Posted in cultural phenom, history of memory, medicine, public education, science of memory, tagged alzheimer's, antipsychotics, dementia, improving care, NYT's science section on June 24, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I would love to read a good history of pharmaceuticals in this country. Just when did we become convinced that it is cheaper to medicate than to provide actual care or change behaviors? How is it that we arrive at the numbers that tell us this is so? And why [...]
Posted in art, cultural phenom, public education, tagged alzheimer's, arts and dementia, MoMA on June 20, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The MoMA Alzheimer’s Project, which opens access to this magnificent cultural treasure to people with dementia and their families, now has a guide for museums interested in replicating their program.
You can download the Guide for free, thanks to support from the MetLife Foundation.
This marks a really exciting shift in the field. Rather than create [...]
Posted in books, cultural phenom, film, public education, tagged alzheimer's, books, David Shenk, dementia, films, The Forgetting on June 12, 2008 | No Comments »
Looks like PBS will be rebroadcasting The Forgetting this summer.
I have mixed feelings.
On the one hand, the film certainly has been a powerful tool for raising awareness. The local feeds afterward, which feature more nuanced discussions of the experience of dementia, are very informative and moving.
But the film itself is pure tragic narrative. [...]
Posted in cultural phenom, public education, tagged aging, alzheimer's, dementia, Joe Shapior, learning, The Intergenerational School, volunteering on June 12, 2008 | No Comments »
Joe Shapiro did a lovely piece on NPR about The Intergenerational School (TIS) in Cleveland. The school brings together young (K- and old, as well as people with disabilities, including Alzheimer’s. Thanks largely to Civic Ventures, the idea of older adults becoming a large, mobilized volunteer corps for this country has started to really [...]
Posted in books, cultural phenom, public education, tagged alzheimer's, books on dementia, can't remember what I forgot, carved in sand, stigma, Story of Forgetting, Where did I leave my glasses on June 3, 2008 | No Comments »
When I was first pitching Forget Memory to agents, a very successful agent whom I admire a great deal told me that it was a great idea, but that unfortunately, in her experience, “dementia doesn’t sell.” I just got word today that Lisa Genova’s book Still Alice, which she initially self-published, has been picked up [...]
Posted in cultural phenom, public education, tagged activism, alzheimer's, dementia, early stage dementia, Richard Taylor on June 3, 2008 | No Comments »
In the conclusion to Forget Memory, I imagine a day when people with dementia will engage in ACT-UP style activism. In the way that ACT-UP shaped AIDS/HIV research and funding, dementia activists might be able to shape a research agenda for AD that includes care as well as cure. They might be able to drive [...]
Posted in cultural phenom, history of memory, public education, science of memory, tagged aging, memory loss, wisdom on May 21, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The NYT’s Science Section featured an interesting article today about how memory loss associated with aging might actually be recast as a widening of the attention/focus to better synthesize information rather than focus on details. This, the article tells us, is another way to define wisdom.
Might this also be true of other “losses” associated [...]
Posted in cultural phenom, film, public education, tagged alzheimer's, alzheimer's demographics, Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter, Deborah HOffman, dementia, fear, film and dementia on May 16, 2008 | No Comments »
I was sure that when I turned in the final copy of the book to the publisher on Tuesday, that it was already out of date. I’d just given two talks at chapters of the Alzheimer’s Association, and the audiences really got what I was saying. We can no longer raise awareness of Alzheimer’s with [...]
Posted in art, public education, tagged arts, creativity, dementia, Don Moyer, Jenny Knauss, non pharmacological interventions, Renee Beard on May 14, 2008 | No Comments »
Don Moyer and Jenny Knauss, the folks behind Alzheimer’s Spoken Here, worked with sociologist Renee Beard and a student to pull together a mammoth literature review of all the academic citations having to do with non-pharmacological interventions in dementia care, a.k.a. the arts and creative expression.
It’s a great list - and a great way to [...]
Posted in art, cultural phenom, public education, tagged creativity and dementia on May 5, 2008 | No Comments »
I’m always trolling for news about creative expression and dementia, and came across this one today - Creativity Not Slowed by Dementia in the San Mateo Times (CA).
Enjoy.
