Dementia in The Books Store

Memory loss can be one of the most terrifying aspects of a diagnosis of dementia. Yet the fear and dread of losing our memory make the experience of the disease worse than it needs to be, according to cultural critic and playwright Anne Davis Basting. She says, Forget memory. Basting emphasizes the importance of activities that focus on the present to improve the lives of persons with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

Based on ten years of practice and research in the field, Basting's study includes specific examples of innovative programs that stimulate growth, humor, and emotional connection; translates into accessible language a wide range of provocative academic works on memory; and addresses how advances in medical research and clinical practice are already pushing radical changes in care for persons with dementia.

Bold, optimistic, and innovative, Basting's cultural critique of dementia care offers a vision for how we can change the way we think about and care for people with memory loss.

Treatments for age-related dementia and the growing reliance on pharmaceuticals to alleviate its worst symptoms raise a number of questions about attitudes toward aging and cognition, the relationship between growing older and getting sick, and the conflicting interests of patients, caregivers, physicians, scientists, and business. This volume aims to foster a constructive debate about the future of dementia treatment by providing multiple perspectives on these tangled issues.

The first section examines how the concepts of dementia have expanded to encompass a broad range of symptoms and the implications of this evolution on the development of pharmaceutical treatments. The second section explores the use and effectiveness of drug treatments for dementia through the perspectives of a clinician, a researcher, and a layperson. In the third section, the contributors probe how culture, language, and values affect the overlapping worlds of pharmacology, drug marketing, and dementia treatment. A final section elucidates the thorny ethical and policy concerns surrounding the often-conflicting hopes for dementia medications.

Featuring contributions from noted clinicians, researchers, and scholars from a broad range of disciplines, this multidisciplinary dialogue addresses central questions about the history and future of drug treatment for dementia and makes clear why there are no simple answers. Professionals and students involved in gerontology, psychiatry, and bioethics will find the discussion both enlightening and practical.