TY  - JOUR
AU  - Philip, Jennifer
AU  - Komesaroff, Paul
AU  - Chapman, Michael
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/06/17
TI  - Making Sense of Senselessness: Contemporary Literary Commentaries on Dementia
JO  - OBM Geriatrics
SP  - 056
VL  - 03
IS  - 02
AB  - Alzheimer’s Disease is increasingly seen as the major health in developed countries supplanting cancer and heart disease.  The terror with which we respond to dementia, is grounded in a view of dementia as a monstrous descent, ambushing our healthy ageing through an incursion of pathology. The pervasiveness of this view can mean that other perspectives and even the views of those most touched by the challenges of dementia can remain unheard.  
Part of the cultural conversation around dementia is informed by contemporary literature. Novels such as Still Alice, The Corrections, The Madonnas of Leningrad and Tinkers include vivid images of the dementia journey. They provide a variety of responses to the disruptions of this illness, as well as the possibility of finding meaning within the undeniable losses of dementia. These works and others like them extend the dialogue around the experience of dementia beyond the convenience of simplistic caricatures of the people affected by dementia. Engaging with these perspectives will assist clinicians’ understanding of the deeper implications of dementia for us all.
SN  - 2638-1311
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.geriatr.1902056
DO  - 10.21926/obm.geriatr.1902056
ID  - Philip2019
ER  -