By Sherri Thomas

The Long Goodbye Hello

A practical guide to dementia for families and carers

The world calls dementia "The Long Goodbye", focusing on everything that is slowly lost. Sherri doesn't see the long goodbye. She sees people wanting to connect and say hello.

Alongside the grief and the exhaustion, there is laughter. Connection. Moments where a person is completely, magnificently themselves, reaching out and trying to find joy.

We cannot touch what is lost. We can only touch what is here. And what is here, every single day, is the chance to say hello. A wave. A smile. A word. A moment of genuine connection.

There is power in a hello.

The Long Goodbye Hello explains what is actually happening in the brain, what behaviour is telling us, how to adapt, and what genuinely helps. Written in plain language, built on real stories — with practical tools for the hard moments: the HALTTT Check, the Weather Check, the Anxiety Ladder, and a full section on the everyday challenges families find most difficult.