The title and subtitle of this engaging and extremely helpful book should be reversed because the book is predominantly about developing systems to help families care successfully at home for parents with dementia and serious medical problems and only partly about the “good death” we all wish for.

In the book the author tells the story of the decline and death of her parents from the time she returned to their home city to look after them. She provides the medical plus the domestic narrative of her parents' increasing dementia, with honest descriptions of the methods she and her family and carers used to overcome the challenges that occurred. There are repetitions of some incidents, usually to explain a different aspect of the problem. The author's clinical and management experience in health were beneficial in developing the systems she describes.

Much of the central section of the book gives very detailed descriptions of how to hire and organize carers to look after older people at home, which this family were able to do. The author knows this will not be the case for many readers of the book so she also discusses residential care options.

Because the author and her parents lived in New Mexico, it is the US system of health care that is described, including the costs and the list of helpful websites. This means that some information will be of limited use to readers in other countries. That said, most of the information is helpful, especially the systems and checklists for almost everything one might need, including hiring care staff, organizing legal and financial affairs, considering advanced care plans, and donating body parts.

In summary, a very practical and useful book which can be dipped into for suggestions on how to deal with all the common issues that occur in the home care of older family members with dementia and general frailty.