Clowning around with the Elderflowers
They say laughter is the best medicine. For more than 21 years, Hearts & Minds has been using therapeutic clowning to make meaningful human connections.
While Clowndoctors visit children in hospital, hospice care and schools, Elderflowers bring moments of lightness and joy to people living with dementia and their carers.
As part of a recent edition of Age Scotland's Advantage magazine, Artistic Director, Suzie Ferguson told us about the valuable work of the Elderflowers and the new workshops for carers.
Our Elderflowers are trained professionals who work as a family of siblings and cousins wearing clothes harking back to a previous generation.
Through improvisation, song and play they celebrate the humanity of each person they meet, finding and connecting with their unique vital spark.
We run training throughout the year to develop new techniques for our artists, and work closely with healthcare staff so we can tailor our visits for individuals.
Rachel Colles, a Senior Practitioner and “Blossom Elderflower”, explains how it feels:
“Being an Elderflower is a real privilege, being able to connect and share humour, fun, joy and beauty with people who have lived full and amazing lives but now may find it hard to communicate or engage.
“It is a very special feeling when you have found a way to connect with someone who may have been subdued and withdrawn when you arrive, to look for that little key into their world and if you find it, to try and grow the connection to find pleasure and engagement. This can happen in big or very small ways.
“Someone quietly tapping their feet or fingers, eye contact, lifting their head, holding your hand or arms wide, up and dancing, laughing! To have the opportunity to walk into a room as Blossom Elderflower and see someone lift their head, have a huge smile, open their arms and say, ‘Oh, it’s you’ is one of the best things in my life.
“A lady we visited very recently said to Blossom....’You make us all happy’, what more could you want in a job than that!”
Caring for carers
While delivering the Elderflower Programme we recognised that a lot of people caring for loved ones with dementia at home were feeling isolated and finding it difficult to cope.
Working closely with carer organisations we developed informal, practical and fun workshops run by our experienced artists. Their approach is person-led, with creative play always at its heart.
The aim is to help carers play, cope and care by improving how they communicate with the person they care for, enjoying moments of lightness and fun as an outlet, and building their resilience and coping abilities.
For more information on the Elderflower Programme or the Workshops for Carers visit www.heartsminds.org.uk or email at info@heartsminds.org.uk
