Oh yes, the Wizard of Oz is just like Alzheimer’s.
The entire time, Dorothy is searching for her home. She. Just. Wants. To. Go. Home.
She wanders off to a far away land, one with wonder and beauty and moments of great joy.. an adventure fraught with horror and uncertainty.
Will Dorothy find what she was looking for?
How will Dorothy ever get home?
When she wakes up at the end of the movie, she is confused and disoriented.
Dorothy: No, Aunt Em — this was a real, truly live place.
And I remember that some of it wasn’t very nice…
but most of it was beautiful.
But just the same, all I kept saying to everybody was, I want to go home.
And they sent me home.
When those surrounding her deny the reality of her incredible technicolor journey… minimizing it to mere fantasy, Dorothy becomes increasingly troubled and insistent.
Dorothy: Doesn’t anyone believe me?
Uncle Henry: Of course we believe you.
Immediately she comes alive. She’s happy and knows she is safe and loved.
The only difference is in real life, the movie ends.
The credits scroll.
The music fades.
For the Alzheimer’s caregiver, The Wizard of Oz is the headliner day in and day out.
