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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of humor therapy in residential care the Sydney Multisite Intervention of LaughterBosses and ElderClowns (SMILE) | Author(s) | Belinda Goodenough, Lee-Fay Low, Anne-Nicole Casey |
Journal title | International Psychogeriatrics, vol 24, no 12, December 2012 |
Pages | pp 2037-2044 |
Source | journals.cambridge.org/ipg |
Keywords | Jokes [humour] ; Psychiatric treatment ; Therapy ; Residents [care homes] ; Care homes ; Clinical surveys ; Australia. |
Annotation | Humour therapy is a non-pharmacological intervention with potential to improve mood and quality of life for institutionalised older people, including those with dementia. The Sydney Multisite Intervention of LaughterBosses and ElderClowns (SMILE) is the first large rigorous study of humour therapy in aged care, its primary aim being to examine the effects of humour therapy on residents' mood, quality of life, social engagement, and agitation. SMILE is a single-blinded cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) where 398 consented residents in 35 residential aged care facilities will be allocated to receive humour therapy or usual care. Residents allocated to the intervention group will engage in humour therapy with professional performers (ElderClowns) and trained facility staff (LaughterBosses) for a minimum of nine two-hour sessions over 12 weeks, as well as engaging humorously with LaughterBosses during the course of daily care. The usual care control group will not engage in any formal humour therapy. Researchers, blind to treatment allocation, will assess residents at baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 13), and follow-up (week 26). The measurement suite includes the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, the Dementia Quality of Life Scale, the Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects, the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Observations of residents' engagement will be recorded at each humour therapy session. |
Accession Number | CPA-121116212 A |
Classmark | HKG: LP: LO: KX: KW: 3G: 7YA |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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