Is Laughter Okay When You're Coping with the Challenges of Dementia?

As I've watched many people cope with the difficulties and losses in dementia, my question today is this: Is there such a thing as laughter at the behaviors or words someone with dementia uses that is not laughter at the person or the disease? Are there times when it's okay to mix laughter and dementia? This is a topic I've wanted to write about for a while, but have been holding off doing so because I don't want to hurt or offend others, especially those who are in the middle of grieving a diagnosis or struck anew at the way Alzheimer's and other dementias rob people of memory and life. I don't want to dishonor or disrespect those with dementia in any way. If you've ever known someone with dementia, you may have witnessed a behavior that was completely inappropriate yet struck your funny bone, or a statement that just made you laugh because of the words chosen and the setting in which it was said. However, if you've ever known someone with dementia, you also have likely felt the grief and loss that struck the person and his family, sometimes wave after wave. Or, the difficulties in coping with challenging behaviors such as wandering or combativeness with care, even when the care is being provided by a trusted loved one. Or, even just the sheer exhaustion of being a caregiver 24 hours a day. I've heard several statements like this: "If I don't laugh, I'll cry." But I've also heard this thought: "How can anyone laugh at something my loved one does when she has Alzheimer'...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news