Patty Wooten presents ... 
Interview with Humor Therapist Judy Goldblum-Carleton
From Journal of Nursing Jocularity, Fall 1998, 8(3), pp 46-47.I met Judy Goldblum - Carlton at the 1998 conference for the American Association for Therapeutic Humor. You could feel her joy and energy from across the room. She delighted all of us with her humor, amazed us with her magic and told heart warming stories of the children she'd worked with in the hospital.
Judy is a humor therapist and perhaps the first person to ever be employed as a paid humor therapist in a hospital. In 1968, when she was a college student, Judy would volunteer at local hospitals. Her special service was to visit the kids and tell them jokes. By 1971, she had become a pulmonary function technician at UC San Francisco Medical Center. It was there that she expanded her humor service and developed a clown character named "Dr. Lollipop" who made "clown rounds" at both UCSF and San Francisco General Hospital.
Judy worked together with "Nurse Betty Pan" played by Luana Talltree. Their comical routines relaxed and calmed the children so that doctors and nurses could perform exams and procedures more efficiently. This dynamic duo was so successful that they were invited to make a movie (video programs did not exist back then). The movie - "Dr. Lollipop Meets the Otoscope" was then used extensively throughout California as part of the public health EPSD program (Early Periodic Screening and Diagnosis) This movie (now a video) is still used in hospitals and clinics around the US.
In 1989 Judy presented a proposal to the B'nai B'rith Women (now known as Jewish Women International) asking them to fund the development of a humor cart and to sponsor her work as a humor therapist in some hospital in the Baltimore area. The JWI were eager to help and notified several hospitals of the opportunity. University of Maryland Medical Center responded immediately and Judy began her career as a salaried humor therapist for the Department of Pediatrics. She makes rounds three days per week and entertains the children, their families and the staff in the pediatric oncology unit. The hospital staff was so inspired by her work, they requested a training program to help them improve their ability to create fun and laughter.
Judy developed a program called "Humorizing Medicine" promising to "hone up your bedside manner with humor". These classes are attended by pediatric residents, nurses, secretaries, child life specialists, housekeeping and is open to any hospital employee. During these sessions, she will demonstrate routines that are most likely to provoke laughter in children.
I asked her for her Top Ten suggestions:
- Kids are delighted when adults seem clumsy and inept. Try getting tangled up in the bedside curtain as you pull it back, put rubber gloves on backwards or snap them and hurt yourself.
- Words that begin with the letter "K" sound funnier. Ask the child if their name is Kelly Ketchup or Kenny Kangaroo.
- Wear something funny that will catch their attention like a button with blinking red lights, a frog clipped to your lab coat, heart pins that blink.
- Try to guess the kid's name, make up funny possibilities. Ask them how old they are and immediately ask them if they are married. Ask if someone in the room is their spouse.
- Learn to hide a small squeaker in your palm. When you poke and prod a child during a physical exam, make a squeaking sound. You can also place the squeaker in the blood pressure cuff so that it squeaks as it is pumped up (special thanks to Florence Ditlow RN of Joke Poke in NY City.
- Wear funny glasses - groucho, windshield wipers, nerd glasses, etc.
- Wear something funny on your head: a hat with a propeller, bobbing antennae that sparkle or light up.
- My favorite gag is a small thumb cap that lights up red when squeezed. You can pretend to toss the light into your mouth, chew it up and then pull it out your ear. If two people have them, you can play catch with the light. Kids are amazed by this.
- Keep a few small props in your pocket, like finger puppets or "peepers" which look like eyeballs that fit on your finger tip.
- Kids love to scare adults - they think its hilarious. You might try casually entering the room, perhaps chatting with someone and then notice the kid and leap back and act surprised. You might even prod them by saying: "Please don't say boo and scare me." Of course the kid will try this. Later when it's time for the exam you can tell the child: "Look, I'll try not to scare you if you don't scare me, okay? Deal?"
Humor Carts
Since 1990 when she began her work at University of Maryland Medical Center, the Jewish Women's International has sponsored the implementation of humor carts in more than 40 hospitals around the US. These include (in part):- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA
- Rehabilitation Center in Pittsburgh, PA
- Phoenix Children's Hospital in Phoenix, AZ
- Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, IA
- Columbia Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, KS
- Metro Health in Cleveland, OH
- Bellin Hospital in Green Bay, WI
- Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA
- Northridge Hospital in Northridge, CA
- Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX
- and many more.
Judy is an inspiration to all of us who are eager to bring the healing power of laughter to people who are sick or suffering. She has a selection of toys, props and videos for sale and can arrange a "Humorizing Medicine" program at your facility when requested. Thank you Judy for your pioneering efforts, you are living proof that our dreams and ideas can become a reality.
Judy Goldblum-Carlton
8857 Youngsea Pl.
Columbia, MD 21045
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This article was originally published in "Jest for the Health of It", a regular feature in the Journal of Nursing Jocularity.
Feature columnist Patty Wooten, BSN, is also a past President of the American Association for Therapeutic Humor, author of two books related to humor, and a national speaker presenting on the benefits of humor.
