Going into class today I didn't feel prepared or ready to discuss my inquiry paper. To be honest it was the last thing on my list to do. Talking in class though really solidified my ideas and even encouraged me to look into it all more. So, thank you group for listening to my ramblings and giving me your ideas to further my inquiry.
I am looking into the identity of Alzheimer's patients and how the diagnosis can change their identity. Not just their diagnosis but the whole process that goes along with being diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
Our population is getting older and dementia is increasing, yet we don't have a good medical or societal method of dealing with it. Our tendency is to not deal with it and just put them in a residential care facility (RCF) so they can have someone watching over them 24/7. As of now I believe that RCFs propagate a faster decrease in cognitive ability and independence.
I am looking at an example from TSWLB about the graduate students who start treating a girl differently and she ends up becoming the person they were treating her as. If we reflect this to an Alzheimer's patient who is put in a RCF and is treated as completely disabled and needs to be looked after at all times. Does this cause the patient to start acting as a completely disabled person? Overtime does the patient start believing this themselves? Do they start thinking that they can't do anything for themselves? This also relates to Goffman's view on the self by saying a person identity changes when other's views on that person change.
As of right now I believe that it is in the best interest of the Alzheimer's patient if they have a family that can take care of them. They are surrounded by a loving community that is willing to help them at all costs. Being in an environment they know may help the patient stay oriented to their identity and life.
However, how does caring for a family with Alzheimer's effect the identity of the family and the individual members in it? How does it effect the way the family treats and views the family member with Alzheimer's? Even though the Alzheimer's family is taking care of them and they hopefully are able to keep their independence for as long as possible, does it change the way the Alzheimer's patient thinks or feels just to know he has to be taken care of?
My Grandpa was just diagnosed with Alzheimer's and immediatly it changed the way I view him. I have always pictured him as this bottomless container of knowledge and wisdom. Now everytime I see him I notice how fragile he looks or how old he is getting. If he wasn't diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer's would I just contribute all of that to his old age? Or would I question if he is mentally healthy?
As you can probably see I have no real point yet. Everything is in every direction. I have some journal articles, websites, and family accounts of taking care of a family membor with Alzheimer's.
I also haven't pin pointed my definition of identity.
If anyone has any suggesstions please let me know. As you can see I need any help I can get.
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Heather,
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a great idea for a topic! What is the responsility of doctors in this process? Would families and the patient themselves benefit from a referral to a counselor or a psychologist who could help them work through their fears? Or would such a referral hurt the identity of the patient and their family even more? I wonder, do we even really benefit from having an early diagnosis of a condition like this? Sure, there are medications that can slow the progression of AD, but is it worth it to know they have a disease and aren't just aging a little faster than anyone else?
As far as writing the paper goes, I wonder if you should maybe focus on the early theorists. Maybe you could question how knowledge of a disease affects how we see others seeing us and then feel pride or despair as with Cooley's theory. Have you had any luck with finding resources yet? Perhaps a search of AD diagnosis and cognitive effects would reveal some results.
I'm not sure where to go with this topic in relation to the paper, but it does seem like a really intriguing topic. Good luck with it!
James