It does not have to be the clown right away …
… but laughter is healthy, says an old adage. Laughter can help itself when you are not healthy, both small and large patients in hospitals as well as elderly residents of retirement homes, retirement homes and nursing homes.
Anyone who has ever been dependent on the help of others, knows from personal experience, how good it is to have friendly and laughing people around be it the nursing staff, the medical profession, the kitchen staff, the cleaning crew or the relatives. Because a good mood is well known and promotes recovery. Grumpy and arrogant people, however, spread bad mood. This is true for most life situations and for all ages. However, if you are dependent on other people, for example, as a resident of a retirement home, it is all the more desirable to be surrounded by humorous and empathy people.
Thus the laughter has many positive effects on body and soul:
• it relaxes
• releases happiness hormones
• causes stress hormones to tumble
• gives new life courage
• makes you happy for a moment
• strengthens the immune system
• reduces the sensation of pain
Even everyday situations can be better mastered with humor, be it with:
• the morning wash
• while dressing
• when mobilizing
• when storing
• during patient transport
That’s how it became in the mid-1980s in the US. born the idea of the clinic clowns. But while hospital clowns have already established themselves on pediatric ward in hospitals in Germany sick adults have in clinics or palliative care as well as old people in the various institutions in Germany rarely such humorous encounters. Clowns as a door opener, which brighten the mood on the stations, are still welcome guests – even among the adults. Because they do not have to do much, just have to be there and give time, a gift that is becoming rarer in our fast-paced times. During the clown visit, the artists motivate seniors in a humorous way to get involved and thus use their existing resources. The goal is to master everyday life by laughing together, even if the major problems in nursing persist.
