• Sign Up
    • Yearly by Check
    • Monthly Recurring
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Account
  • Log In
The Hendersonian
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Agriculture
    • Business
    • Local
    • Police
    • Politics
    • Schools
    • Science
    • Sports
    • State
    • World
    Local governments provide funding to organizations in anticipation of SNAP stoppage

    Local governments provide funding to organizations in anticipation of SNAP stoppage

    BRIEFS: Boil water advisory; ‘Fresh Off the Easel’ exhibition at Audubon; Daylight Savings Time; Job and resource fair in Owensboro; Holiday open house Nov. 7 & 8

    BRIEFS: Boil water advisory; ‘Fresh Off the Easel’ exhibition at Audubon; Daylight Savings Time; Job and resource fair in Owensboro; Holiday open house Nov. 7 & 8

    Third annual Candlelight Christmas Tour is Dec. 12, tickets on sale Nov. 7

    Third annual Candlelight Christmas Tour is Dec. 12, tickets on sale Nov. 7

    Lady Cols volleyball starts quest for region championship tonight

    Lady Cols volleyball starts quest for region championship tonight

    BRIEFS: Education foundation hosts Firetruck Frenzy; NAACP hosts clothing/food drive; County paving has begun; Independence Bank donates to New Hope

    BRIEFS: Education foundation hosts Firetruck Frenzy; NAACP hosts clothing/food drive; County paving has begun; Independence Bank donates to New Hope

    UPDATE: Escaped inmate found in Reed

    UPDATE: Escaped inmate found in Reed

    Trending Tags

  • Tech
    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    In some parts of the U.S., the grid of the future might be closer than you think

    Trending Tags

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports
    Belt named Athlete of the Week

    Belt named Athlete of the Week

    Third annual Candlelight Christmas Tour is Dec. 12, tickets on sale Nov. 7

    Third annual Candlelight Christmas Tour is Dec. 12, tickets on sale Nov. 7

    Colonels battle in high-scoring senior night loss to McCracken, 55-42

    Colonels battle in high-scoring senior night loss to McCracken, 55-42

    Plummer takes Athlete of the Week

    Plummer takes Athlete of the Week

    Colonels drop heartbreaker to Hoptown

    Colonels drop heartbreaker to Hoptown

    Holy Name Fall Festival moves to late October with Casey’s Rides set to handle carnival rides

    Holy Name Fall Festival moves to late October with Casey’s Rides set to handle carnival rides

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
    The Port celebrates three years in Henderson

    The Port celebrates three years in Henderson

    Travel east to view ‘Dr. Seussian’ glass exhibit now at the Maker’s Mark campus

    Travel east to view ‘Dr. Seussian’ glass exhibit now at the Maker’s Mark campus

    Autumn brings falling leaves, shorter days and…antique malls

    Autumn brings falling leaves, shorter days and…antique malls

    Wheat berry salad is a fall favorite you can make anytime

    Wheat berry salad is a fall favorite you can make anytime

    ‘Ikigai’—a sense of purpose—is key for those with dementia

    ‘Ikigai’—a sense of purpose—is key for those with dementia

    Kentucky community colleges working to meet students’ ‘severe’ need for mental health support

    Price spikes set to leave thousands of Kentuckians without health insurance, advocates say

    Trending Tags

  • Public Notices
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Agriculture
    • Business
    • Local
    • Police
    • Politics
    • Schools
    • Science
    • Sports
    • State
    • World
    Local governments provide funding to organizations in anticipation of SNAP stoppage

    Local governments provide funding to organizations in anticipation of SNAP stoppage

    BRIEFS: Boil water advisory; ‘Fresh Off the Easel’ exhibition at Audubon; Daylight Savings Time; Job and resource fair in Owensboro; Holiday open house Nov. 7 & 8

    BRIEFS: Boil water advisory; ‘Fresh Off the Easel’ exhibition at Audubon; Daylight Savings Time; Job and resource fair in Owensboro; Holiday open house Nov. 7 & 8

    Third annual Candlelight Christmas Tour is Dec. 12, tickets on sale Nov. 7

    Third annual Candlelight Christmas Tour is Dec. 12, tickets on sale Nov. 7

    Lady Cols volleyball starts quest for region championship tonight

    Lady Cols volleyball starts quest for region championship tonight

    BRIEFS: Education foundation hosts Firetruck Frenzy; NAACP hosts clothing/food drive; County paving has begun; Independence Bank donates to New Hope

    BRIEFS: Education foundation hosts Firetruck Frenzy; NAACP hosts clothing/food drive; County paving has begun; Independence Bank donates to New Hope

    UPDATE: Escaped inmate found in Reed

    UPDATE: Escaped inmate found in Reed

    Trending Tags

  • Tech
    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    In some parts of the U.S., the grid of the future might be closer than you think

    Trending Tags

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports
    Belt named Athlete of the Week

    Belt named Athlete of the Week

    Third annual Candlelight Christmas Tour is Dec. 12, tickets on sale Nov. 7

    Third annual Candlelight Christmas Tour is Dec. 12, tickets on sale Nov. 7

    Colonels battle in high-scoring senior night loss to McCracken, 55-42

    Colonels battle in high-scoring senior night loss to McCracken, 55-42

    Plummer takes Athlete of the Week

    Plummer takes Athlete of the Week

    Colonels drop heartbreaker to Hoptown

    Colonels drop heartbreaker to Hoptown

    Holy Name Fall Festival moves to late October with Casey’s Rides set to handle carnival rides

    Holy Name Fall Festival moves to late October with Casey’s Rides set to handle carnival rides

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
    The Port celebrates three years in Henderson

    The Port celebrates three years in Henderson

    Travel east to view ‘Dr. Seussian’ glass exhibit now at the Maker’s Mark campus

    Travel east to view ‘Dr. Seussian’ glass exhibit now at the Maker’s Mark campus

    Autumn brings falling leaves, shorter days and…antique malls

    Autumn brings falling leaves, shorter days and…antique malls

    Wheat berry salad is a fall favorite you can make anytime

    Wheat berry salad is a fall favorite you can make anytime

    ‘Ikigai’—a sense of purpose—is key for those with dementia

    ‘Ikigai’—a sense of purpose—is key for those with dementia

    Kentucky community colleges working to meet students’ ‘severe’ need for mental health support

    Price spikes set to leave thousands of Kentuckians without health insurance, advocates say

    Trending Tags

  • Public Notices
No Result
View All Result
The Hendersonian
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Laughter, or the joy of making friends with one serious disease

Ane Crabtree by Ane Crabtree
June 20, 2025
in Opinion, Wellness
0
Laughter, or the joy of making friends with one serious disease

Writer and accomplished costume designer Ane Crabtree cares for her mother (pictured above) who is living with dementia. (Photo provided)

0
SHARES
223
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

“The human race has only one real effective weapon and that is laughter.”   -Mark Twain

“Laughter feels like our flotation device – – it won’t pull us out of the storm, but it might carry us through, if we can just hang on.” -Emery Lord, Open Road Summer

The sound of laughter always led me to brighter, lighter moments as a kid. There was much to tackle, in terms of life stuff. My family and I spent time watching TV, vacillating between the comedians of the 1970s: Joan Rivers, Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Flip Wilson, and scary shows like “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” and “Night Gallery,” along with films like “Psycho,” “The Birds,” and “Westworld,” with reruns of “The King and I” mixed in for good measure. Our cinematic choices left us both laughing and screaming on a nightly basis. Times and tastes seemed simpler back then. We were happy if our viewing parties were topped off with just-off-the-stovetop-burner Jiffy Pop and Green Kool-Aid.

Fifty-five years later, humor is still a mainstay of my family’s life. The only difference now is that dementia has crept into the fabric of our lives interwoven with news that is just as frightening as those 1970s programs. I find my mom and I have needed a creative and fun outlet as a weapon against the disease.

That creative mirror has turned, and my muse has become my mother. What does one do when the person you have known for sixty-plus years begins to feel like someone else mentally?

About four years ago, I made a conscious decision to meet my mother where she is—at the place where she stands, somewhere perhaps in the middle of her journey. So much has changed and yet she is still the beautiful, smart and hilarious woman my father met in Okinawa. They married, moved to Henderson, and began a family. What could be more fun, and perhaps even funny, than to utilize this time as a creative archaeological dig of character? Add to it at the time that there was the unfortunate timeline of a writers strike and an actors’ strike hitting at the same time, and well, to say I was looking for a new muse is putting things lightly.

Creativity and humor can be quite beneficial in times of stress. From bethesdahealth.org: “An Australian study focused on the effects of humor on people living in residential care facilities. The results revealed that humor therapy is as effective as widely used antipsychotic drugs in helping people with dementia, and it avoids serious drug-related side effects.”

After all, the benefits of laughter for all humans have been well established. They include:

 • Relief from stress, anxiety, and depression

 • The release of the body’s ‘feel-good’ chemicals

 • Stronger immune system

 • Pain relief

 • Increased socialization with others

As the disease progresses, according to the website, “jokes with set up and punchlines can be impossible for the person to follow. The Three Stooges might be a better source of comedy for them than standup comedians. You as a family member and caregiver will have to determine when to find a humorous moment. As they open up, they might recount funny stories about their past life. Reviewing an album of funny family photos could be a good way to start the conversation.”

In our case, creating portraits of my loved one as she is now has proven to provide some wildly happy moments, always chock full of laughter, inspiration and poignant memories. While your loved one may not exactly remember the details, they will remember that they are full of life, engaging with their family member and happily doing so.

The important thing for me is to find a way to make friends with dementia. There are so many stories of loss, anger and bittersweet notes with this disease. I am on a mission to turn that mirror, as many times as I can, to reflect new ways of dealing with it. If I can do that with a belly ache from laughter, then this time would have been worthwhile.

Henderson native Ane Crabtree, a 1982 graduate of Henderson County High School, has been a designer in Hollywood for 35 years. She has created looks for shows like “The Sopranos,” “Westworld,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Darren Aronofsky’s Postcards from Earth” and the recent, “The Changeling,” for Apple TV. She has also created designs for several shows of the futurist Liam Young.

Previous Post

Enjoy the fresh taste of summer

Next Post

Wind turbine ordinance, which would be the first in Kentucky, is key to what ultimately occurs in Cordelio project

Ane Crabtree

Ane Crabtree

Next Post
Wind turbine ordinance, which would be the first in Kentucky, is key to what ultimately occurs in Cordelio project

Wind turbine ordinance, which would be the first in Kentucky, is key to what ultimately occurs in Cordelio project

  • Sign Up
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Account
  • Log In

© 2025 The Hendersonian • Henderson, KY 42420

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Public Notices
  • Sign Up
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Login

© 2025 The Hendersonian • Henderson, KY 42420