It doesn’t matter if you love puns, bawdy stories or knock knock jokes, humor is the universal equalizer. It can diffuse a tense situation and binds family and friends together.

Our Certified Home Health Aides and Aging Life Care Advisor™/Care Managers understand the importance of connection and how shared laughter is a great way to connect with their clients. They also understand how important laughter is to our health.

Studies have shown that laughter has both short-term and long-term health benefits. In the short term, laughter brings physical changes to your body through the intake of oxygen-rich-air. A belly laugh can increase and decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. It can stimulate circulation and muscle relaxation, which can help reduce stress.

In the long term, it can help improve your immune system, relieve pain, make it easier to get through tough situations and can lessen depression and anxiety. You can see why cultivating laughter in your elder’s life can help their physical and mental health.

Finding moments of shared laughter with your elder is easy. Start with a conversation about their favorite comedians and then look them up on YouTube. But don’t stop there. Ask them how old they were and what was going on in their life when this person was famous. You may be surprised by the stories you hear!

Growing older is a common experience and a great way to connect. You can find ways to laugh at the changes growing older brings through personal stories and funny experiences. Keep the humor clean and not harmful. Bob Hope was the master of this type of humor.

“You know you’re getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.”

Bob Hope

Laughter is just as important for people living with dementia and their families. Laughter therapy is the latest alternative in dementia care and is very effective. An Australian study of humor reported that laughter therapy was as effective as antipsychotics in reducing agitation. Keep in mind that stand-up humor doesn’t work, while interactive storytelling, songs and silly props which engage people do work. The positive mood can last long after the person living with dementia has forgotten the reason they feel so good.

With shared laughter at the core of good relationships, we at Springpoint at Home know how important it is to learn about your elder’s history and family stories. These insights help us form a connection and offer us opportunities to engage in ways that are fun and meaningful. In doing so, we support your elder in the best way possible for them, and for you.

For more information about Springpoint at Home and its services, please call: 844-724-1777.