This volume seeks to bring readers to a deeper understanding of contemporary cultural and social configurations of Alzheimer’s disease by analyzing 21st-century U.S. novels in which the disease plays a key narrative role. Via analysis of selected works, Garrigós considers how the erasure of memory in a person with Alzheimer’s affects our idea of the identity of that person and their sense of belonging to a group. Starting out from three different types of memory (individual, social and cultural), the study focuses on the narrative strategies that authors use to configure how the disease is perceived and represented. This study is significant not only because of what the texts reveal about those with Alzheimer’s, but also for what they say about us - about the authors and readers who are producing and consuming these texts, about how we see this disease, and what our attitudes to it say about contemporary U.S. society.
This book addresses the representation of Alzheimer's disease in U.S contemporary fiction through the lens of memory loss. The study focuses on how the interpretation of the erasure of memories in a person with Alzheimer's affects our idea of identity in an individual, social and cultural sense"
This groundbreaking multicultural anthology shares moving personal stories about the impacts of Alzheimer’s and dementia. An estimated 5.7 million Americans are afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease, including 10 percent of those over sixty-five, and it is the sixth leading cause of death. But its effects are more pervasive: for the nearly 6 million sufferers, there are more than 16 million family caregivers and many more family members. Alzheimer’s wreaks havoc not only on brain cells; it is a disease of the spirit and heart for those who suffer from it but also for their families. This groundbreaking anthology presents forty narratives, both nonfiction and fiction, that together capture the impact and complexity of Alzheimer’s and other dementias on patients as well as their caregivers and family. Deeply personal, recounting the wrenching course of a disease that kills a loved one twice—first they forget who they are, and then the body succumbs—these stories also show how witnessing the disease and caring for someone with it can be powerfully transformative, calling forth amazing strength and grace. The contributors, who have all generously donated their work, include Edwidge Danticat, Julie Otsuka, Elizabeth Nunez, Meryl Comer, Greg O’Brien, Dr. Daniel Potts, Sallie Tisdale, and Nihal Satyadev. Reflecting the diversity and global nature of the dementia crisis, this anthology is published in collaboration with UsAgainstAlzheimer’s.
The book aims to present, educate and inform individuals about Alzheimer's disease in a comprehensive manner. Its scope ranges from the discovery of the disease, epidemiology and basic biological principles underlying it, to advanced stem cell therapies used in the treatment of Alzheimer's. It adopts a 'global' perspective on Alzheimer's disease, and include epidemiological data and science from countries around the world.Alzheimer's disease is a rapidly growing problem seen in every country around the world. This is the first and only comprehensive book to cover Alzheimer's disease, and includes the most updated literature and scientific progress in the field of dementia and Alzheimer's disease research.Most books on the market that focus on Alzheimer's disease are targeted at caregivers as practical advice on how to deal with loved ones with the disease. This book instead is a comprehensive and popular science book that can be read by anyone with an interest in learning more about the disease.Dr. Jefferson Chen MD, PhD, co-author, participated in the world's first surgical clinical trial using shunts to treat Alzheimer's disease. His first-hand involvement in a clinical trial for patients with Alzheimer's disease and experience treating Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) which is commonly misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease lends a unique perspective.This book with appeal to a wide audience, regardless of their scientific or educational background.
In telling Sarah's Alzheimer's Story, the writer takes you back to where it all began in the hills of Kentucky where Sarah was born. You may laugh, cry, or simply wonder as you go with her through her journey of life. The reader will get to know about the strong woman Sarah and how she endures many tragedies. One will find that even though memory loss is a large part of Alzheimer's disease, in Sarah's case, there is so much more. Throughout the story, the writer sometimes takes you back to incidents earlier in Sarah's life. In the writer's opinion, Sarah may be recalling something from the past, causing her to act the way she does. This seems to be especially true when she begins to see or talk to imaginary people. Dealing with this disease is often a struggle for Sarah and her family. But hopefully, you will see the joy in their laughter, the sorrow in their tears, and feel their strong love. It is hard to watch this very strong woman deteriorate mentally, physically, and lose her personality. But this writer believes that there is a reason, even if we do not understand it at the time.
This book examines narratives of dementia in contemporary literary texts, studying what is now a pressing issue with deep political, economic, and social implications for many ageing societies. As part of the increasing visibility of dementia in social and cultural life, these narratives pose ethical, aesthetic, and political questions about subjectivity, agency, and care that help us to interrogate the cultural discourse of dementia. Contemporary Narratives of Dementia is a seminal book that offers a sustained examination of a wide range of literary narratives, from auto/biographies and detective fiction, to children’s books and comic books. With its wide-reaching theoretical and critical scope, its comparative dimension, and its inclusion of multiple genres, this book is important for scholars engaging with studies of dementia and ageing in diverse disciplines. Sarah Falcus is a Reader in Contemporary Literature at the University of Huddersfield, UK. She has research interests in contemporary women’s writing, feminism and literary gerontology. She is the co-director of the Dementia and Cultural Narrative (DCN) network. Katsura Sako is an Associate Professor of English, at Keio University, Japan. Her main field of research is in post-war/contemporary British literature, and she has particular interests in gender, ageing and illness. She is a member of the steering committee of the DCN network.
Drawing on a selection of carefully curated autobiographical and fictional portrayals of the dementia experience, this book gives voice to some of the most pressing ethical issues that commonly arise in the context of a dementing disorder, and calls attention to various forms of narrative resistance in contemporary American literature on early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Based on the premise that the current public discourse on AD is largely dominated by an anxiety and fear-promoting conception of the illness, this multilayered inquiry strives to look beyond the widespread horrors of forgetting and loss in AD, and, in doing so, attempts to give a better, more accurate, and more balanced impression of what it means to be living with such a diagnosis.
This collection of essays explores cultural narratives of care in the contexts of ageing and illness. It includes both text-based and practice-based contributions by leading and emerging scholars in humanistic studies of ageing. The authors consider care not only in film (feature and documentary) and literature (novel, short story, children’s picturebook) but also in the fields of theatre performance, photography and music. The collection has a broad geographical scope, with case studies and primary texts from Europe and North America but also from Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Argentina and Mexico. The volume asks what care, autonomy and dependence may mean and how these may be inflected by social and cultural specificities. Ultimately, it invites us to reflect on our relations to others as we face the global and local challenges of care in ageing societies.
Reminiscent of "A Beautiful Mind" and "Ordinary People," this work is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by a first-time author who holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience.
Garry Willmott will donate ten per cent of all royalties from the sales of both the paperback and e-book to an appropriate charity supporting dementia research. Donations will be distributed to the country where the sales originated from. This story brings life the anguish of those people, young and old, suffering the consequences of Alzheimer's disease. It is a story that illuminates many factual aspects of the nature of this illness while fictionally bringing us into the lives of those transformed by its devastating effects. The author has created sympathetic and credible characters whose plights we share as they confront the ways in which this tragic illness affects not only those directly stricken but also their close relatives and friends. The carefully constructed narrative shows vividly how the disease can strike anyone: Rob, a successful young medical researcher with a promising career; his mother, a respected lawyer with a life of achievement, and all those within their immediate orbit are changed utterly by the onset of this disease. There are many subsidiary contemporary elements introduced by the engaging narrative. Gay relationships, for example, are represented positively and respectfully so that we see gay couples living faithful, loving and socially acceptable lives. The author also implies some of the dangers inherent in placing too much faith in the contemporary (and often exploitative) trent to online relationships. There are tragedies and triumphs in this tight and suspenseful narrative. It is an 'emotional roller-coaster', both poignant and uplifting. It is also a compelling read. Two gentlemen were sharing a house together after both their wives had died; both suffered dementia. One of them, Harry, asked his housemate Frank if he wanted anything up at the shops. "Why would I bother Harry? You'll forget by the time you get out the back door." "No, don't be silly, of course I'll remember. I'm feeling good today." "Ok, do you know those ice-creams that have a chocolate flake sticking out of it?" "Yeah!" "Well I want one of them." "Ok, done." "What did I ask for?" "You want one of those ice-creams that have a chocolate flake sticking out of it." "Seeing you remembered that, I want hundreds and thousands sprinkled over the whole lot. Oh forget it, you'll never remember." "I will, I promise." Harry left the house to walk the one kilometre to the shops; three hours later he returned and plonked a brown paper bag down on the kitchen table. "There's your pie." Frank looked inside the bag. "For god's sake, you forgot the sauce!"
