Dr Oliver Draycott
old-age psychiatrist
Kind; early assessment opens doors
Forgetting
Unpaid bills, a kettle left on and a mother who insists nothing is wrong. Joanna navigates assessment, diagnosis and five years of care, learning to love the person her mother is becoming.
Planned · not started yet
Ageing & later life Family duty Living with uncertainty Family home Hospital or clinic Reflective Warm
The premise
Unpaid bills, a kettle left on and a mother who insists nothing is wrong. Joanna navigates assessment, diagnosis and five years of care, learning to love the person her mother is becoming.
The protagonist
Joanna Coutinho-Reilly — Daughter noticing her mother’s memory slipping
The council
Every council member is an original fictional character. None represents, quotes or is endorsed by a real person.
Abena Ekpo
dementia nurse
Practical; routine reduces distress
Margaret Delaney
care-home manager
Experienced; visit several homes
How the story moves
Five years of decline and adaptation; each stage requires new decisions and a new relationship.
What readers take away
- Early signs of dementia
- The assessment process
- Types of dementia
- Treatments and their limits
- Care planning
- Support for carers
- Communication with people with dementia
- End-of-life care in dementia
- Use memory aids and routines
- Adapt the home for safety
- Manage driving decisions
- Plan respite
The books
- 1The kettle Planned
- 2The assessment Planned
- 3Diagnosis Planned
- 4Care Planned
- 5Crisis Planned
- 6Goodbye Planned
Book titles are working titles and may change before publication. No book is on sale until the complete series is finished, checked and released.