The practical toolkits
The checklists, questions, home setups, and boundary-setting frameworks Colette used to protect legal rights, coordinate medical appointments, evaluate memory care, and interview hospice teams.
A companion for family caregivers
Walking My Mom Home
Practical caregiving, personal stories, and finding peace on the journey
If a diagnosis, a hospital corridor, or a sudden crisis has shifted your world, you do not have to have everything figured out today. You are not alone.
“Walking a parent home through cognitive decline is one of the heaviest burdens you will ever carry, but it is also one of the greatest acts of love and honor you will ever offer.”
Colette Lundin
The book
Written from the trenches, not the textbook
When Colette’s mom suffered a traumatic brain injury that became progressive cognitive decline, clinical training could not shield a daughter’s heart. This book weaves two threads so you can carry both the paperwork and the love.
The daughter’s heart
The unvarnished truth: watching a parent decline, finding peace in coloring books and house plants, the guilt of caring from another city, and the sacred beauty of being there as her mom crossed the finish line.
Who it’s for
If you are standing in the gap
This is a companion for adult children and families walking a parent through dementia, traumatic brain injury, memory care, or hospice — especially if you feel overwhelmed by the next decision.
- A parent has a new dementia or TBI diagnosis
- You are gathering POA, wills, and bank paperwork
- Behaviors, sundowning, or “showhosting” have begun
- You are touring memory care or calling hospice
- Family opinions are louder than daily facts
- You need permission to rest, grieve, and keep going
What’s inside
Twelve chapters you can open in a crisis
You do not need to read cover to cover. Jump to the chapter that matches today’s need.
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01
The Conversations We Cannot Wait to Have
Wills, powers of attorney, bank access, and cemetery details — before the hospital doors close.
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02
Understanding the Journey and Common Behaviors
FAST Scale, sundowning, showhosting, and caring for the person in front of you today.
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03
Setting Up for Comfort and Safety
A home that still feels like home: plants, a recliner, wardrobe hacks, and the outing backpack.
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04
Becoming Your Loved One’s Voice
Reading non-verbal pain, handing the nurse a note, and a three-question filter for family noise.
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05
The Lifeline of Hospice Care
Hospice is extra support, not 24/7 care — plus a 25-question interview checklist.
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06
The Courage to Ask for Help
Choosing memory care with intention — hometown, family nearby, and dignity for the final season.
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07
More Than Just Keeping Them Safe
Safety without stripping autonomy. Small choices that still honor the person they are.
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08
Helping Them Stay Engaged with Life
Catalog shopping, road trips, and Airbnb gatherings that keep a spirit from shrinking.
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09
Counting the Cost
The financial, physical, and emotional toll — named honestly, without shame.
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10
Recognizing the Final Season
Stair-step decline, comfort over panic, and a peaceful, dignified transition.
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11
Holding Love and Loss Together
Anticipatory grief, quiet joy, and the truth that they can exist in the same room.
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12
Hindsight, Healing, and Peace
What Colette would whisper to herself on the day of the diagnosis.
From the welcome
Standing in the gap
Colette wrote this as a letter to the person already in the middle of it.
Welcome from the Author
If you are holding this book, chances are your world has shifted in ways you never anticipated.
Perhaps a parent recently received a diagnosis of dementia, or a sudden medical crisis turned your family’s routine upside down overnight. Maybe you are standing in the middle of a hospital corridor feeling completely overwhelmed by terms like Power of Attorney, FAST Scale, or Hospice, wondering how on earth you are going to navigate the road ahead.
I want you to take a deep breath and hear me when I say this: you do not have to have everything figured out today, and you are not alone.
Consultations
Caregiving with Colette
30-minute private conversation · $30 · pay by card
Have questions about caring for a loved one with dementia? Need help navigating memory care, hospice, family dynamics, or the day-to-day? Book 30 minutes with Colette.
Next from Colette
Making Memories: Traveling with Dementia
A practical guide to road trips, Airbnb gatherings, family visits, and safe adventures
“Dementia changes how we travel, but it doesn’t mean the journey has to end.” From dementia-friendly stays to airport sensory overload and emergency kits, Colette’s companion book is for families who still want to share the road.
Get the book
Walking My Mom Home is on Amazon
Kindle edition, $4.99. Also free to read with Kindle Unlimited.
Occasional notes from Colette — the next book, and when consultations open.