Alzheimer’s disease is an ever-growing disease that affects over 5.4 million people today. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for between 50 and 80 percent of all dementia cases. Alzheimer’s disease can be defined as a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior (Alzheimer’s Association). Symptoms usually develop over time and slowly, eventually becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. There is currently no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
I chose to analyze this disease due to a personal connection with the disease, as well as an ongoing passion to pursue a journey to help find the cure for Alzheimer’s disease. My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease around 5 years ago, and is currently battling the disease. My mother has since been her caretaker, and I have personally witnessed many of the hardships both she and my grandmother have had to face associated with the disease. On a further note, I currently have been a top participant in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and am attempting to pursue a career within the Alzheimer’s Association.
I chose to analyze this disease due to a personal connection with the disease, as well as an ongoing passion to pursue a journey to help find the cure for Alzheimer’s disease. My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease around 5 years ago, and is currently battling the disease. My mother has since been her caretaker, and I have personally witnessed many of the hardships both she and my grandmother have had to face associated with the disease. On a further note, I currently have been a top participant in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and am attempting to pursue a career within the Alzheimer’s Association.
My Grandmother and I at the 2012 Walk to End Alzheimer's in Monroe, MI.
It is important to consider the non-medical factors when studying this and illnesses in general because in the medical world it is more common than not that the disease is treated, but not the patient. Especially pertaining to dementia related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, medical professionals and the general public alike tend to treat Alzheimer’s patients as less than human. Many different anthropologists and other scholars have done research on Alzheimer’s disease and have shown that a more humanistic approach to treating this and other dementia related diseases has proven to be not only more effective, but also creates a more comfortable arrangement for the patients.
I personally propose that anthropology can be especially helpful to treating Alzheimer’s disease when we consider different cultural experiences for not only patients but caregivers alike. I believe anthropology can create a more comfortable experience for patients by treating them with respect to their cultural upbringing, instead of treating all patients uniformly. I also believe that anthropologists could take cultural aspects into account when creating support groups for caregivers, including the understanding that many other cultures (such as Indian and Middle-Eastern cultures) do not believe in Alzheimer’s disease as a problem.
I hope you will join me as throughout this webpage I analyze how medical anthropology could help the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Together, we may be able to find a cure.
Works Cited:
Alzheimer's Association. "Alzheimer's Association: What Is Alzheimer's?" Accessed July 1, 2013.
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp
I personally propose that anthropology can be especially helpful to treating Alzheimer’s disease when we consider different cultural experiences for not only patients but caregivers alike. I believe anthropology can create a more comfortable experience for patients by treating them with respect to their cultural upbringing, instead of treating all patients uniformly. I also believe that anthropologists could take cultural aspects into account when creating support groups for caregivers, including the understanding that many other cultures (such as Indian and Middle-Eastern cultures) do not believe in Alzheimer’s disease as a problem.
I hope you will join me as throughout this webpage I analyze how medical anthropology could help the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Together, we may be able to find a cure.
Works Cited:
Alzheimer's Association. "Alzheimer's Association: What Is Alzheimer's?" Accessed July 1, 2013.
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp