Medical Anthropologists often use an approach called the Critical Approach. The critical approach involves wealth, power, and social factors that contribute to health care and disease exposure. The main focus of the critical approach are socioeconomic and political factors that have a major influence on how one perceives and understands a health issue. Political factors can effect or influence the way diseases and health disparities are conceptualized within a given cultural context. In order to understand this disease in different cultures, one must fully understand the political and socioeconomic aspects that underlie the Alzheimer’s disease.
There are several social factors that influence the way western culture perceives Alzheimer’s disease. The most important social factor is the perception of aging. Alzheimer’s is now being stigmatized because of research in biomedicine. Alzheimer’s is seen as a negative disease in western culture because majority of the individuals who are diagnosed with Alzheimers are of old age. Being that more than half of patients with Alzheimer’s are diagnosed at the ages of 50-70 years of age. Overtime Alzheimer’s has become associated with old age and every person in the western culture knows that this disease may be a cause of old age. This may cause fear amongst citizens in the U.S. The disease sets the boundary between normal aging and a pathological disease. Making a distinction between normal aging and the pathological aging is quite difficult because of the social stigma that is associated with old age and Alzheimer’s. There is clearly some form of correlation between aging and Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s disease have been widely biomedicalized, through the media as well as experts and research. The media have painted a picture of old age being terrible because of the possibility of memory loss. In the video link above, it illustrates how Alzheimer’s is a disease that targets the older population. Even though there is a such thing called early on-set Alzheimer’s which is found amongst individuals that are around the age of 40, most of the medication and research is directed towards patients of old age. The image displayed at the top of the page gives a prime example of old age in relation to Alzheimer’s. The image shows the hands of an older patient taking medication prescribed for the disease. The media has played a major role in the biomedicalization of Alzheimer’s and old age. The machines and technologies such as MRI’S, CAT Scans etc. have all played a role in the medicalization of Alzheimer’s. The advancement in technology has made it much easier to diagnose patients with this disease. The disease is more likely to be found in older patients than younger patients. Once again this makes the relation between aging and Alzheimer’s much stronger.
The American culture perceives this disease as negative. The disease effects the American cultures values about age. In other cultures such as China becoming older is a privilege. It is highly valued and significant. However, because of health disparities such as Alzheimer’s that are associated with old age most individuals in America believes that aging is a form of disease. The American culture believes that old age is not something to look forward too and that nothing good comes out of old age.
References:
“Report U.S. Unprepared for Impact of Alzheimer’s on Aging Population.” YouTube video, 8:12pm,
posted by trans222s, May 13, 2013,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAV32uZa_Vo.
“Alzheimer’s drugs effects clash: Study/Burial Insurance.” 460 x288.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=medication+given+to+alzheimer%
27s+patients&FORM=AWIR#view=detail&id=E36980622D0592DBC51300BFD6FB02
12DD13EE26&selectedIndex=3.
Alzheimer’s disease have been widely biomedicalized, through the media as well as experts and research. The media have painted a picture of old age being terrible because of the possibility of memory loss. In the video link above, it illustrates how Alzheimer’s is a disease that targets the older population. Even though there is a such thing called early on-set Alzheimer’s which is found amongst individuals that are around the age of 40, most of the medication and research is directed towards patients of old age. The image displayed at the top of the page gives a prime example of old age in relation to Alzheimer’s. The image shows the hands of an older patient taking medication prescribed for the disease. The media has played a major role in the biomedicalization of Alzheimer’s and old age. The machines and technologies such as MRI’S, CAT Scans etc. have all played a role in the medicalization of Alzheimer’s. The advancement in technology has made it much easier to diagnose patients with this disease. The disease is more likely to be found in older patients than younger patients. Once again this makes the relation between aging and Alzheimer’s much stronger.
The American culture perceives this disease as negative. The disease effects the American cultures values about age. In other cultures such as China becoming older is a privilege. It is highly valued and significant. However, because of health disparities such as Alzheimer’s that are associated with old age most individuals in America believes that aging is a form of disease. The American culture believes that old age is not something to look forward too and that nothing good comes out of old age.
References:
“Report U.S. Unprepared for Impact of Alzheimer’s on Aging Population.” YouTube video, 8:12pm,
posted by trans222s, May 13, 2013,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAV32uZa_Vo.
“Alzheimer’s drugs effects clash: Study/Burial Insurance.” 460 x288.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=medication+given+to+alzheimer%
27s+patients&FORM=AWIR#view=detail&id=E36980622D0592DBC51300BFD6FB02
12DD13EE26&selectedIndex=3.