“Not buying it, huh?”

My mother acknowledged her assertion that the woman she pointed out at the rehab center as being her dead husband was a bit of a stretch. But this was the kind of information Mom routinely shared as her cognitive abilities declined and her psychosis fully bloomed.

The true, heart-wrenching and hilarious story at the center of “Dementia Sucks” was borne of a journal and blog kept by Tracey Lawrence as her mother transformed from classic Jewish mother to mildly forgetful Floridian grandma to geriatric delinquent removed by police for knife-play at a rehabilitation facility.

Tracey’s journey takes her from being an established graphic artist in northern New Jersey through bouts of full-time, hands-on caregiving of her aging parents. She hits on many of the common challenges families face, and provides a humorous and highly educational perspective on her emotionally-charged ride through geriatric illnesses, doctors, hospitals, insurance, facilities, family dynamics and much more.

Anyone who has family they care about will want to read this book. Whether dementia visits or not, some aspect of Tracey’s caregiving journey will likely resonate with, amuse and enlighten many readers.