Dear Ruth, this is Jean-Paul Bell
‘Humour therapy’ comedian, Jean-Paul Bell, was featured on ABC TV’s Compass program recently, and is now searching for an Adelaide woman named Ruth to take up her kind offer of lunch with her and her ninety-year-old mum with dementia!
Above: Jean-Paul does a double act with a resident, Norma.
By Keryn Curtis
Comedian, Jean-Paul Bell has touched the hearts of hundreds of Australians in the last few years with his work with people with dementia, but now his work has captured national and international attention.
A documentary program aired on ABC TV’s Compass Program on 4 March poignantly showed the extraordinary impact that ‘humour therapy’ can have on the lives of people with dementia in residential aged care facilities. [View a trailer for the documentary here.]
The Compass program centred around the SMILE study (Sydney Multisite Intervention of LaughterBosses and ElderClowns) – a project of the Dementia Collaborative Research Centre (DCRC) based at the University of New South Wales and led by DCRC director, Professor Henry Brodaty. The study rigorously tested an intervention of humour therapy in residential aged care facilities, finding a 20 per cent reduction in agitation compared to a control group which did not receive the intervention.
The airing of the program led to a flood of fan mail to Bell’s Arts Health Institute – an organisation established late last year to help raise money for education and training of artists and healthcare workers to deliver the specially tailored humour therapy, under the name Play Up, to aged care facilities around the nation.
It also led to a second wave of comments to AAA’s own story about the SMILE study, published back in September last year, as inspired viewers hit their internet browsers. As some of these comments were direct messages to Jean-Paul himself, AAA alerted the Arts Health Institute so Jean-Paul could respond. He did – also via the comments field on AAA’s story.
That was over a week ago but one comment, from a woman named Ruth in Adelaide, keeps plaguing Jean-Paul. The message reads:
Dear Jean-Paul,
I have just watched an amazing program on Compass on the work you are doing. You are a very special person, but I’m sure you know that. Very few are as gifted as you are with empathy for dementia sufferers. I send you huge hugs and would wish with all my heart that if you are in Adelaide at any time you would allow me to have you as my guest at a lunch at my home. My dear 90 year old Mum has dementia, but the best kind apparently, I guess this is why the program touched me so much. Well done isn’t good enough, Bravo and encore, encore. I’m so pleased I saw what you are doing.
Posted by Ruth. 04/03/2012 07:37:14 PM
Now Jean-Paul has decided he wants to take Ruth up on her offer but, alas, the AAA website comments system does not retain the email addresses of people who leave comments, after they have been approved. So the search is on to find the elusive Ruth.
“Comedian wishes to engage with interesting elder,” quips Bell, as we discuss potential ways of tracking Ruth down. But he’s serious about the hunt.
“It is such a lovely comment,” he says. “It sounds like she has a very interesting mother and I’m intrigued by the fact that she has such a positive view on her mother developing dementia.
“Not every story is a tragic one. People adapt to all kinds of illnesses whether physical or mental. And Ruth has such an amazing attitude – I’d really love to meet up with her and her mother,” said Bell.
And because a joke is never far from the comedian’s lips, he’s already thinking about the menu. “Sheep’s brains might be good. All that goodness…you know this could be the first speed-dating event for anybody over ninety. But maybe it will be a slower version of speed dating, a not-so-speedy date…”
Bell says they have had some inquiries about taking the Play Up program to Adelaide and it is something the Arts Health Institute would like to investigate.
“Maybe this is the time! Especially if I can have lunch with Ruth and her ninety-year-old mum. Maybe an airline will even fly me down!”
Can you help?
If you think you may know who this Ruth is and can help Jean-Paul Bell to get in touch, please contact Dr Maggie Haertsch at the Arts Health Institute on 02 4927 5400 or by email: maggie.haertsch@artshealthinstitute.org.au
