Preface.
Acknowlegments.
Chapter 1. Ways of Understanding the Effects of the Disease.
Chapter 2. Language and Communication.
Chapter 3. Excess Disability: The Potential Impact of Others in the Afflicted Person's Social World.
Chapter 4. The Maintenance of Self-Esteem.
Chapter 5. The Alzheimer's Disease Sufferer as a Semiotic Subject.
Chapter 6. Goals, Intentions, and the Alzheimer's Disease Sufferer's Predicament in Light of Critical Personalism.
Chapter 7. Selfhood and the Alzheimer's Disease Sufferer.
Chapter 8. The Tangled Veil is Also a Mirror.
References.
Index.
Steven Sabat is Associate Professor of Psychology at Georgetown University. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Washington area chapter of the Alzheimer's Disease Association, and has co-led support groups for Alzheimer's sufferers.
"Almost everything written about Alzheimer's Disease and its
victims describes the condition, their condition, from outside, in
terms of deficit and loss. The Experience of Alzheimer's Disease is
quite different in that each patient is presented as a unique
subject and emphasis is laid on what is strong and preserved, the
ways in which the self and a sense of worth and meaning can be
maintained, despite the progressive nature of the disease. Such an
'existential' perspective is radically different from the usual
'medical' or 'pathologizing' one, and one which is vitally needed,
and complementary to it. I think The Experience of Alzheimer's
Disease, while respecting scientific accuracy and avoiding
sentimentality, has something of the beauty and feel of a novel."
Oliver Sacks, M.D.
"This is the finest book thus far written about the experience of
Alzheimer's disease. Readers will be deeply impressed by Sabat's
many detailed observations and interpretations of the psychological
needs of persons with dementia, and with his case examples of how
responding to these needs can be beneficial. This book is an
immediate classic not only because it qualitatively defines the
experience of dementia better than all previous attempts, but also
because is humanely releases the reader from the grip of invalid
and ultimately harmful assumptions about the deeply forgetful."
Stephen G. Post, Center for Biomedical Ethics, CWRU
"Steven Sabat's book points the way to a soundly based and
eminently humane approach to dealing with the problems of language
and communication that are encountered in Alzheimer's disease.
Linguists and psycholinguists could learn a great deal from him."
Roy Harris, Editor of the journal, Language and Communication
"In this masterly and original study Steven Sabat introduces us to
a cast of characters, each in his or her own way struggling to
maintain a sense of self and to preserve a place of dignity and
value in what remains of their life worlds. As we follow Dr. B,
Mrs. D and Dr. M and the others through various real life episodes
we begin to see that there are possibilities for the enhancement of
the lives of even the most seriously disadvantaged, provided we
continue to view them as people who are, in all that really
matters, like ourselves." Rom Harré, Linacre College Oxford
"In his deep commitment to discovering and honoring the experience
of selfhood, Sabat has penetrated the tangled veil of Alzheimer's
to reveal with illuminating scholarship, uncommon empathy, and
profoundly skilled listening, the enduring humanity of persons with
the disease." Lisa Snyder, MSW, University of California, San Diego
and Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.
"Rarely has a book so amply fulfilled the promise of its title!
Steven Sabat's unique ability to interpret the life worlds of his
patients, his scholarly grasp of the research literature, and his
vivid case histories, set a new standard in understanding the
experience of Alzheimer's Disease. In an age of neuroscience and
genetic determinism, his book is a timely reminder that mental
disorder, even in cases of obvious "brain disease", may be a
product as much of dysfunctional treatments as of dysfunctional
brains. " K.W.M. Fulford, University of Oxford & University of
Warwick.
"This is truly a humane and scholarly treatise on the lived
experience of Alzheimer's disease. Sabat guides us beyond the
shattered biomedical world of patients diagnosed with dementia to
reveal them still as people with intact capabilities. A "must read"
for anyone involved in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of
AD." Phyllis Braudy Harris, John Carroll University.
"This is a "must read" for any practitioner whose clientele
includes patients with Alzheimer's disease. It combines humanity,
humility and a clear conceptual framework that can be put to
practical use. While captivating the reader, Sabat provides
insights that can be extremely helpful in clinical practice and
program development". Michael Gordon, University of Toronto,
Canadian Medical Association Journal, February 2002
"Sabat has written a complex, thought-provoking book which aims to
give some insight into the subjective experience of Alzheimer's
disease. [...] The book is interspersed with the voices of
Alzheimer's disease patients and Sabat displays warmth, empathy and
respect for the individuals described." R Clafferty, Forth Valley
Primary Care NHS Trust, Psychiatric Bulletin, January 2003
"this book is a rich source of people with dementias’ experiences
of having the condition, described using many examples of their own
words and conversations ... provides a useful insight into what it
might feel like to have dementia, and challenges us to reflect on
how we interact with people with the condition. It is thus a useful
text for psychiatrists and students alike who want a basic
grounding in social theories as applicable to dementia and an
evidence base for person-centred approaches to dementia care, and
is a rich source of data for those who already ascribe to this
philosophy." Claire Surr, Bradford Dementia Group, Bulletin of
Mental Health in Old Age, September 2004
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