Ch’ti Clown

Association: Ch’ti Clown

Supported Project: Aging Well with Clowns in Palliative Care

For over 15 years, the Ch’tiClown Association has been working to put people back at the heart of care, working with the most vulnerable populations in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and residential care homes. Through the intervention of clowns trained in palliative care, the association strives to improve the emotional, relational, and social well-being of dependent elderly people, while also supporting care teams and their families.

Our Foundation is pleased to support one of their projects, "Aging Well with Clowns in Palliative Care."

What does the project involve?

This project involves the implementation of regular clown interventions in palliative care for elderly people with Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairments at the Les Provinces du Nord nursing home.

Through an approach based on compassionate improvisation, active listening, and respect for individual differences, the clowns will work directly with the residents, closely engaging with their daily lives. Each encounter will be designed as a special moment, fostering the expression of emotions, non-verbal communication, and reconnection with others.

The project will also target caregivers (both professionals and family members) by offering specific workshops designed to provide them with appropriate relational tools to facilitate communication with elderly individuals experiencing dependency.

An Integrated Approach to the Residents' Life Project

Interventions will be conducted in close collaboration with the care teams and will be fully integrated into the facility's life project. The clowns will work across different departments, adopting a holistic and non-pharmacological approach to care.

Written reports, prepared after each intervention, will be shared with the teams to provide additional insight into the residents and to inform professional practices.

Expected Outcomes

• To promote the emotional well-being of dependent elderly individuals, particularly those with cognitive impairments.

• To combat social isolation and the breakdown of relationships associated with old age, illness, or disability.

• To maintain and restore appropriate forms of communication, even when verbal language is impaired.

• To support caregivers, both professional and family, by providing them with practical relational tools.

• To foster a positive dynamic within the care teams and contribute to improving the quality of work life.

➤ By supporting this project, our Foundation reaffirms its commitment to innovative and humane initiatives that place relationships, emotions and the dignity of seniors at the heart of support, while strengthening ties between residents, caregivers and professionals.