Tag: dementia
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Honor Thy Mother and Father
The Japanese have the right idea. Their Prime Minister recently announced his government would invest in the development of “nursing care robots” that help older people with everyday tasks. With just over 20% of its people over age 65, Japan has the largest proportion of elders of any country in the world–the corresponding number for…
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Memory Loss
Talking to my friends and looking at my own reactions, I believe that memory loss is one of the most feared disabilities of aging. Since, as we age, most of us experience some degree of memory loss, it is easy to wonder if what we are experiencing are the first steps to dementia. Witnessing someone…
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“Still Alice” and the Ethics of Dementia
Several friends had urged me to read “Still Alice,” a novel by Lisa Genova about a 50 year old Harvard professor and mother of three who develops early onset Alzheimer’s disease. I’ve finally read it. My friends were right. I’d urge you to read it as they had urged me.
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Amour or Love Among the Ruins
Nominated for five Academy Awards, Amour is a film about love and death. (Read no further if you haven’t seen the film and don’t want to know who dies and how.) The setting is Paris, the language French, but any resemblance to a conventional French film about light-hearted romance or a ménage a trois ends…
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“Mommy’s” Long Life with Alzheimer’s Disease
My dear 99 year old stepmother, Virginia, has just been discharged from the supplemental hospice care program within her Alzheimer’s care facility. Why? Because she has survived for almost two years beyond the six month prognosis for survival required for inclusion. She has not died and is considered stabilized. Her advanced Alzheimer’s disease is now…