National Comedy Center launches caregiver week honoring New York couple

The National Comedy Center will offer complimentary admission to caregivers and the loved ones they care for during its first Susan Sargent Caregiver Week, running November 9 through November 15.The program is timed to National Family Caregivers Month and its 2026 theme, "Care Connects Us." It honors the memory of Susan Sargent and was inspired by her visit to the museum with her husband and caregiver, Mitch Goldman.Susan had frontotemporal dementia, a condition that affected her ability to communicate and connect. Goldman became her full-time caregiver."Susan had become largely nonverbal, and in order to connect at night as a married couple, they would watch comedy," said Journey Gunderson, the Comedy Center's executive director. "They found that if they could laugh together at the same punch lines, they could still feel that connection." During their visit to the museum, classic comedy and interactive exhibits prompted memories and speech."She really connected there. She got her memo