News
Local couple clowns around at Lehigh Valley hospitals to help raise patient's spirits
Thursday, October 29, 2009
By Kelly Hugh
The Express-times
Sometimes a little laughter is just what the doctor ordered. That's why hospital clowns DR Bandaides and DR Stitches use gentle humor to brighten a patient's day.
"I'm a humorologist, and I specialize in smiles," said Al Beahm, who has been a hospital clown for eight years.
Beahm and his wife, Pat Silfies-Beahm, are part of Bumper "T" Caring Clowns Inc., a nonprofit organization that trains clowns in gentle humor to promote healing. The group's founder, Bumper "T," started the program 10 years ago with a few friends at Cooper Hospital in Camden. Aviva Gorstein, a member of the original group who goes by the clown name DR HuggaBubbe, said the group quickly realized its approach was something to share.
"We got such wonderful feedback that we just had to spread the word," Gorstein said.
Silfies-Beahm was trained by the caring clown organization in 2001. 
Since then she and her husband have trained more than 40 people in the Lehigh Valley to be part of the group, Disciples of Joy Clown Ally. For eight years they have brought cheer to patients at St. Luke's Hospital in Fountain Hill, Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg in Bethlehem.
"One person said to me, 'I was laying here thinking, I couldn't do anything anymore until you walked in and changed my attitude,'" said Silfies-Beahm.
Their approach is simple, without a lot of makeup or tricks. Clowns use a small toilet to "flush" patients' intravenous tubes and an enlarged stethoscope with a fake ear on the end to locate their funny bone.
"The clowns are also authorized to give 'nose transplants' to patients," said Barbara Burger, director of volunteer services at St. Luke's Hospital. "It's the only time you can get away with picking your nose in public." Burger explains patients "pick" their own rubber clown nose to wear and receive a free instant photo of their new accessory.
In some rooms, patients enjoy the clown's gentle humor, while others are just happy to have a friendly face to confide in. "Humor can calm a person down, take their mind off their illness and how they're feeling," Burger said. "It just brings a smile back to their face."
Clowns knock before entering a room and respect a patient's wishes if they don't want visitors.
"You have so little personal space in a hospital and everyone who comes into your room asks how you're feeling," said Silfies-Beahm. "We don't ask what's wrong; we just do what we can to lighten the mood."
Despite their costumes, both clowns take their roles seriously. Volunteers in the program must complete six weeks of training before going into a hospital.
Burger said clown training includes six hours of classroom instruction on hygiene, privacy and sensitivity in addition to orientation, observation and shadowing. After training, the clowns spend about one day a week in their scrubs and white coats visiting with patients in each hospital.
Bumper "T" Caring Clowns Inc. has established a presence in 26 hospitals throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The Beahms were trained in 2001 and have trained 40 Lehigh Valley volunteers to be hospital clowns.
"You don't have to be funny to be a clown," Silfies-Beahm said. "We find people who want to make a difference in the world and make someone else happy."
To see additional pictures of the Lehigh Valley clowns click on the following: Bandaid_etal.pdf
Bumper “T” Caring Clowns Receive New Jersey Governor’s Volunteer Award
Bumper “T” Caring Clown founder George Edwards accepts the 2008 Governor’s Volunteer Award in the Most Innovative Category on behalf of all the Caring Clowns who volunteer at Shore Memorial Hospital and hospitals throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The Bumper “T” Caring Clowns stand outside Drumthwacket, the Governor’s mansion. The Caring Clowns, a lively bunch of individuals who use gentle humor and therapeutic clowning to promote healing and well-being among patients and their family members at Shore Memorial Hospital and other hospitals in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and across the country received the 2008 Governor’s Volunteer Award in the Most Innovative category. November 14, 2008
Although they have caring hearts and a desire to help others, the similarities between Bumper “T” Caring Clowns and the hospital’s regular volunteers end there. The Bumper “T” Caring Clowns are a lively bunch of individuals whose main goal is using gentle humor and therapeutic clowning to promote healing and well-being in patients, family members and employees.
The Bumper “T” Caring Clowns recently received the 2008 Governor’s Volunteer Award in the Most Innovative category. This award recognizes an individual or group that applies non-traditional and innovative approaches that significantly enhance volunteerism and that can be replicated and adapted by other agencies. In addition to the eight New Jersey hospitals serviced by Bumper “T” Caring Clowns, volunteers can also be found at numerous hospital across the nation.
Bumper “T” Caring Clown founder George Edwards has been sharing the medicine of laughter for 30 years. He accepted the award on behalf of all the individuals who volunteer their time as a Caring Clown. He encourages anyone interested in clowning to participate in the program and not to be intimidated by the aspect of being funny or feeling obligated to joke around all the time. “You don’t have to be funny. You just have to be yourself,” he says.
In order to become a Bumper T Caring Clown, individuals undergo a training period where they learn special sensitivity training for working in a hospital setting and how to be good listeners. Graduates of the program receive their honorary degrees as funnyboneologists and a new clown name. To become a Bumper T Caring Clown go to the Volunteering section under "Contact Us."