Bringing a breath of lightness, joy, and laughter to seniors and people living with dementia.

The Joy Family is a family of professional comedic performers who are trained to work in healthcare environments and with vulnerable populations. Our engaging characters use improvisation, physical comedy, music, and magic to connect with their audience and bring focus to each unique interaction.

Our visits transform the care environment and offer an opportunity for patients, families, and staff to surprise themselves, interacting with the characters and with each other in new ways. The Joy Family performers appear as an extended family of siblings, cousins, and neighbors. We come as characters from the ’40s, 50’s, and ’60s, representing the era residents identify with most. Our interactions can sometimes take the shape of a short variety performance, but more often are fully improvised visits based on the needs and input of the residents. Quite often families and staff get caught up in the action as well. We meet people where they are - in that moment.

We work in close partnership with the medical teams and therapeutic recreationists who care for seniors and people living with dementia. While our performers may perform short shows in the common areas, the main focus of our programs are individual visits based on the needs of the residents.