His honest writing makes this a painful but important read for anyone who has lost a friend or relative to Alzheimer’s.īy Sophie McBain Politics: A Survivor’s Guide by Rafael Behr Jauhar experienced grief, frustration and rage as his father became increasingly irrational and volatile. The challenge we face as individuals is how we relate to loved ones who both are, and aren’t, there. The social challenge we face is how we support and value those whose memories are impaired. Autopsy studies suggest that brain damage and the severity of dementia are less correlated than one might expect: having a high “psychosocial reserve” (strong relationships and a supportive environment) can protect an individual’s cognitive function even when their brain is ravaged by the plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s. Jauhar emphasises the importance of considering dementia from a social perspective. He asks: what remains of a person after their memory is gone? His father’s story is interwoven with the history and science of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, diseases that afflict at least six million adults in the US alone. In this intimate medical memoir, the cardiologist Sandeep Jauhar documents the decline of his father, a prominent research geneticist, after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. My Father’s Brain: Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s by Sandeep Jauhar
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