Alzheimer's Disease: The Importance Of Memory

Alzheimer 's disease has taught me the importance of holding on to memories. In Theory of Knowledge class, I learned about memory as a way of knowing. Memories are vital in knowledge of the recent past. In my experience with my great grandmother’s term with Alzheimer’s, I have held on to many memories that she can no longer share. Even so, these memories will never be forgotten because I will keep them alive. This is because memories need to be passed on to further generations.
Going to my great grandmother’s house in Gadsden used to be such an exciting experience for me. I would visit often before I started school and then in the summers and on holidays. She would cook the best cornbread and fried potatoes. I believe my love for cooking came from the time spent in her kitchen. In the summertime she would tend her garden with a multitude of beautiful flowers. She kept her home stocked with toys and books for me when I visited. I could read the same stories over and over and never grow tired of them. Her computer offered hours of fun for me as I played interactive pet games. About five or six years ago, she came to live with my grandparents. It had become harder for her to …show more content…
We never miss a person dear to us when they are there, but only when they are gone. I read a book by Margaret Haddix called Turnabout. In it, a group of elderly men and women from a local nursing home undergo a procedure to reverse their aging. Every year they turn back the clock an entire year. Two women leave the nursing home to experience this new life, independent of the agency that performed the procedure. They encounter problems along the way, especially discovering the phenomenon that the memories from the last year are gone. Both their bodies and brains are in a sense unaging. They are allowed another chance at life, but I question whether that was a good