Clowning the elderly : What litterature says
Résumé
Interventions by clowns with an elderly public have become a field of study over the last twenty years. This paper presents the current state of knowledge on the modalities and effects of this type of intervention.Method - We conducted a literature search using the search equation "*clown* AND (elder* or aged or geriatric or senior) NOT child*" for the title, abstract, or subject terms. Research conducted on databases and search engines: PsychINFO, Medline, PubMed, PubPsych and Pascal & Francis, in the English and French literature without date limitation. Results - With people having cognitive and/or behavioural disorders, clown interventions are apparently effective in reducing agitation, aggression, and withdrawal, and an improvement in quality of life. In palliative care services, the poetic and offbeat aspect of the clown facilitates self-expression, and humour allows the person at the end of life to be recognised as a human being. Literature on clowns working in a therapeutic setting analyses either the effect of humour or the relational qualities of the clown. This summary of literature proposes a state of the art on the interventions of clowns with an elderly public, taking into consideration all the characteristics and possible effects of this practice. Thus, we will begin with a description of clowns’ interventions and the specificity of those intervening for the elderly. We will then divide our discussion according to the different targets of the interventions: people with cognitive disorders and palliative care. Next, we will focus on the studies about clowns themselves. If most of the studies show positive effects of the clown, almost all mention methodological difficulties. Moreover, the studies take into account one of the characteristics of the clown and never the clown as a whole. Furthermore, it will be interesting to observe this practice in a non-institutional context.
Domaines
Psychologie
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