| Needs/Uniqueness - Are we
alone? Bringing live a theatre experience to
persons of limited mobility, including the hospitalized, the
institutionalized and the elderly.
Many Minnesotans enjoy a rich, full life in this cultural
center. However, this is often not experienced by the
institutionalized person. Many times, they find it difficult, at
best, to take advantage of our theatres, music halls, museums,
and special events. For a large number of these individuals, the
arts do not exist. Their world consists of their immediate
surroundings, the professional staff, a few friends, family
members, and television. The residents of our institutions
represent some of the most disadvantaged and culturally deprived
Americans.
Meeting Therapeutic Needs...
Medical professionals are firm believers in the therapeutic
value that is inherent in the Duck Soup program. It is their
opinion, and the basic philosophy of recreational therapy, that
contact with people and being in a stimulating environment is
vital to maintaining one’s orientation, and enjoying a more
stable existence.
Currently, Duck Soup is the only known professional
quality, full-time theatre group offering this kind of
recreational therapy to individuals residing in institutions and
seniors in high-rise apartments. The Duck Soup Players
literally move into an institution, transforming an ordinary
room into an intimate theatre by the use of lights, portable
sets, curtains, and sound system. The residents experience not
only an excellent arts group, but a full, well-rounded evening
of socializing contact with "outside" people (children,
teenagers, adults) and laughter. Duck Soup helps to provide
these residents with the stimulating environment that is so
vital to their mental and physical well-being.
The Therapy of Involvement...
An individual experiencing a Duck Soup show often becomes
more involved in subsequent therapeutic activities, as well as
in life itself. Taking part in a group event can evolve from the
forgetting of one’s own problems and depressions into increased
involvement with people and activities. Recreational Therapist
Bruce Rindahl of United Hospital’s Psychiatric Unit cited one
particular man that Duck Soup touched:
"One patient in particular is a good example. He was
forced into retirement two years ago having been a very
efficient employee. He found retirement very difficult to cope
with; he withdrew and eventually became depressed. His first
involvement with the therapeutic recreational program was your
show. He enjoyed it very much, and as a result started involving
himself again."
A noticeable increase in residents’ alertness and awareness
is an added benefit to increased involvement. Patients often
become very animated during a performance. They laugh, clap and
sing along. This kind of stimulation can produce a re-awakening
of spirit, a change from the norm. Residents talk about the
shows for days afterward, we have been told. They are more alert
and aware of their surroundings and of the people with whom they
live. For the institutionalized individual, Duck Soup
provides an experience that for them just might be the first
step to a healthier existence.
We believe that the family unit is vital to a healthy, happy
existence. The Duck Soup shows are often used as a family
oriented activity for hospitalized children, nursing home
patients and high-rise residents. Institutions make the shows
the center of a special "Family Night" inviting relatives and
friends and serving refreshments.
Robert Collins, of the University of Minnesota Hospitals and
Clinics, stated:
"Parents of children who are seriously ill are under a
tremendous strain. That night, as I watched the Duck Soup
Players, I saw many parental eyes wander from the stage and rest
on the face of their child. For them to see their children in a
normal childhood situation - play and fun - must do more to
relieve the strain than anything medical science could give
them."
The Therapy of Comfort...
Comfort = assurance, trust, confidence and faith. All of
these attributes are present within persons who are happy and
stable, and who exist within a well-rounded and stimulating
environment. To have that kind of existence and those kinds of
people is the aim of Duck Soup. The institutionalized
person cannot be forgotten when it comes to the arts or a
balanced environment. Duck Soup programs stimulate
comfort within these individuals.
A case in point. We received this response from Alex G. Jawny,
World War II Infantryman, as a result of one of our USO tours to
VA hospitals:
"On May 12, 1980, I had the pleasure of watching one of your
shows at the West Side Veteran’s Hospitals in Chicago, Illinois.
On the day I came to the West Side VA Hospital, I came for a
refill of all my medication, maybe a half a dozen prescriptions,
pain pills, tranquilizers, ulcer medicine and antacids. I have
chronic pain from traumatic brain damage from a piece of
shrapnel on the brain. I also have arthritis that sometimes
drives me up the wall. But after Duck Soup Players, I forgot all
my hurt and even got along without my medication for about 48
hours. That’s the first time that happened to me in 35 years.
Now that’s what I call real therapy." |
