Walking the memory bridge: How ‘elder clowns’ work with seniors to help improve memory and communication

Since 2002 clowns, who are one of the primary exponents of therapeutic humor, have been working with seniors in aged and dementia care.In addition to the general benefits of therapeutic humour, initial research conducted in Canada, as part of Fools For Health's Down Memory Lane project (supported in part by a grant from The Ontario Trillium Foundation), suggests that clowns may help seniors with dementia connect to their immediate surroundings, recognize family members, remember the past, improve cognitive functioning, and communication skills.This research also suggests that clowns working in aged and dementia care may help increase the quality of life for seniors, their families, and for the healthcare staff who work with them.This article describes the work of clowns with seniors with particular emphasis on Fools For Health's Down Memory Lane project, which involved work with seniors with dementia.It also looks at some recent developments in the field of clowning with seniors and provides a brief overview of the practice and 'successes' of this work.