JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (WIVB) — There’s an old saying that laughter can be the best form of medicine. At the National Comedy Center, their “Memory Cafe” can help brighten an individual with memory loss day, one laugh at a time.
“This entire museum is filled with memories and just moments of joy and if you love Carol Burnett or Lucy or Johnny Carson or Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, I think in a way, we’re a time machine, we transport you back,” said Gary Hahn, the vice president of marketing and communications at the National Comedy Center.
During these Memory Cafes, which occur on the first Monday of every month, individuals who have memory-related illnesses can visit the museum for free, along with their loved ones and caregivers.
“We found that guest were having moments of joy and connection with their loved ones who were experiencing memory loss, just reliving those nostalgic moments let to even in some instances, improved communication where that had begun to decline,” said Megan Eckwahl, the manager of marketing and communications at the National Comedy Center.
For Rochelle Molé, the Center’s Chief Financial and Operating Officer, she knows the impact laughter can have, as she has two loved ones who visit the Memory Cafe every month.
“When they started coming here, I saw them laughing in the way I haven’t seen them laugh, even like where their shoulders were moving and just really enjoyed it, and the conversation carried afterward even when they have sometimes a hard time carrying on a conversation,” said Molé. “I think it’s really important that they bring laughter to their day and even after they were done here, I called my dad that night and even that whole week he was still recalling everything that he did here.”
For more information about the National Comedy Center’s Memory Cafe, visit their website here.
Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here.
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