The Long Goodbye : Dementia Caregiving

Home
Notes
Grey Gardens 11372
Resources
Archive
About
WTF is a Long Goodbye?
It's why I'm here. And why you're here, too. The time between a dementia diagnosis & death when she's fading away & you're trying to hang on.
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
Bring Out Your Dead: But, I'm Not Dead Yet
She's back. Like some commitment-phobic geriatric groupie, she waits at Death's backstage door, but runs away the minute the Reaper opens the door. Mom…
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
6
Do I Keep Feeding the Empty Shell of my Mother?
The Living Will says no artificial feeding or hydration. Have I become her personal feeding tube?
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
20
Most Popular
View all
Do I Keep Feeding the Empty Shell of my Mother?
 • Jodi Sh. Doff
20
My Neighbor Collapsed
 • Jodi Sh. Doff
10
I Spend a Lot of Time Thinking About Shit
 • Jodi Sh. Doff
8
How Hard is it to Feed and Shower One Old Lady?
 • Jodi Sh. Doff
13
I Didn’t Kill my Mother Last Night
 • Jodi Sh. Doff
1
Caregiver Bingo: Finding the Right Home Aide
 • Jodi Sh. Doff
2

Recent posts

View all
How Hard is it to Feed and Shower One Old Lady?
Caregiver Bingo, the search continues. One quit mid-shift. One lied about her experience. One needs to bring her kid. One can't get Mom to stand…
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
13
It Takes A Village
We can't do this alone. Additional reading, resources, services, podcasts & media.
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
This is Not a Link Roundup
Except, it kind of is. Links on death, dying and dementia, a lovely little vid on enjoying death and a band of neuroscientists that'll make you think of…
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
9
What if You Knew You'd Develop Dementia?
How late is too late to change the course of your brain?
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
4
What Safe Feels Like
An infant discovers the world around them first through their skin, comforted by being held & the warmth of skin on skin. A child clutches a worn…
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
14
Caregiver Bingo: Finding the Right Home Aide
The good, the bad, the no-shows & the funny looking. Finding the right one is a game of chance, one part luck, one part perseverance.
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
2
2012: Bathing Big Edie
My vibrant Big Edie was literally shrinking into My Little Mommy. She was taking up less space in the world as she shrank due to bone loss. And the…
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
4
Groundhog day, dementia-style
Mind-numbing repetition. Mom, Paul Simon and Me, in an endless loop. Also, why isn't Filicide/Parricide-Suicide more common?
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
12
Being the Best Mother isn't Enough
Sometimes I regret bringing Mom to live with me after she hurt herself. Maybe being the best mother to my mother would have meant leaving her with her…
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
12
How's Mom, They Ask ?
You want me to tell you it's all okay and thank you for caring enough to ask. But you don’t want to hear how it’s really going.
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
25
In the Beginning, There was Assisted Living
After her boyfriend died, she got worse. Withdrawing. Starting one or two small smoking fires in the oven, setting off smoke alarms that she ignored.
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
3
Cohabitating: Me & My Shadow
originally published: onlythejodi.com 6/6/2020. I imagined lots of things that could be problematic when I said come live with me, but becoming one half…
 • 
Jodi Sh. Doff
7
The Long Goodbye : Dementia Caregiving
The Long Goodbye : Dementia Caregiving
A caregiver to a parent with dementia, I'm trying not to lose my mind as Mom loses hers, because murder/suicide, while appealing, is not a great option. These are our stories. https://linktr.ee/jshdoff
Recommendations
View all 20
AnnaGrams
AnnaGrams
Anna Pulley
Frisson for Freaks
Frisson for Freaks
Sanna Salanimi
Style Your Stack
Style Your Stack
Nan Tepper
Elizabeth Grey Writes
Elizabeth Grey Writes
elizabeth grey
Too Old For This Sh*t
Too Old For This Sh*t
JULIA HUBBEL
© 2024 jodi sh. doff
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture