Clinical Care Coach Corner: Written by Gabrielle Stroubakis

Living with Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia is never easy. Caring for someone with the disease often comes with increased responsibility and big changes to the usual way of life. Situations like these can cause feelings of stress, anxiety, and sadness in the person living with dementia and their care partner(s), which is why it’s important – now more than ever – to maintain a sense of humor.

“Humor” may feel like a strange thing to incorporate into dementia care; by all accounts, there’s nothing funny about the disease or the symptoms that come with it. However, this is all the more reason to try to find things to laugh about! Laughter is a great way to boost your mood and relieve tension. Some studies have found that laughter can lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels, exercise the heart and blood vessels, and even release endorphins which provide an increase in pain tolerance. It’s also associated with more positive moods and increased feelings of relaxedness. People always say “laughter is the best medicine,” and it turns out that there’s plenty of truth in that! (You can learn more about the health benefits of laughter here: Stress Relief; The Laughter Prescription)

That’s all well and good, but how do we go about finding things that make us laugh, especially when life becomes so stressful? Here are some ideas:

  • Reminiscing and recontextualizing: Oftentimes events and incidents we experience are frustrating in the moment, but can be funny looking back on them later. As an example, wearing your shirt inside-out can be embarrassing when you realize it, but makes for a relatable story after the fact!
  • Reaching out to a friend: Having a diagnosis of dementia can be a very isolating experience, and while they may not be able to understand the chaotic combination of emotions that comes with the disease, a friend can be a wonderful person to reach out to and have a laugh with.
  • Making someone else laugh: Though communication with a person fundamentally changes as their dementia progresses, emotions remain a strong way to connect. Try telling jokes together, looking at silly pictures of animals, watching a comedy, or anything that brings you both a smile. Chances are, it’ll bring you a smile too!
  • Find ways to make yourself laugh: There are plenty of humor resources online, from comic databases to daily jokes to collections of funny videos. If digital isn’t your favorite, consider checking out the funnies in your newspaper or a book by a comedian you like. There’s plenty out there, here are some options to start!

(These resources do not constitute an endorsement of the content nor reflect the views of Alzheimer’s San Diego.)

Check out our free support groups, education classes, social activities, & more. You may also call our office at 858.492.4400 to speak directly to one of our Clinical Care Coaches (Spanish speakers also available).

Our “Clinical Care Coach Corner” series is where our dementia experts weigh in on topics they feel are necessary to discuss and provide insight that can help people affected by dementia.