🎵 “Good Times Bad Times” EOA and Hilarity for Charity: Finding Some Good in Something Really Bad— (Led Zeppelin)
I recently stumbled across an Alzheimer's support organization called:
Hilarity for Charity.
Obviously, I stopped.
Hilarity? Alzheimer's?
Those aren't exactly two words you expect to find sitting next to each other.
But if you've been reading MAD World for any length of time, you probably know why it immediately appealed to me.
I laugh.
Sometimes at inappropriate times.
Sometimes because something Rob does is genuinely funny.
Sometimes because the alternative is crying, and I've already done enough of that.
So I started looking into Hilarity for Charity—or HFC—and discovered there is a pretty incredible story behind it. Also learned our Dr. with Byrd is involved with it, so I loved it even more!
And it starts with another family dealing with early-onset Alzheimer's.
💜 Lauren's Mom Was Only 55
HFC was founded by actor Seth Rogen, his wife, writer/director Lauren Miller Rogen, and friends in 2012.
The reason was personal.
Lauren's mother, Adele, developed early-onset Alzheimer's in her 50s. HFC's current biography says Lauren was still in her twenties when her mother was diagnosed at 55; Lauren has also written that she first noticed something wasn't right with her mom when Lauren was just 22. Hilarity For Charity
Fifty-five.
Well, that number hits differently now.
I just turned 55.
And I cannot imagine my children watching me develop Alzheimer's at this age.
Yet here I am on the other side of it, watching my husband live with it, DX at 58.
That's the thing about early-onset Alzheimer's.
It's Alzheimer's showing up way too damn early.
Careers are still happening.
Kids may still be home or in college.
Mortgages still exist.
Retirement isn't necessarily anywhere in sight.
And nobody your age seems to be living the same life you are.
Lauren's father, Scott, ultimately retired to care for Adele and remained her caregiver until she died at home in 2020. Hilarity For Charity
Their family knew firsthand what this disease asks of the entire family.
😂 So They Did Something a Little Different
Lauren and Seth took something they already knew—entertainment and comedy—and brought it into the Alzheimer's world.
Their first event, Concert in the Park, was held in 2012.
Instead of another solemn fundraiser, they brought in comedians and musicians, including Bruno Mars, Aziz Ansari, Patton Oswalt and Tenacious D.
And that first event raised more than $300,000.
Eventually HFC grew far beyond celebrity comedy events.
Today it's a national nonprofit focused on supporting families affected by Alzheimer's, educating younger generations about brain health and building the next generation of Alzheimer's advocates.
And THIS is where I really started paying attention.
Because they're not just raising awareness.
They're helping caregivers.
❤️ They Give Caregivers Respite
You know I'm going to start here.
Because if there's one thing I have learned during this journey, it's that telling caregivers:
“You need to take care of yourself!”
without giving them somebody to stay with their person is almost comical.
Okay.
I'd love to.
Who's watching Rob?
HFC actually has a Caregiver Respite Program.
As of September 2026, they offer two types of grants:
🏠 In-home respite: 100 hours of professional respite care, to be used within three months of the award.
☀️ Adult Day Center respite: 24 days of respite care, to be used within three months of the first day of care. Hilarity For Charity
For the in-home program, HFC coordinates care through its preferred provider, Home Instead. This isn't money deposited into your bank account—the grant pays for actual professional care. Hilarity For Charity
And 100 hours?
Ladies.
That's not nothing.
That's doctor's appointments.
Hair appointments.
Work meetings.
Dinner with a friend.
Christmas shopping.
Sitting alone in your car eating Chick-fil-A where nobody needs anything from you.
😂
Whatever respite looks like for you.
💰 Who Can Apply?
This is important because whenever I find a program, my next question is:
Okay, but who actually qualifies?
HFC currently says applicants must be caring for someone professionally diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another qualifying dementia, the person must be living at home with the caregiver, the caregiver must be experiencing financial and emotional hardship related to caregiving, and they must live in the United States or Canada. HFC currently excludes Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories from this grant program. Hilarity For Charity
You can also reapply under their rules, although receiving one grant does not guarantee another. Hilarity For Charity
So don't read this and decide for yourself:
“I probably don't qualify.”
Go look.
Let them tell you.
🫶 Free Support Groups Too
HFC also offers free online caregiver support groups.
They're facilitated by credentialed social workers, counselors and trained leaders and are specifically designed for people providing Alzheimer's and dementia care. HFC says the groups currently meet weekly and they'll work to match caregivers with a group that fits their schedule. Hilarity For Charity
That matters.
Especially with early onset.
Because walking into a room where everyone's talking about caring for an 88-year-old parent can feel very different when you're trying to figure out what to do with your 58-year-old husband.
Same disease.
Very different life.
🧠 They're Educating and Helping our Younger Generation Too
This is another part of HFC I really like.
They've developed the Youth Movement Against Alzheimer's, with high-school and college chapters focused on Alzheimer's education, awareness, brain health and advocacy.
They specifically recognize that some young people aren't merely learning about dementia—
they're helping care for someone who has it. Hilarity For Charity
Hello.
Those are our kids.
Alzheimer's doesn't just happen to the diagnosed person.
And early-onset Alzheimer's certainly doesn't wait until the children are grown and established before crashing through the front door.
😂 And Then There's the Hilarity Part
This may be what I connect with most.
One of HFC's actual organizational values is levity.
They describe using light and laughter to build community and create change. Hilarity For
YES.
Because laughing at something that happens during Alzheimer's doesn't mean we're laughing at the person with Alzheimer's.
And it certainly doesn't mean we don't understand how serious this disease is.
Trust me.
We know.
But sometimes Rob does something funny.
Sometimes I do something ridiculous.
Sometimes the situation is so absurd that you look at each other and laugh.
And sometimes humor is simply how I make it through Tuesday.
There's room for all of it.
The grief.
The anger.
The exhaustion.
The love.
And the laughter.
🎵 Good Times. Bad Times.
Maybe that's why the Led Zeppelin song feels so perfect for this one.
Alzheimer's certainly brings the bad times.
But our entire lives don't have to become Alzheimer's.
There are still good days.
There are still ridiculous moments.
There are still people trying to help.
And there are organizations like HFC saying:
Yes, this is awful. Now let's do something about it—and we don't have to be miserable every second while we're doing it.
I can get behind that.
💜 Put This One in Your Caregiver Toolbox
If you're caring for someone with Alzheimer's or another dementia, take ten minutes and look through HFC's programs.
Don't wait until you're completely exhausted to start collecting resources.
And even if you don't need these resources today?
Save them.
Because one of the biggest lessons I've learned in MAD World is that you want to know where the life preservers are before you're drowning.
💜 Disclaimer
Keep in mind, I am writing this blog over years, not in one day- I repeat some things, but because it became more applicable today. I’m not a doctor, lawyer, therapist, or expert—just a wife trying to figure this out one day at a time. Everything shared here is based on our experience and things that have helped us along the way. Take what helps, leave what doesn’t, and always check with professionals when needed. I also use AI to help clean up my writing, organize thoughts, and pull together resources because honestly… caregiver brains are tired too. If something here helps another family feel less alone, then it’s worth sharing.
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