I am looking for real life humorous stories relating to Alzheimer's. This is a dark, serious disease and I hope that my desire to receive stories that offer laughter is not misconstrued as offensive. My hope is to provide levity. The intent is not to make fun of anyone's situation but hopefully by laughing we will survive easier, talk more openly, and be better caretakers of ourselves and others.

My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's several years ago. My mother is not who she used to be, but once I began to see her sense of humor, which still exists, and share her stories - often back at her and often with others, I began to feel healthier. This ability to see the humor and the silliness has allowed me to be with my mother, rather than back off from fear and frustration. I have been a better daughter and have given my mother better care.

My mother's condition is not a secret nor should my mother be a secret. We know the horrors, I want to share the comical which will open doors of the unspoken. I treat my mother with dignity and honor, but I can still see utter madness and craziness of her behavior - which can be very funny.

The HBO series currently airing people shows with Alzheimer’s having a discussion around a table with their caregivers. One man states there is a lot of ‘memory humor’ out there. Another man responds with ‘you can't cry all the time, you have to be able to laugh'. He then inadvertently made a memory 'mistake' that he and everyone else laughed about. It was a way to exhale during an intense examination of what they were all living with.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Online Community Administrators,

The problem with humor, especially Alzheimer-related humor, is that one size does not fit all. Some may laugh. Others may be deeply offended. Some people may say there's absolutely nothing funny about Alzheimer's. You may be treading on dangerous ground. Especially when you are dealing with active care-givers. Many of whom are tired and beleaguered. I've been away from it for a while. That makes a difference. Time has a healing effect. --Jim

We have many threads in the forums, where we have shared humorous stories of our daily lives, in coping with AD. I suppose the intention is the main thing. If not done to ridicule, or humiliate, or for some kind of personal gain, it can be healthy-even saving our sanity, so to speak.

Please do not read this wrong, Jim. You used to be one who stressed "to find humor in their daily dealings with Alzheimer's.", and that "when they[embarrassing situations] are shared between people, I think they can be humorous."

I like humor, Maebee. I use it daily. But I also readily admit that humor can be construed in so many, many ways. One size doesn't fit all. Something that makes some people laugh, makes other people cry. I prefer laughing over crying. But there are suitable occasions for both. I think that sometimes I misuse humor. Probably, we all do. I've often used humor at funerals. Personally, I'd rather laugh than cry at a funeral. But I understand why some people would rather cry than laugh at a funeral. --Jim

Hi Everybody

Humor regarding Alzheimer's is getting confused and wondering, "is it a blonde moment" or "is it an Alzheimer's moment"?

I'm blonde/grey do you understand my dilemma?
lol
M

I was with my grandmother when she was first diagnosed with Alzheimers, we were obviously upset about the news. My grandmother drove herself to the library to do some research on the disease. A few months past and I went to visit her, she had a stack of mail from the library regarding her overdue library books. As she looked at the pile of mail in disgust and said "I don't know why the library keeps sending me these overdue notifications, I haven't been to the library in years!". Ironically all the titles of the books they are accusing her of checking out had the word Alzheimer in them.

Deborah11

I agree with you Deborah, we have to see and find the humor in life or it will get the better of us.

I have been raised in a family that believed better to laugh than to cry. Yes there are times of course, just not being able to laugh, like when we lose a loved one, but in my family after that had happened, we would talk about the best times and remember the humorous side and silly things that person had done. We all do them, even without AD.

There are days when I am so worried about the next thing that can happen, tired, stressed and even angry at our situation, but everyday I can count on my mom to do or say something, unintentionally and unknowingly at this stage of course, that just cracks me up and changes my mood entirely.

So many, where do I start?

My mom who has very little vocabulary left, comes out with some corkers, out of the clear blue sky sometimes. When asked in the bathroom, when she let out a big toot, if she had f'rted, replied "no, did you?, life stinks sometimes." Amen to that mama.

Also my mom went through a period of time when all things paper were like money to her. She had Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels and her incontinence pads stuck anywhere she could store them, purse, pockets, bra, underwear, everywhere.

Several times when we would be out shopping and checking out at the cash register, she would insist on paying the bill and reach into her purse and pullout a sanitary pad and offer it to the clerk. I would just stand there as if this was normal, with no expression at all and wait for that look of, "HUH". The clerk would look at the pad, look up at my mom and then look at me. After making the clerk experience this for a few moments, he/she would smile. I would ususally just say, "You do accept those as payment here, don't you, or do you have the correct change for those?" I would never embarrass my mom or correct her, or even explain her to anyone. I just told her that I would pay for it this time, and she could pay next time and she would ususally just stick her pad back in her purse and say OK, I'll pay for lunch or dinner then. It would happen again at the restaurant. And honestly, I would welcome that time period back now.

So Deborah from my viewpoint, you and I think alike, but we need to be sensitive that others in this type of situation, just can't for whatever reason, find the humor.

Enjoy your mom and grandmother's humor while it's still here. You're not laughing at them, you're laughing with them. Hopefully, not laughing all the way to the funny farm.

BeckyP and Deborah,

Thanks so much for sharing and making me smile today.

Laughter is sometimes the best medicine!

well, seeing that my mom is in late-stage,,, i reflect on the phases, the grief, the absentness, the enormous abyss, the staggering fear of what is to come. while wandering through her innocent, baffling days i can not help but to cherish splinters of levity. the other day she was placing her cigarette butts onto the birdfeeder and i asked her, "what are you doing?" and her response was "i hope they enjoy them as much as i have.".."priceless!"

sometimes this works...out of the blue when i walk past mom i shake my butt, she always smiles, for now..she loves bubbles...

These are priceless! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you, Becky... life does indeed stink sometimes.
I'll bet it makes God smile to know we can still find a smile, a chortle, or whatever in the midst of this awful illness. He-she might look at this a maintaining a healthy sense of irony to get us through to what ever comes next.

And to some caregivers, who are having a hard day, the hope of a light moment lurks waitng to say gotcha ya!
Thank you, Deborah, for starting this thread.

Namaste.

I absolutely love the idea Deborah..laughter is the best medicine as the saying goes...it gives me great joy when I make my dad laugh..the disease has taken so much from him that i do my best to make him laugh when I go visit...and he makes me laugh. There is way too much sadness in this world...laugh, laugh, laugh or at least try to smile



kim

When my husband takes a shower I need to guide him because he forgets to shampoo his hair. He gets dressed himself, etc.
But one night after he showered I was in the T.V room with my daughter and here comes my husband with his pajamas on,his shorts over his pj pant wearing his baseball hat. I turn and I smile and he smiled back, then my daughter ask him "and where do you think your going like that? We all started laughing including my husband.
Yes, I believe we all need laughter once in a while.

Without laughter,you have nothing.........

There were blessed moments of humor and laughter during my mother's 13-year struggle with Alzheimer's. Her personality changed and she lost many of her former inhibitions as the dementia progressed.

Imagine my delight to see my mother, then a 65 year old woman, in the backyard jumping on a trampoline with her grandchildren, having fun and laughing and holding their hands with no fear at all that she might fall off or get hurt, behaving like a child herself. My mother never would have done such a thing before she became ill.

Or seeing my mother play with my large and rambunctious golden retriever, petting the dog and showing affection like never before due to a deeply-instilled fear of large dogs after being bitten as a child by a german shepherd.

Or hearing my mother was gossiping like a school girl about crushes on boys and kissing techniques with my sisters, not a conversation as if they were daughters but instead like they were girlfriends.

There are more than enough heartbreaking memories with Alzheimer's, but I try to hold onto the special and happy memories of my mother now since she just passed away this May 23, 2009. I have found also that moving on from the question "Why did this happen to her" to "What have I learned from this?" is therapeutic and healing.

Yes, Kathy, you are salvaging real vibrant meaning from life. You are becoming more alive than ever. Keep going down that path. Life is a wonder. A pleasure. Even in sorrow one can find magnificent peace. --Jim

You are looking for real life humorous stories relating to Alzheimer's? Have you checked out KnowItAlz.com.Just click on I need a laugh.