Letting Go, Holding On
A CAREGIVER'S JOURNEY THROUGH DEMENTIA
A Field Guide for Dementia Caregivers
No one is prepared for dementia caregiving—but you don’t have to navigate it alone. When you’re caring for someone with dementia, you don’t need a dense textbook. You need something you can open in the middle of a difficult moment and find steady guidance.
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Letting Go, Holding On is a compassionate, practical companion for those caring for a loved one with dementia—offering clarity, perspective, and reassurance through every stage of the journey.
Written from lived experience, it speaks honestly about the emotional, physical, and logistical realities caregivers face, while reminding you of one simple truth:
Caring deeply does not require doing everything alone.
GUIDANCE, SUPPORT, VALIDATION
If you’re caring for someone with dementia, you may be experiencing things no one prepared you for.
Dementia caregiving rarely unfolds in a straight line. One day, you’re managing appointments and medications. Next, you’re navigating confusion, fear, difficult conversations, and decisions you never imagined having to make.
Along the way, many caregivers quietly carry feelings like:
• “Am I doing this right?”
• “Why does this feel so overwhelming?”
• “Why didn’t anyone prepare me for this?”
• “How do I know what comes next?”
• “Why does this feel so lonely?”
These questions are not signs of failure.
They are part of the reality of dementia caregiving.
Letting Go, Holding On was written for this space—where love, responsibility, grief, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty exist all at once.
Not to offer perfect answers, but to offer something caregivers often struggle to find: clear guidance, perspective, and reassurance that you are not alone on this journey.
Guidance for the Realities of Dementia Caregiving
Dementia caregiving is filled with moments that few people are prepared for. Decisions come quickly, situations change constantly, and the emotional weight can be overwhelming.
Letting Go, Holding On offers clear guidance and perspective for the moments caregivers face throughout the journey.
Understanding Dementia
Learn how dementia progresses and how changes in cognition, behavior, and communication affect daily life.
Communicating as Memory Changes
Practical ways to communicate with a loved one as their understanding and perception shift.
Managing Daily Care
Guidance for navigating behavioral changes, safety concerns, medical complications, and everyday caregiving challenges.
Navigating Family and Healthcare Systems
Strategies for advocating for your loved one, working with doctors and care teams, and managing family dynamics.
Planning for the Road Ahead
Insight into legal, financial, and care planning decisions—including evaluating in-home care, memory care, and skilled facilities.
Facing the Hardest Transitions
Thoughtful guidance around hospice, comfort-focused care, and the complicated grief that often accompanies dementia.
Each chapter includes reflection prompts, caregiver perspectives, and practical checklists so readers can pause, process, and apply information at their own pace.
AVAILABLE ON KINDLE & PAPERBACK
OTHER FORMATS COMING SOON
You Don’t Have to Walk This Journey Alone
Dementia caregiving asks more of us than we ever expected.
If you are walking this road, Letting Go, Holding On was written to offer guidance, perspective, and reassurance along the way.
And if you’re looking for connection with others who understand the experience, the Dementia Care Group community is there to support you.
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You are not alone.
Many caregivers feel isolated as they navigate the changing realities of dementia.
The Dementia Care Group is a supportive online space where caregivers can connect with others who understand the journey.
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Some members ask questions.
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Some share experiences.
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Many simply read and learn from others walking the same road.
If you’re looking for connection with other caregivers walking this road, you’re welcome to join. However you participate, you are welcome.
PRIVATE CAREGIVER COMMUNITY:
SAFE, RESPECTFUL & SUPPORTIVE
Written by Someone Walking the Same Road
Letting Go, Holding On grew out of one caregiver’s journey.
When Sheri Rettew began caring for her mother, she searched for guidance. Books existed, but many were long, clinical, or difficult to absorb while managing the day-to-day reality of caregiving.
What she needed was something different.
Something that could be opened in the middle of a difficult moment.
Something that offered perspective, reassurance, and practical direction without requiring hours of focused reading.
This book became that field guide. It provides answers or guidance along the journey when you feel so unequipped for the road ahead.
Written from lived experience, it reflects the realities caregivers face every day—the uncertainty, the responsibility, the quiet grief, and the deep love that often exists alongside them.
Its purpose is to offer clarity, structure, and companionship for the journey.