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Returning: Compass

Compass returns to ABC1 this Sunday in its new timeslot of 6.30pm, featuring comedian Jean-Paul Bell.

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Compass returns to ABC1 this Sunday night in its new timeslot of 6.30pm.

“For years so many of our viewers have told us how much they love Compass, alas the catch-cry has always been, “But you’re on too late!” says presenter Geraldine Doogue. “Now we’ve answered that call. Compass will kick off ABC1’s Sunday night line-up and we couldn’t be more thrilled.”

The first show back, The Smile Within, follows comedian and humour therapist Jean-Paul Bell (pictured, left) as he visits aged care facilities in a landmark study (the SMILE Study) using humour to improve the management of dementia in aged care facilities.

Comedian Jean-Paul Bell proves laughter is the best medicine after all as he brings joy and new life to dementia patients in Australian aged care homes.

Jean-Paul is part of a groundbreaking ‘Humour Therapy Project’ aimed at improving the quality of life for elderly Australians suffering with loss of memory and speech, and declining well-being.

He calls himself a ‘humour valet’ and visits patients in nursing homes in Sydney where he’s changed the lives of thousands of people, bringing humour into sometimes very difficult circumstances.

Jean-Paul’s work is part of the world’s first large scale research project into the effects of humour therapy on older people with dementia. And with Australia experiencing a rapidly growing ageing population – in the next 40 years the number of people over 85 is expected to quadruple from 0.4 to 1.8 million – it’s more than a laughing matter. It’s about quality of life for our elderly.

6:30pm Sunday on ABC1.

2 Responses

  1. … but the problem is that it makes many of the overseas documentaries it shows homeless, as most of them are at least 50 minutes long. My problem is that the local shows Compass makes are too short, they at least need to be 45-50 minutes long, not a mere half an hour.

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