Earlier this month the residents of Sunridge Gardens enjoyed a comedy ventriloquist show called “Senior Moments” performed by a lady named Wendy Stuart and her co-stars, Henry and Molly!
Her ventriloquist act was very entertaining because she is an actress, and plays different characters with her puppets. In this show she plays a granny named Helga, as well as a nurse. The puppets featured in this show are Helga’s bratty “granddaughter” Molly and Grandpa Henry. This entertaining comedy show had our residents laughing and after the show Wendy and Molly got to know our residents a little better by shaking hands and giving kisses.
There are many studies that have shown that laughing and humour can act as very powerful medicine for issues that many seniors face such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Laughing also causes a number of positive physiological responses in the body such as releasing endorphin’s, stimulating the immune system, reducing stress, and receiving muscle tension.
In a recent study by Dr. Jean-Paul Bell of Australia’s Arts Health Institute, staff at a seniors’ residence tracked the effects of live comedy on residents who suffered from various types of dementia. For 4 months Dr. Bell, along with a group of others, organized activities that were humorous, such as inviting comedians to perform, playing games with residents and performing funny skits for them. During the four months, staff at the seniors’ residence noticed that residents seemed happier and more positive. Also, aggressive behaviours decreased for roughly 26 weeks after the program had been completed!
We’re so happy that Wendy Stuart was able to come and perform at Sunridge Gardens and apart from everyone having a great time, there were likely some health benefits experienced by many of the residents as well. We look forward to having Wendy join us again soon.
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