Clown Doctors Singapore bring fun & happiness to children in hospitals and support senior citizens' health, by implementing compassion and humour therapy in the Healthcare system. (CDS) is a registered charity, and is the ONLY organisation in Singapore to provide professionally trained medical clowns to local healthcare facilities, for their pediatric, geriatric and palliative care patients. Our m
edical clowns are not birthday clowns or circus clowns. They are also not medical professionals but performing artists such as actors, musicians, family entertainers, drama teachers and/or health practitioners who train in the special arts of Medical Clowning. They parody real doctors and their medical routine (thus the brand and name, Clown Doctors) to create and provide THERAPEUTIC HUMOUR. Our medical clowns are academically trained by the world’s first and only specialised academic education in Medical Clowning by the International Institute of Medical Clowning (IIMC), at Steinbeis University Berlin. Their internationally recognised education programme includes 500 hours of performing arts, medicine & health science, psychology, social science, cultural studies as well as spirituality & compassion, in addition to 300 hours of supervised practical work at the hospitals. Medical clowns are part of a holistic care system where we positively transform patient experience as well as the hospital atmosphere. We interact with our patients as a pair and on a personal level in an intimate setting by their beds. We do NOT perform or put up shows. Our aim is to provide a positive atmosphere at a time and place where patients and their families most need an emotional boost. Our medical clowns attend specifically to the psycho-social needs of our patients by providing therapy in addition to entertainment, using techniques such as acting, pantomime, music, storytelling, and other artistic skills to EMPOWER our patients. This helps them deal with a range of emotions they may experience in a hospital; fear, anxiety, stress, loneliness, isolation, boredom...
We also distract patients from and demystify painful or frightening procedures. Using fun and laughter, we help children adapt to their hospital surroundings, provide motivation for physical therapy, help both kids and the elderly forget about their illness and stress. Within the first year of operations, Clown Doctors Singapore brought smiles to more than 15,000 patients, family members and hospital staff in 5 hospitals (NUH, KKH, TTSH, CGH and St. Our visits to hospitals have proven to help patients with the positive power of hope and humor, and an associated positive benefit to the staff and families of patients. Just like hand washing is for general hygiene, medical clowning is mental and psychological hygiene for all, especially for the most vulnerable in our society: children and elderly in hospitals. The Clown Doctors Singapore is a Public Company Ltd. and Registered Charity (UEN 201414306K). We provide a unique and high quality service in Medical Clowning on an ongoing basis for the hospitals, elder care facilities, hospices, non-profit and voluntary organisations, as well as for benevolent social initiatives
This heartfelt initiative was co-founded in May 2014 by:
* Professor Thomas Petschner, founder and director of Institute for Integrated Diagnostics and International Institute for Medical Clowning at Steinbeis University Berlin. He is also founder and CEO of:
- Clown Doctors New Zealand
- Clown Doctors Asia-Pacific, Humour for Health Alliance
- Clown Doctors Relief & Recovery Team, First responders specialised in psychological support for work in crisis situations and disaster zones. He currently serves at CD Singapore as CEO and board member.
* Mr CY Cheong, entrepreneur and a founding sponsor. He was acting Managing Director until November 2015.
* Ms Eliane Stadelmann-Boving, a former registered nurse. She was serving in the role of Programme Director until November 2015. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR CAUSE, AND DONATING GENEROUSLY!
