The Long Goodbye

The Story

The word arrives in a doctor's office, or across a kitchen table, or in a phone call from a sibling who has finally said out loud what the family has been pretending not to notice. Dementia. And in the silence that follows, a future rearranges itself. The Long Goodbye is the book the author wishes he had been handed in those first weeks. A clear, current, science-based field guide to what dementia actually is, what causes it, how it progresses, and what families can do at each stage — from the first whispered concern to the final months of care. Inside, you will find honest descriptions of every major dementia (Alzheimer's, vascular, Lewy body, frontotemporal, and the rarer types); the diagnostic revolution of the past decade, including the new biomarkers and the first disease-modifying drugs; the reversible mimics that should never be missed; the fourteen modifiable risk factors that make nearly half of dementia potentially preventable; and the daily realities of sundowning, communication, behavior, caregiving, and grief. Written by an engineer who has watched the disease at close range, The Long Goodbye combines the precision of a technical reference with the empathy of a fellow traveler. The road is hard. It is also walkable. This book is the map.

Major Themes