Table of Contents
Foreword Mary Catherine Mayo, MD xi
Introduction xv
The World Just Changed
Chapter 1 The Diagnosis You Feared 3
Chapter 2 Taking Away the Car Keys, Opening the Door to an Outside Caregiver 23
Chapter 3 Grief Arrives Early 37
The Early Stages
Chapter 4 Where Is the Person I Knew? 47
Chapter 5 Time Warp 63
Messy Emotions and Learning to Lie
Chapter 6 Caregiver Stress 79
Chapter 7 Creative Lying 93
Chapter 8 Anger 99
Chapter 9 Guilt and the Balm of Laughter 108
Chapter 10 Losing a Life Partner 121
When Things Get Out of Control
Chapter 11 Calling Adult Protective Services 135
Chapter 12 They Were So Much Better Yesterday 142
Chapter 13 The Battle Over Bathing (and Other Health Dilemmas) 164
Chapter 14 The Hardest Decision 174
Rebuilding Your World
Chapter 15 The World They Have Created 193
Chapter 16 Other People's Opinions 202
Chapter 17 The Empty Seat at the Table 207
The End Stages
Chapter 18 Your Old Friend Grief 215
Chapter 19 After the End 236
Afterword 245
Acknowledgments 249
Notes 251