Not Right in the Head (How One Family Facing Alzheimer's Discovered Laughter May Just Be the Best Medicine)

A light-hearted, heart-warming account of how one family faced Alzheimer's and how the almost comical events within the secure walls of the nursing home made them realize that humor was the only way through. Michelle Wyatt's mum always joked with the family that if she ever developed Alzheimer's like her own mother—Michelle's grandmother—they should put her in a home and throw away the key. When she did ultimately succumb to the disease, the choice to put her in a nursing home became the only option. During the next six years, Michelle, a well-known television producer, visited her mum often while her dad kept a daily vigil in the nursing home. What Michelle and her family discovered throughout these challenging times was that allowing themselves to see the funny side of the weird and wonderful things they witnessed while visiting her mum made a difficult journey just that little bit easier. This memoir is a light-hearted but moving account of Michelle's experience with her mum's dementia—giving us an insight in how to cope compassionately, effectively, and lastingly with a disease that affects almost 5.4 million Americans alone.