![\"Dementia](\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/04\/Dementia-and-Improv-350x293.png\")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nIt seems a strange combination at first. Dementia and improv? What does the loss of memory have to do with the type of comedy based on making things up on the spot? <\/span><\/p>\n It turns out, quite a bit. In recent years people have discovered that the combination of dementia and improv can prove really helpful for both seniors and caregivers. Many of the features that define improv comedy can be put to good use when dealing with loved ones struggling with Alzheimer\u2019s and other forms of dementia. <\/span><\/p>\n Improv is a form of comedy based on improvisation. The goal is for everyone in a troupe to play off of each other in ways that are supportive and make it easy for the other people to continue the scene (ideally while always being funny).<\/span><\/p>\n To help people internalize the best methods for keeping a scene going and supporting your fellow troupe members, comedians have developed several <\/span>rules of improv<\/a><\/strong>. Here\u2019s a taste of some of the most important:<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe as you read through that list you started to gain some idea of how improv tenets can be applied to working with dementia patients. <\/span><\/p>\n Patients with Alzheimer\u2019s and their family members are often told that they should work to keep their minds active, but knowing just how to do that proves challenging. A growing number of organizations and assisted living facilities have seen the potential in improv rules to both help dementia patients keep their minds active, and give them some time off from feeling the effects of the disease. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A lot of it comes back to the importance of focusing on the <\/span>\u201chere and now.\u201d<\/a><\/strong> When you think about it, we spend so many moments in life focused on the future or the past. For someone struggling with memory issues, being given a space to be fully in the present is a gift. <\/span><\/p>\n Improv provides seniors with an opportunity to be creative, have fun, and do it all in a fairly pressure-free environment. They may not remember the fun they had afterwards (although family members can make a habit of reminding them to give them a chance to relive it), but in the moment they get to enjoy some carefree entertainment.<\/span><\/p>\n Improv won\u2019t help slow the progress of the disease or reduce its effects (at least we don\u2019t have any evidence that it does), but as long as we don\u2019t have a cure for Alzheimer\u2019s, the best thing caregivers and loved ones can do is work to make every day someone lives with the disease as good as it can be, in spite of the difficulties. Researchers have found <\/span>evidence that improv does actually help with that<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking of living with the disease, patients aren\u2019t the only ones dealing with the symptoms of Alzheimer\u2019s every single day. \u00a0Caregivers and other loved ones are challenged on a regular basis with situations that are hard to manage effectively. Over time, caregivers learn tips and techniques for responding to their loved ones\u2019 confusion and fits in ways that (hopefully) manage to minimize how upset their loved one becomes each time, and that help keep the task of caregiving from becoming too overwhelming and draining.<\/span><\/p>\n But getting to that point is hard. For most caregivers, it will feel like a nearly constant uphill battle. One woman with prior experience in improv, once she was tasked with taking care of her mother after an Alzheimer\u2019s diagnosis, realized she could put the skills she\u2019d learned from her improv comedy experience to use in communicating with her mom.<\/span><\/p>\n In an interview on <\/span>This American Life<\/a><\/strong>, Karen Stobbe describes how being an improv comedian equips you with a lot of practice stepping into someone else\u2019s world and figuring out how to play along \u2013 something many caregivers realize (often slowly and after much difficulty) helps make conversations with a loved one who has dementia<\/a><\/strong> much easier and more pleasant for all involved.<\/span><\/p>\n Click play to listen to the interview:<\/p>\nHow Improv Works<\/h2>\n
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Why It\u2019s Helpful to Dementia Patients<\/h2>\n
How It\u2019s Useful to Caregivers<\/h2>\n