This is the 8th post in a series in which an individual with dementia uses a computer program to create a mind map.

The earlier posts (each with a video) may be accessed from the following links.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

I have concluded — as I have traversed the alternate universe of cognitive decline — that humor is the glue that can hold the time-space warp together, at least for a while for you as well as your caregivers and family.

Here is a time lapse video of me developing a mind map on humor as a coping technique. You will probably find this useful whether you have dementia or not, but do note that this is one of the most helpful methods I have found for addressing stresses during the day.

[In this video you will see a time gap of about 30 seconds. I got distracted by an incoming text. After exchanging weather forecasts, sports scores, and terms of endearment, I was able to come back to mind mapping fairly quickly and pick it up where I stopped.]

This is a time lapse video. 8 minutes have been collapsed into 1 minute.

Here is a static version of the final mind map. [I made two tiny changes since the final version of the video. I highlighted the branch of “others” and changed it to “others.” I also changed the color of the “R branch” from bright yellow to light blue.]