caring for a loved one with dementia is stressful, demanding, and even at times depressing. (1) But what sets this story apart is the unexpected happy and hilarious ending.
An Amusing Success Story
Dani Klein Modisett, author and former stand-up comedian, moved her mother cross country in 2016. Hearing from a Manhattan-based friend that her mother’s memory had declined, Dani knew that getting her mother into an Alzheimer’s care center was the right move. However, only a year after bringing her to Los Angeles, she noticed that her mom was sad and withdrawn. Then 84, her mother appeared depressed, blank, and was barely eating. Dani, for a quick moment, began to doubt her decision to uproot her mother.
Brainstorming what she could do to help her mother, Dani looked into services at her mother’s care center and private companionship from groups like the Visiting Angels. Despite these options, Dani eventually decided to bank on laughter and sought out on social media a comedian with an interest in geriatrics. She knew, with years of comedy experience behind her, that her mom needed some fun in her life.
Soon after, a retired comic by the name of Sue was connected with Dani, and came to visit at the care center. In a fantastic way, Sue and Dani’s mother hit it off immediately, joking and giggling. Sue drew out something social in Dani’s mother, and clicked with her mother’s past life.
Over time, with Sue working formally for 10 hours a week with Dani’s mother, noticeable changes were seen. Dani’s mother started eating again and was more engaged with people. Even when Sue wasn’t there, she was waving hello, smiling, humming, and reaching out for contact with the aides and other residents. Dani describes this turn in her mother’s health and well-being as, “…nothing short of remarkable”. (2, 3)
Laughter On Call: The Best Medicine
Taking her newfound respect for laughter in dementia care to the masses, Dani has established the business Laughter On Call. With the tagline “Courage. One Laugh at a Time.” , Dani’s business can match individual dementia patient’s with a comedian, provide laughter workshops to the staff at care centers, or run a large group comedy show for all residents of a care center. Currently, services are limited within California. (4)
Why Comedians Work
The care provided by Laughter on Call is termed by researchers and healthcare professionals as humor therapy. Studied around the world, humor therapy offers positive effects and lifts moods of various patients. No matter your age or illness, a good laugh from a clown, laughter boss (trained humor therapist), or comedian can help in your recovery. (3)
Humor therapy is believed to work among dementia patients as some types of laughter and social communication has persevered as their disease progresses. Though dementia patients lose cognitive function over time, drawing on their preserved ability to smile and laugh can restore a feeling of normalcy for these patients. That being said, beware that dementia patients can also be offended, easily confused, or sensitive to some jokes. If working with an Alzheimer’s patient, avoid playful put-downs and keep your jokes relevant to your audience! (3)
Undeniably, the story of Dani and her mother is relatable to many others in the United States. With the rate of one in ten people over the age of 65 years experiencing Alzheimer’s increasing each year, there are millions of family members in America experiencing the challenges of this progressive disease. Services like Dani’s will definitely be in demand and hopefully, grow to reach more dementia patients soon! (1)
