Bowral GP Peter Spitzer is responsible for bringing laughter to the wards of aged care facilities across the country.
As the creator of the Laughter Boss program, Dr Spitzer has equipped hundreds of staff members with the skills to introduce humour and laughter into their workplaces over the past decade.
The good doctor is in Wollongong this Friday to conduct a workshop at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus.
The workshops focus on the healing power of humour and show participants how through the use of props, word play, music and other strategies, they can engage more effectively with their elderly patients.
Dr Spitzer is no stranger to introducing laughter to care settings. He’s the co-founder of national charity The Humour Foundation which developed the Clown Doctor program which runs in hospitals across Australia.
Then came the Elder Clown program, whereby highly skilled professional performers are trained by The Humour Foundation to work in aged care and dementia facilities. That led to the establishment of the Laughter Boss program in 2003.
“The idea of this program was, rather than training professional performers to introduce humour and lightness and play into an aged care facility, why not teach the health care staff at that facility the art of delivering it,” Dr Spitzer said.
“Then rather than a one-off performance, staff could introduce a little bit of mischief and play whenever the opportunity presented itself.”
The program has proved successful, bringing smiles and laughter to residents, peace of mind for their families, and a higher level of satisfaction for the staff themselves.
Staff like Josie Peacock, a diversional therapist at Harbison Care in Bowral. Ms Peacock initially did the training 10 years ago and said she’s used its teachings in her job ever since.
“Now I’m always looking for opportunities where I can grab a laugh, a smile, a giggle or some sort of interaction with a patient,” she said.
“It’s not always about getting roaring laughter – it might even just be about moving someone to a better space to put them more at ease and reduce their tension.”
Reactions can range, but Ms Peacock said she’s never received a negative reaction for any of her attempts at humour – which may involve playing dress-up, using a prop like a puppet or even just making a funny face.
“For instance, one day I put some silly costume on and one of the patients said ‘You look ridiculous’ with a smirk on her face,” Ms Peacock said.
“That might not sound like the best reaction unless you knew that that particular patient has dementia and has not spoken a word to anyone in months.
“That day I managed to connect with her in some way and that’s all that matters.”
To register for the workshop with the Australian Journal of Dementia Care and NSW/ACT Dementia Training Study Centre, go here.
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