Laughter is often described as “good for the soul” and as a “good medicine.” Lady-Links find that laughter during our visits to our dear friends with dementia is a way to connect…to link to shared memories and events that we once enjoyed.
Some of our visits involve completing craft projects, and it is during those times that our conversation becomes sprinkled with laughter as we take off on “tangents” that the craft inspires.
For example, as we’re assembling this project we talk about how it looks like a traffic stoplight.
It’s supposed to look like a traffic stoplight, so that’s good that we can identify it as such even though it has a faith based message.
Stop – and listen to God
Slow – make time for God
Go – God’s way everyday
After we talk about the meaningful message of this craft (which, by the way, will be given to our community Pastoral Ministries Director to distribute during Sunday afternoon vespers service), we follow the tangent of traffic….to what kind of cars our parents had when we were kids…to when we were teenagers learning to drive and finally to crazy adventures we or others had when we were driving.
We laugh as we identify ourselves as a “Ford family” or a “Buick family” or a “Chevrolet Family” and someone else says “me too” or “no way!” We laugh as we remember close calls we had as teen drivers or driving adventures we had that we were glad our parents didn’t find out about! We laughed when one of us told the story of a relative who didn’t have a drivers license who was so hungry for a hamburger that she “borrowed” the family car, went to the local drive-through burger joint and ran into the side of it knocking the entire drive-through part down. The owner of that burger joint was a family friend who (after damages were financially covered) offered to home-deliver a hamburger anytime this person wanted it if they would only promise never to drive to their place again!!!
Laughter from conversation tangents is by far “the best medicine” ever and is easily and freely dispensed at our Lady-Links visits.
It was Walt Disney (according to the internet) who said,
“Laughter is timeless.
Imagination has no age.
And Dreams are forever.”
The Lady-Links would certainly agree with Walt because we find that our dear friends (who have such difficulty in the daily tasks that dementia forces upon them) can still laugh, imagine and dream when we get together for a visit.
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