PLEASE DON’T DISAPPEAR ON ME

Sometimes caregiving hurts in a way nobody prepares you for.

The person is still here.

But something about them feels farther away.

Maybe they’re talking less.

Maybe they don’t respond the same way.

Maybe they sleep more.

Maybe they’re confused.

Maybe their personality is changing.

Maybe you keep reaching for the person you remember and getting scared because they don’t always reach back.

That grief is real.

And it can happen long before a goodbye.

PLEASE DON’T DISAPPEAR ON ME. is for the caregiver living inside that strange, painful space between loving who someone has always been and learning how to love who they are right now.

This guide is not going to tell you to “cherish every moment.”

Some moments are beautiful.

Some are exhausting.

Some are heartbreaking.

Some make you angry.

Some make you miss somebody who is sitting three feet away from you.

We can tell the truth about all of that.

Inside, we talk about staying connected when communication changes, noticing the ways your person may still be reaching for you, creating moments without forcing them, and making room for your own grief without feeling guilty for having it.

This guide is for you if:

• You feel like you are slowly losing pieces of someone you love.
• Conversations do not feel the way they used to.
• You are dealing with memory loss, cognitive changes, withdrawal, or major changes in personality.
• You find yourself thinking, “Please come back.”
• You need somebody to acknowledge how painful this kind of caregiving can actually be.

You do not have to pretend this part is easy.

SAGE sees you in it.