Article 11

After reading this article it really got me thinking about how I view the elderly. I never really thought about the points that Mary Pipher made until I read this article. It's really sad to think about how our society looks at "old" people. I understand that everyone is scared of dying and losing the abilities we have but we also need to look at the wisdom they have and respect at all the things they have been through. It’s really disappointing that we as a society segregate the old and have a type of prejudice against them because we live in a "youth worshiping culture." Just because the old are "different" from us if you can even say that, does not mean that we should look down upon them or try to segregate them. I never really thought about the fact that our greeting cards aimed towards the older generation mostly poke fun of the aging process, but it really is true. It's very normal when someone is nervous about something they make a joke and that’s exactly what happens with our greeting cards. I know for my self that I do not want to get old and I guess you could say I do fear aging and when I do get into my fifties I will most likely be in denial about being "old" which I find very embarrassing. Even Pipher admitted it was hard for her to go rest homes because it forced her to think about her self one day living in one. I can say that I'm not that scared of dying per say but the process of getting old; losing my memory, losing my eye sight, etc. I completely agree with the statement that nothing in our culture guides us in a positive way toward the old. Everything around us conveys aging as bad, so obviously the younger generations are almost taught to fear aging and being old. I also think it’s sad that a lot of people in the younger generation do not have proper manners with the older generation. They are people just like we are, they may have lost some of their abilities but in reality they are still human beings. Another point I have extremely interesting is that when an older person gets in car accident it's blamed on their age because it’s very true. There are just as many younger drivers. I also agree with the fact that the media does not portray older people in the right way. They show them in the stereotypical way and if I have learned anything over the course of the semester it is hat we need to stop stereotyping people especially based on their age. To me the most upsetting thing I read in the article is the fact that older people are scared to be dependent on their family members because of how they fear they will be looked at. Just because they need help doesn't mean their family members should lose respect for them. I think the younger generation needs to start becoming more accepting so that older people don't fear becoming dependent and in a way embrace it. This article was an eye opener for me. It made me re think about how I should look at older people because someday I will be one of them. If our society could look at aging in a more positive light maybe we could stop fearing the whole process all together.

Article 17

I found this article to be extremely interesting. I'm only nineteen and I can say that I worry about getting Alzheimer's when I'm older. So I was very interested in reading the article to see what researchers are working on to help prevent the disease. It’s amazing that with the advancement of technology and the use of PET scanners and MRI machines doctors can spot and track the disease even before a person has had any symptoms. It's extremely reassuring to know that you may be able to do something about the disease. It's also amazing that that drug makers are now working on over two dozen treatments for Alzheimer’s, because unlike the treatments that are out there today these drugs will hopefully be able to stall the progression of the disease. I believe that with a disease like Alzheimer’s even if they can not find a cure for it any type of treatment to help people with the severity of the symptoms is remarkable. The article states that through decades the brains exquisite circuitry with mounds of sticky plaque and expanses of dead neurons. Even just reading that statement you can began to realize how devastating the disease is. It’s really unfortunate that there is no drug that could repair that kind of damage. And that’s why I think if drug makers are able to produce a drug that can slow down the process, like anticipated it would be a great achievement. When I began to read in to paragraph four I could start to see some of the negative outcomes that are possible with the advancement of early detection. It would be terrible if employers and insurance companies started abandoning people whose brain scans showed some type of problem. It also is scary if people do find out that they are at risk for this disease but can not cope or adjust to the idea. It’s unfortunate that PET scanning is not covered by Medicare because it would be a great benefit for older adults to get brain scans as part of their routine check ups. The earlier Alzheimer or signs of Alzheimer’s are detected the better. Hopefully there will be more a person can do about their diagnosis of Alzheimer because it would be a terrible feeling to know you are going to get this terrible disease and not be able to do anything about it besides take a drug to ease some of the symptoms. I obviously think getting the drug Memantime approved in the U.S is only another improvement we can hope for. I do not know much about the disease or the causes of the disease but Mematime seems like an opportunity that the U.S would be stupid to pass up. Reading this article made me realize that there are some things related to the aging process that you can not change, fix or help no matter what you do and that really scares me. But I can say I feel more at ease knowing that there are drug makers working on medicines that will hopefully slow the process and symptoms of the Alzheimer. It’s still extremely scary knowing that the drug treatments may not work and people may just have to live with the implications of the disease. We can only hope that these drug treatments will work and people will be able to find some comfort in knowing that if diagnosed there is some relief in sight.