Showing results for "Dementia" in Professionals & Academics

Christine Bryden was a top civil servant and single mother of three children when she was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 46. Since then she has gone on to challenge almost every stereotype of people with dementia. This is a vivid account of the author's experiences of living with dementia, exploring the effects of memory problems, loss of independence, difficulties in communication and the exhaustion of coping with simple tasks. She describes how, with the support of her husband, Paul, she continues to lead an active life and explains how professionals and carers can help.

On a family vacation in 2009, Dr. Renée Brown Harmon felt the first jolt of fear that something might be wrong. How could her husband, Harvey, a highly intelligent physician, marathon runner, and devoted father, be struggling to keep up with their guide’s simple instructions or unable to do simple math to calculate their daughter’s age? The heartbreaking truth was confirmed nine months later when he was diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease at age fifty.

Forfatter og antropolog Ina Kjøgx Pedersen har været på feltarbejde i sin egen familie. Hendes idé var på nærmeste hold at følge sin mors demenssygdom; den sygdom, som er udråbt til at være en af vor tids største personlige og verdensøkonomiske katastrofer, som i ringe omfang lader sig behandle, og som i sundhedsvæsnet kun kan måles negativt: I form af rask tilbagegang. Men ville det også opleves sådan for hende i virkeligheden?

En nøgtern og usentimental fremstilling af de erfaringer med demens, Maria Helleberg har gjort, efter at hendes mor for nogle år siden blev ramt af sygdommen. Sygdommens forløb har været præget af både nedture og glæder. Nedture, når det gik tilbage for moderen, og den offentlige omsorg viste sig fra sin mest umyndiggørende og nedværdigende side. Glæder, når der kunne spores fremgang i moderens tilstand. Fremgangen indtraf først for alvor, da Maria Helleberg besluttede at få moderen ud fra den institution, hun var blevet anbragt på.