“ Let us suppose that every man has in his mind a block of wax of various qualities, the gift of Memory, the mother of the Muses; and on this he receives the seal or stamp of those sensations and perceptions which he wishes to remember…” –Plato –
Plato produced one of the earliest recorded mechanism theories of how the mind functioned. He imagined the mind as a literal object that had the ability to be physically imprinted upon; these impressions are what we now relate to as memories. His visually rich description lead to my deeper understanding of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as I read the novel. The authors’ historical timeline for the disease discovery over the past decades, the various pathophysiological explanations and the personal accounts …show more content…
She sometimes forgets where she has placed her possessions and even if she called you that day. She is easily frustrated and does not respond well to being corrected. I am uncertain if she is suffering from the early stages of dementia or if it is just the natural process of aging that is occurring. As I experience the slight “retrogenesis” of my grandmother, I somewhat relate to the frustrations presented in the novel’s scenarios. Stories such as L.R from Lafayette, LA illustrate the frustrations experienced by the suffering individuals. L.R was experiencing frustration with life and struggling with everyday tasks such as eating and repeating things over and over; according to Reisberg retrogenesis phenomena, these types of behaviors appear around stage 4 and 5. Whereas A.B from Walla Walls Washington’s personal account of Ed was more serene and less hostile due to his later disease state. He recognized no one, not even himself as he peacefully pretended to drive a locomotive while riding in the backseat. These personal accounts influenced my perspective of AD as they each exploited different stages of the disease and the struggles they present. They highlighted the importance of patience when interacting with older adults and their caretakers as the disease effects all parties
Plato produced one of the earliest recorded mechanism theories of how the mind functioned. He imagined the mind as a literal object that had the ability to be physically imprinted upon; these impressions are what we now relate to as memories. His visually rich description lead to my deeper understanding of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as I read the novel. The authors’ historical timeline for the disease discovery over the past decades, the various pathophysiological explanations and the personal accounts …show more content…
She sometimes forgets where she has placed her possessions and even if she called you that day. She is easily frustrated and does not respond well to being corrected. I am uncertain if she is suffering from the early stages of dementia or if it is just the natural process of aging that is occurring. As I experience the slight “retrogenesis” of my grandmother, I somewhat relate to the frustrations presented in the novel’s scenarios. Stories such as L.R from Lafayette, LA illustrate the frustrations experienced by the suffering individuals. L.R was experiencing frustration with life and struggling with everyday tasks such as eating and repeating things over and over; according to Reisberg retrogenesis phenomena, these types of behaviors appear around stage 4 and 5. Whereas A.B from Walla Walls Washington’s personal account of Ed was more serene and less hostile due to his later disease state. He recognized no one, not even himself as he peacefully pretended to drive a locomotive while riding in the backseat. These personal accounts influenced my perspective of AD as they each exploited different stages of the disease and the struggles they present. They highlighted the importance of patience when interacting with older adults and their caretakers as the disease effects all parties