{"id":5167,"date":"2023-08-05T18:44:48","date_gmt":"2023-08-05T18:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=5167"},"modified":"2023-08-05T18:44:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-05T18:44:49","slug":"comedians-are-being-hired-by-the-hour-to-help-dementia-patients-their-goal-a-full-belly-laugh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=5167","title":{"rendered":"Comedians Are Being Hired By The Hour to Help Dementia Patients. Their Goal? \u2018A Full Belly Laugh\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20370%20247'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-23-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-image-5168\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-23-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-23-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-23-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-23-770x403.png 770w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-23-293x153.png 293w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-23-390x204.png 390w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-23.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A tear-jerking story of a\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyholisticliving.com\/the-mother-daughter-pilot-team-breaking-the-30000-foot-glass-ceiling-together\/\" target=\"_blank\">mother and daughter<\/a>\u00a0navigating 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20370%20247'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-24.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-image-5169\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"728\" height=\"547\" src=\"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-24.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-24.png 728w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-24-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-24-293x220.png 293w, https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-24-390x293.png 390w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Amusing Success Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s memory had declined, Dani knew that getting her\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyholisticliving.com\/when-you-have-a-strong-mother-you-grow-up-to-be-a-strong-girl\/\" target=\"_blank\">mother<\/a>\u00a0into an Alzheimer\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brainstorming what she could do to help her mother, Dani looked into services at her mother\u2019s 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. &nbsp;She knew, with years of comedy experience behind her, that her mom needed some fun in her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s mother hit it off immediately, joking and giggling. Sue drew out something social in Dani\u2019s mother, and clicked with her mother\u2019s past life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over time, with Sue working formally for 10 hours a week with Dani\u2019s mother, noticeable changes were seen. Dani\u2019s mother started eating again and was more engaged with people. Even when Sue wasn\u2019t there, she was waving hello, smiling, humming, and reaching out for contact with the aides and other residents. Dani describes this turn in her\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyholisticliving.com\/buff-butlers-bring-new-spring-to-retirement-homes-step\/\" target=\"_blank\">mother\u2019s health<\/a>\u00a0and well-being as, \u201c\u2026nothing short of remarkable\u201d. (2, 3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Laughter On Call: The Best Medicine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taking her newfound respect for laughter in dementia care to the masses, Dani has established the business Laughter On Call. With the tagline \u201cCourage. One Laugh at a Time.\u201d , Dani\u2019s business can match individual dementia patient\u2019s 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)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Comedians Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The care provided by Laughter on Call is termed by researchers and healthcare professionals as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyholisticliving.com\/british-doctors-may-soon-start-prescribing-art-music-dance-and-singing-along-with-drugs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">humor therapy<\/a>. 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)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Humor therapy is believed to work among\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthyholisticliving.com\/9-popular-drugs-linked-to-dementia-and-memory-loss\/\" target=\"_blank\">dementia patients<\/a>\u00a0as 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\u2019s patient, avoid playful put-downs and keep your jokes relevant to your audience! (3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s increasing each year, there are millions of family members in America experiencing the challenges of this progressive disease. Services like Dani\u2019s will definitely be in demand and hopefully, grow to reach more dementia patients soon! \u00a0(1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthy-holistic-living.com\/comedians-are-being-hired-by-the-hour-to-help-dementia-patients-their-goal-a-full-belly-laugh\/\"><em>Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A tear-jerking story of a\u00a0mother and daughter\u00a0navigating 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mental-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5167"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5170,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5167\/revisions\/5170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}