The Experiential Approach
Medical anthropologists using the experiential approach attempt to describe the experience of the patients affected by the disease. They typically use narratives, stories the patient tell about their illness, to attempt to understand how they felt about their illness and the different ways it affected their perception and their everyday lives. It pulls from psychology and attempts to understand the experience and meaning of the illness.
The anthropologist looks for the cultural and social factors to see how the person makes sense of their illness and what it is doing to their lives.
When it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, the experiential approach to Medical Anthropology is a very difficult one to pursue, but may be the most interesting. Alzheimer’s disease effects a person’s memory and cognitive ability, making their narratives very difficult to retrieve. But it is also extremely important to attempt to take the experiential approach when dealing with Alzheimer’s disease patients due to the fact that most of the current treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are incredibly impersonal; the patients are often seen as less than human. So, while these narratives may be difficult, they may be the most important aspect anthropology can offer.
Most Alzheimer’s disease patients are often either in denial about their disease or they do not have the cognitive ability to comprehend what is happening to them. So, to offer you some sort of example of a narrative, I chose to give you the narrative from the perspective of my mother, who is the caretaker for my grandmother who is suffering from the disease. This narrative obviously does not tell us everything we would like to hear from an experiential point of view, but especially in my grandma’s case it’s the best we can do.
The anthropologist looks for the cultural and social factors to see how the person makes sense of their illness and what it is doing to their lives.
When it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, the experiential approach to Medical Anthropology is a very difficult one to pursue, but may be the most interesting. Alzheimer’s disease effects a person’s memory and cognitive ability, making their narratives very difficult to retrieve. But it is also extremely important to attempt to take the experiential approach when dealing with Alzheimer’s disease patients due to the fact that most of the current treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are incredibly impersonal; the patients are often seen as less than human. So, while these narratives may be difficult, they may be the most important aspect anthropology can offer.
Most Alzheimer’s disease patients are often either in denial about their disease or they do not have the cognitive ability to comprehend what is happening to them. So, to offer you some sort of example of a narrative, I chose to give you the narrative from the perspective of my mother, who is the caretaker for my grandmother who is suffering from the disease. This narrative obviously does not tell us everything we would like to hear from an experiential point of view, but especially in my grandma’s case it’s the best we can do.
My mother, Jerry Martin, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008. We took her to the doctor because she was starting to call and ask the same questions at least twice a day, but also her ability to do things like balance her checkbook or remember the calendar date were starting to fail. She lived at home, unsupervised for the next 3 years until 2011, when we finally had to take more action.
Mom’s memory was starting to get worse and worse, and she began hiding money around her apartment then getting hysterical about it when she couldn’t find it. She was walking to the bank two to three times a day and withdrawing large amounts of money, then losing them around her apartment. Finally, one day she took $800 from her bank account, hid the money, then couldn’t find it later in the day. She was crying profusely and was frustrated that she couldn’t remember anything, to the point that she had a panic attack. I also discovered she hadn’t taken any of her medicine for the past couple of days. I decided then to take her to the hospital and have her admitted to a full-time care facility.
Mom’s memory was starting to get worse and worse, and she began hiding money around her apartment then getting hysterical about it when she couldn’t find it. She was walking to the bank two to three times a day and withdrawing large amounts of money, then losing them around her apartment. Finally, one day she took $800 from her bank account, hid the money, then couldn’t find it later in the day. She was crying profusely and was frustrated that she couldn’t remember anything, to the point that she had a panic attack. I also discovered she hadn’t taken any of her medicine for the past couple of days. I decided then to take her to the hospital and have her admitted to a full-time care facility.
This last straw was the beginning of a major decline for my mom’s ability to live on her own. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened had we not taken that step to move her into the home. She now lives in the full-time facility where they make sure she’s eating, taking her medications, and she even has developed a new identity in the home. She has made friends with a lot of the other patients, and she generally likes where she is.
While mom’s symptoms are more maintained, they are getting worse. On some days, she has accepted that she has Alzheimer’s disease and she lives in the home until the doctor tells her she can go home. On others she won’t accept that she lives there because she thinks it is a hotel, and is always convinced she is moving out the next day. She often accuses me of stealing her money and other things, but often will call back the next hour not remembering what she said or even talking to me at all. Now, we know she will be well taken care of as the disease progresses, and we just have to keep caring for her and hoping that someday they’ll find a cure so that no one else has to suffer through what we’ve been through.
While mom’s symptoms are more maintained, they are getting worse. On some days, she has accepted that she has Alzheimer’s disease and she lives in the home until the doctor tells her she can go home. On others she won’t accept that she lives there because she thinks it is a hotel, and is always convinced she is moving out the next day. She often accuses me of stealing her money and other things, but often will call back the next hour not remembering what she said or even talking to me at all. Now, we know she will be well taken care of as the disease progresses, and we just have to keep caring for her and hoping that someday they’ll find a cure so that no one else has to suffer through what we’ve been through.
Image Credit: PicGif.com
ABC newscasters also participated in an experiment that showed them how it felt to have Alzheimer’s disease. This is not exactly a narrative, but should be considered under this approach when studying Alzheimer’s disease. The results are fascinating. Check out what happens to them in this video:
Video Credit: Alzheimer's Weekly
Work Cited:
Alzheimer’s Weekly. “Experience 12 Minutes in Alzheimer’s Dementia.” Video. August 21, 2012.
Accessed July 30, 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL_Gq7Shc-Y
PicGifs.com. “Ambulance Graphics”. Accessed July 30, 2013.
http://www.picgifs.com/graphics/ambulance/graphics-ambulance-520123-768294/
Alzheimer’s Weekly. “Experience 12 Minutes in Alzheimer’s Dementia.” Video. August 21, 2012.
Accessed July 30, 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL_Gq7Shc-Y
PicGifs.com. “Ambulance Graphics”. Accessed July 30, 2013.
http://www.picgifs.com/graphics/ambulance/graphics-ambulance-520123-768294/