Teri Sellers
The PebbleCreek Alzheimer’s Support Group is available to all residents who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia. We meet twice a month for a breakfast social and a support group meeting. Our goal is to provide support and information to families that are caring for a loved one with dementia.
The holiday season used to be full of joy, family, and laughter before Alzheimer’s. Now the life of a caregiver is consumed by caring for your loved one and meeting their needs. Laughter and joy are prescriptions that no doctor can write, but ones that can have huge positive effects.
True, there is nothing humorous about dementia. However, laughter can help caregivers and improve the quality of life of those with dementia. Studies show that laughter boosts the immune system and triggers the release of pleasure inducing neurochemicals in the brain. In terms of dementia-specific benefits, the greatest advantage of humor is that it provides sufferers with much-needed mental stimulation. Humor challenges our loved ones to engage their minds as fully as possible. It is also an effective tool for keeping social links active and reducing sensations of paranoia and agitation.
Humor helps people who live with dementia by:
* Allowing them to redirect negative emotions
* Easing symptoms of depression
* Tempering signs of aggression
* Reducing stress
* Improving social interaction
* Maintaining their dignity
Humor helps with the stress that comes with caregiving by:
* Promoting mental health
* Strengthening family relationships
* Strengthening the immune system so caregivers stay healthy
* Easing tension
It is common to hear caregivers say “I laugh to survive because if I didn’t I would cry.”
Where can you find humor, something to laugh at or with when you are in the middle of the Alzheimer’s journey? Finding humor is not just reading a joke book or watching a sitcom on TV. Finding humor means seeing things in a different way and looking at a situation from a different, humorous perspective. This lightens up even the most difficult situations. Try a random act of kindness or go out of your way to make someone else happy. These things don’t sound funny but they can make you smile.
So, this December, I am going to bring back our caregiver Christmas party along with the corny jokes. We all need to smile, laugh, and be happy.
Let’s all do something this December that doesn’t cost money but is priceless. Smile, laugh, and be happy.
If you are not a member of our group, it is easy to join. You are not alone. I want to share helpful resources and information with you and add you to our email list. Our support group is an excellent way to learn more about the journey that is dementia and a wonderful way to meet others who are going through the same journey as you. Your information is always safe and confidential. The benefits are priceless. Please contact me, Teri Sellers, at 602-793-0299 or [email protected].