The problem of Alzheimer's : how science, culture, and politics turned a rare disease into a crisis and what we can do about it Cover Image

Book

The problem of Alzheimer's : how science, culture, and politics turned a rare disease into a crisis and what we can do about it / Jason Karlawish.

Summary:

"A comprehensive and revelatory book on one of today's most prevalent illnesses. In 2019, 5.8 million Americans had Alzheimer's, and more than half a million will die of Alzheimer's disease dementia. 16 million caregivers are responsible for paying as much as half of the $226 billion annual costs of their care. As more people live beyond their seventies and eighties, the number of patients will rise to an estimated 13.8 million by 2025. Part case studies, part meditation on the past, present and future ofthe disease, The Disease of the Century traces Alzheimer's disease from its discovery and tells the story of the biomedical breakthroughs that may allow it to finally be prevented and treated by medicine. While it is a scathing indictment of our health care system, it is also an argument for how we can live with dementia; the ways patients can reclaim their autonomy and redefine their sense of self, how families can support their loved ones, and the innovative reforms we can make as a society that wouldgive caregivers and patients better quality of life. Rich in science, history, and characters, The Disease of the Century takes us inside cutting edge laboratories, patients' homes, caregivers' support groups, progressive assisted living facilities, and Jason Karlawish's own practice at the Penn Memory Center"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

ISBN: 9781250218735 : HRD
ISBN: 125021873X : HRD
Physical Description: viii, 324 pages ; 25 cm
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York : St. Martin's Press, 2021.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

A Peculiar Disease of the Cerebral Cortex -- No One Says No to Len Kurland -- Accurate but Not Presumptuous -- The Olympics of Pharmacokinetics -- The Republic of Alzheimer's Disease -- A Young Man in a Hurry -- How Do You Cast a Broken Brain? -- The OldWoman in the Tower -- Alois Alzheimer : An Unwitting Revolutionary -- Oblivion, or War and Madness -- The Essay Heard Round the World -- A Self-Help Group for the Self-Made Man -- A Crisis in the Family -- The Last Casualties of the Cold War -- Hope in aPill -- The Extraordinary Ordinary -- A Correction -- Discernment -- Some Things to Watch over Us -- Not (legally) Dead yet -- Targeting Amyloid -- Hope in a plan -- Something Must Be Working -- Existential Dread -- Caring for Each Other -- The Worlds WeCreate -- The Worlds We End.