Jay Leno has opened up about how much he enjoys caring for his wife as she lives with dementia.
In a conversation with “In Depth with Graham Bensinger,” the former late-night host shared what life is like these days with his wife of 45 years, Mavis.
Humor can be helpful, the comedian said of being a caregiver for someone with dementia.
“When you get married, you sort of take a vow: ‘Will I live up to this? Or will I be like a sleazy guy if something happens to my wife, I’m out banging the cashier at the mini mart?’” he said. “No, I didn’t. I enjoy the time with my wife. I go home, I cook dinner for her, watch TV and it’s okay.”
According to Leno, the couple does “basically what we did before, except now I have to feed her and do all those things.”
“But, I like it. I like taking care of her,” he said. “She’s a very independent woman, so I like that I’m needed.”
Leno applied for and was granted conservatorship over his wife’s estate last year.
He told Bensinger he uses flash cards with Mavis to try and stir her memories, which has led to some funny moments.
“I’m told people with dementia forget the people they’re with. But, you know, I do pictures of the flashcards,” he said, while pretending to place a card down.
“‘Remember? Remember?’ It’s kind of funny. I go, ‘Honey, that’s President Obama. Remember we had dinner?’” Leno said.
His wife would look at the flash card and say, “Oh, not me” causing him to say “‘Yeah, yeah. Honey, it was you’.”
“You have to find the humor in it,” he added.
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