Memory cafés at the National Comedy Center ignite laughter and connection for dementia patients

Side by side on a sofa inside the National Comedy Center, Gail and Mario Cirasunda chuckled at a clip from the 1980s sitcom Family Ties that was playing on a TV screen. The show's oldest daughter, Mallory, was introducing her unconventional artist boyfriend Nick to her bewildered television family. "I think our daughter brought him home once. Maybe two of our daughters!" Gail said with a laugh over coffee and donuts later. "Five daughters, two sons," her husband Mario, 85, chimed in. "Sometimes I'd wonder," he smiled, shaking his head at the memories of the couple's own family antics over their 59-year marriage. Moments like this are what brought the Cirasundas to the comedy museum in western New York and the memory café taking place inside. The monthly events invite people with Alzheimer's, dementia, or other memory loss, and their caregivers, to spend time at the interactive museum. For visitors like Mario, who has dementia, and his wife, the scenes and artifacts from funny shows and comedians have a way of triggering shared laughs and connection, and, as comedy center staff have found, memories. Gail, 78, treasures the moments when Mario—who still vividly recalls his childhood route to school and the names of old friends—also recollects experiences from their shared life. However, memories made over a lifetime together have become increasingly elusive over the past several years, since about the time Mario started to get lost while driving and forget whether he likes a particular food. The Alzheimer's Association estimates 7.2 million Americans over the age of 65 are living with Alzheimer's dementia, and an even higher number of people care for an impacted friend or family member. Memory cafés have emerged around the world in recent years as a way to connect and support individuals and caregivers, and provide information and resources. Many of the more than 600 cafés regularly running in the U.S.—often meeting in libraries and community centers—bring in speakers and engage participants with physical activity, music and art, all of which are good for the brain, experts say. This article was provided by The Associated Press.