Dr. Clown Foundation celebrating life in Montreal palliative care units

Making meaningful connections, providing friendship and comfort, the Dr. Clown Foundation has been doing this for hospitalized patients of all ages and seniors in long-term care facilities since 2002 — and now they’re also celebrating life with palliative care patients in Montreal.

“Bringing joy and laughter and lightness,” said Melissa Holland, Co-Artistic Director & Co-Founder, Dr. Clown Foundation. “To people who are going through a difficult time.”

“Our goal is really to accompany the people wherever they’re at,” explained Holland. “In openness and with joy if they’re ready to receive it.”

Among the thousands of patients the Quebec charitable organization visits per year, they say they’ve also met people in palliative care, which includes end-of-life care. Here they realized that a special approach was needed to visit with these people — that’s why this new initiative was created.

“How could we address certain needs that they have,” said Holland. “And for their families.”

After every knock on a patient’s door, they sense the room’s mood, see if a visit would be appropriate, and adapt their interactions to the physical and psychological state of the individual.

This is part of the special training their almost 50 professional therapeutic artists undergo.

“They are a nice easy presence,” said Dr. Golda Tradounsky, Team Leader, Palliative Care Services, Mount Sinaï Hospital. “It’s not scary, it brings a smile.”

“It brings them outside of their usual thought pattern so that they can have something else on their mind even if it’s for a brief instant,” she added. “They look forward to seeing them again the following week.”

“You just feel a certain privilege,” said Holland, explaining how she feels after exiting one of the patient’s room from a palliative care unit. “It’s a special moment in people’s lives when they’re passing on and so every minute counts, every moment is precious.”

“To welcome us and to invite us into that moment,” she added. “Is a special privilege.”

Their costumes, different in this hospital setting.

Here they have little makeup and are dressed as travelers, a metaphor that they’re accompanying patients on this journey.

“The biggest life voyage I guess that we can have,” said Holland.

The Foundation said that this clown intervention in a palliative care context “can make a big difference.”

Creating special moments.

“When you’re in the end-of-life stage,” said Holland. “Life is still there.”