Playfully engaging people living with dementia: searching for Yum Cha moments

Abstract

In the absence of a cure for dementia, there is an increasing recognition of the need to develop approaches that address its key impacts of social isolation, depressed mood, and quality of life. In response to these issues, a three-year research project entitled Playful Engagement and Dementia: assessing the efficacy of applied theatre practices for people with dementia in residential aged care facilities was developed in partnership with Wesley Mission Brisbane. The paper reports on data collected within the pilot phase of this project, offering an analysis of the play vocabularies used by two applied theatre artists who interacted, using a relational clowning approach, with 17 residents with mid-to late-stage dementia. The analysis, based on two complementary frameworks, reveals useful insights into the key features of the approach, noting those that were effective in generating 'moments' of engagement and mutual recognition. How the applied theatre artists spontaneously, reflexively, and sensitively applied these vocabularies, tailoring them to each individual's play preferences, interests, and stage of dementia is also examined.

Presence redefined: The reciprocal nature of engagement between elder-clowns and persons with dementia

“…as well as grins and the wild waving of arms. In this regard, the clowns moved away from a focus on explicit humour to what they themselves described as the 'funness' of playful engagement (see also Dunn et al, 2013).…”

“…This was apparent with Frank whose reminiscent lyrical storying of deli meats met with the clowns’ increasingly excited, higher pitched shouts of ‘pastrami!’ as well as grins and the wild waving of arms. In this regard, the clowns moved away from a focus on explicit humour to what they themselves described as the ‘funness’ of playful engagement (see also Dunn et al., 2013).…”

Engaging people with dementia in designing playful and creative practices: Co-design or co-creation?

“…For instance, Anderiesen, Scherder, Goossens, Visch, and Eggermont (2015), in looking at the kinds of play experiences that are appropriate for people across the different stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, developed guidelines for the experience of play in this situation. Dunn et al. (2013), Treadaway, Kenning, and Coleman (2015) and Tsekleves, Bingley, Escalante, and Gradinar (2015) have found that fun and playful activities are important ways of working with people with dementia, and this can enhance positive emotions, and promote social inclusion.…”

Humor in the elderly with dementia: Development and initial validation of a behavioral observation system

“…Apart from a wide range of anecdotal evidence (Hawkins and Graff-Radford 2007;Bischofberger 2007), this is also true for humor interventions for the elderly with dementia (EWD). Researchers taking field notes or recording interactions during such interventions, emphasize the importance of a friendly, empathetic, playful and soft encounter (Dunn et al 2013), highlight the "reciprocal nature of Clown-resident engagement" (Kontos et al 2015) and assume that "active participation by people with dementia (PWD) in performing to create laughter is more beneficial therapeutically than passively induced laughter" (Stevens 2012). Several studies have also focused on conversational humor and its functions in general (e.g., Hay 2001;Gironzetti et al 2016).…”