Laughter – the best medicine!
For the ranchers living in an intergenerational household, laughter was an essential ingredient requiring frequent doses. For best results, we applied liberally!
Mother and Dad both retained their sense of humor to their final days. The household was often filled with laughter – especially during the years in which Mother helped to care for Dad – a reversal of roles from what we had anticipated at the time of her diagnosis.
The Side Effects of Humor Therapy
In this new study on “Laughter,” Dr. Lee-Fay Low, the Study Author, discusses evidence that laughter is the best medicine. The three-year study on humor therapy was conducted in 36 facilities in Sydney, Australia.
The results provide evidence that laughter is as important as anti-psychosis drugs in treating agitation in people living with dementia.
We have potential to keep playing – and laughing – until our final breath!
To humanize the culture of dementia care, we need to rely less on big pharma. Instead, bring out the laughter therapists and humor practitioners.
The side effects? It was my personal observation that this therapy often led to sublimity. But that was the amazing spirit of my mother who often demonstrated a playful, even lyrical quality, in this most challenging life stage.
Posted by: Susan Troyer
