Quality care a laughing matter for paralyzed girl
April 28, 2011
Quality care a laughing matter for paralyzed girl
CALGARY — Alberta Health Services is using a fresh concept called Laughter Yoga to help patients and families at the Alberta Children’s Hospital cope with pain and stress.
This innovative approach is based on the scientific fact that the body cannot tell the difference between fake and real laughter. During a session, laughter is inspired when participants interact with childlike playfulness, laughter exercises and eye contact. Fake laughter quickly turns real, and contagious.
Sixteen-year-old Micaela and her family began using Laughter Yoga after Micaela fell seriously ill with flu and was admitted to the Alberta Children’s Hospital three years ago. Her flu later developed into meningoencephalitis — a form of meningitis with encephalitis, which is an acute inflammation of the brain. This resulted in Micaela being paralyzed.
“It was a very scary time for Micaela and our family,” says Judith, Micaela’s mother. “She was in a lot of pain and discomfort. She couldn’t communicate with us to let us know what she needed.”
With the additional help of the hospital’s therapeutic clowns, Jumpa and Sparkle, who did some Laughter Yoga with Micaela, she was able to communicate with her family and care team.
“We knew Micaela was able to understand us because she would laugh at the right moments when Jumpa and Sparkle were speaking to her,” says Judith.
Jumpa (Fif Fernandes) and Sparkle (Cheryl Oberg) are therapeutic clowns at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. The comedy duo offer Laughter Yoga sessions to patients like Micaela and their families as a way to help them manage their condition and anxiety.
“Laughter is a release,” says Fernandes. Laughing releases endorphins which help to relieve feelings of pain and starts to make a patient feel better. “It’s about breathing, too.”
For Micaela, breathing and laughing helped her to exercise her lungs and vocal muscles, and to start speaking again. She’s even created her own laugh: “crabby laughter.”
“We continue to use laughter at home to help Micaela, and even the rest of our family, feel better,” says Judith. “It’s been a great tool to help us relieve stress and make decisions for Micaela’s care that are based on rationale rather than emotions.”
On the first Thursday of every month, Fernandes and Oberg — as Jumpa and Sparkle — facilitate a laughing families program at the hospital.
Laughter Yoga — also known as Hasyayoga — was created by Indian guru Jiten Kohi. Its popularity grew thanks to an exercise routine developed by Indian physician Madan Kataria.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than 3.7 million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
- 30 -
