SMILE: a randomized controlled trial of humour therapy in residential care: the Sydney Multisite Intervention of LaughterBosses and ElderClowns
Key Objective
The aim of the SMILE trial is to examine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of humour therapy on mood, social engagement, and agitation in residents of aged care facilities
In a multi-site blinded cluster-randomised controlled design, 406 residents in 36 Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF), stratified by size and level of care, were allocated to a humour therapy program or a standard care control. The intervention comprised training RACF staff in strategies for incorporating humour into daily routines, plus a professional performer engaging residents in humorous activities (e.g. music, mime) in a minimum of nine 2-hour humour therapy sessions over a 12 week period.
CHERE’s role will be to assess the costs and cost-effectiveness of the intervention relative to usual care. Data collection is complete and data cleaning and preliminary analysis is underway. A protocol paper has been prepared.
Funding source
NHMRC Project Grant
CHERE staff
Marion Haas, Richard Norman
Collaborators
Belinda Goodenough1 Lee-Fay Low1 Anne-Nicole Casey1 Lynn Chenoweth2,3 Richard Fleming4 Peter Spitzer5 Jean-Paul Bell6 Henry Brodaty1
1. Dementia Collaborative Research Centre, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
2. Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
3. South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
4. University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
5. Humour Foundation
