Humor and laughter in health promotion: a clown insertion experience in the family health strategy

摘要

Working with different forms of artistic and cultural expressions has been considered a form of health intervention to enhance the understanding and thinking about the needs in this field. A group of clown doctors conducted home visits for eight months to ten families located in micro areas of two family health teams. The practice aimed at expanding the solvability of the care given to people and to communities through the intense proximity established by the art of clownery. The idea consisted of making interventions in the homes of socially vulnerable families indicated by the family health teams using joy, humor, and laughter to stimulate reflections on the daily problems. The presence of a€?clown doctorsa€? in the houses built strong and free bonds with the families and enhanced the humanized and comprehensive care within the context of family health strategy. Clowns and families found a special way to find possible solutions to the difficulties faced on a daily basis. Male and female clowns were able to manage new subjective constructions for each family to deal with everyday situations.