Kimberly Williams-Paisley Opens Up About Mother’s Dementia in New Book

Dealing with dementia is never an easy task, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley discusses the struggles in her new book, “Where the Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again.”

Williams-Paisley gets candid throughout the pages of the book, describing the phases she and her family went through when her mother started to experience changes in her day-to-day life. Candidly expressing her emotions and true thoughts on the progression of the disease, Williams-Paisley details specific moments where she knew something was not right for her mother.

One instance in particular that struck Williams-Paisley in an odd way was her mother’s reaction to her engagement to country singer Brad Paisley. Rather than feeling overjoyed for her daughter, Williams-Paisley’s mother kept quite reserved over the special occasion.

“We are such a close family and I was the first kid to get engaged and I thought, ‘That’s what it is,” said Williams-Paisley, in a People Magazine interview.

After another mishap at a Starbucks and showing complete confusion toward important topics, Williams-Paisley said that the family realized something abnormal was happening and that their mother needed help.

In 2005, the family found out their mother, who was 62 at the time, was suffering from a rare type of early-onset dementia called primary progressive aphasia. Although the diagnosis could have torn the family apart, Williams-Paisley tells all in her book about the tight connection that was established between them and their coping mechanisms in helping their mom.

While Williams-Paisley talks about her constant frustrations with the disease, she ultimately has found “silver linings” throughout her days as a mother and a daughter.

“Where the Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again” came out on April 5 and is available for purchase in stores or online now.