is no coincidence that Shreveport’s newest comedy club, Laugh Out Loud, is named after the popular acronym, LOL. In our fast-paced, text-heavy world, there is no other shorthand that expresses glee or can bring a smile to someone’s face as quickly as the notification of an “LOL” received in response to their latest post or message.

Researchers included 399 nursing home residents who had dementia or other agerelated problems. They were visited weekly by an ElderClown. It was found that the participants in the clown sessions had a 20 percent decrease in overall agitation. This benefit lasted for at least 14 weeks after the program ended.