A discussion of the book “The Problem of Alzheimer’s” with author, Dr. Jason Karlawish, and MemoryCare Founder, Dr. Peggy Noel.
The Problem of Alzheimer’s
A definitive and compelling book on one of today’s most prevalent illnesses
In 2020, an estimated 5.8 million Americans had Alzheimer’s, and more than half a million died because of the disease and its devastating complications. 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 2050.
Part case studies, part meditation on the past, present and future of the disease, The Problem of Alzheimer’s traces Alzheimer’s from its beginnings to its recognition as a crisis. While it is an unambiguous account of decades of missed opportunities and our health care systems’ failures to take action, it tells the story of the biomedical breakthroughs that may allow Alzheimer’s to finally be prevented and treated by medicine and also presents 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 would give caregivers and patients better quality of life.
Rich in science, history, and characters, The Problem of Alzheimer’s takes us inside laboratories, patients’ homes, caregivers’ support groups, progressive care communities, and Jason Karlawish’s own practice at the Penn Memory Center.
“The Problem of Alzheimer’s” may be borrowed from MemoryCare’s lending library (100 Far Horizons Lane, Asheville, NC 28801) or purchased online through various retailers including Amazon.
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Jason Karlawish is a physician and writer. He researches and writes about issues of the intersections of bioethics, aging and the neurosciences. He is the author of The Problem of Alzheimer’s: How Science, Culture and Politics Turned a Rare Disease into a Crisis and What We Can Do About it and the Novel Open Wound: The Tragic Obsession of Dr. William Beaumont and has written essays for the New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Hill and the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is also a Professor of Medicine, Medical Ethics and Health Policy, and Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania and Co-Director of the Penn Memory Center, where he cares for patients. He lives in Philadelphia.
Visit Dr. Karlawish’s website for more information.