Earlyonset alzheimers disease can devastate financial planning as people who develop the disease at such an early age are generally enrolled in an insurance not intended for elder care. Back then, they didnt know much about alzheimers or how to help my mom. The majority of people with youngeronset have sporadic alzheimers disease, which is the most common form of alzheimers and is. I found it very interesting, and thought the central character was welldrawn though not entirely convincing. People with youngeronset alzheimers can be in the early, middle or late stage of the disease. What happens to her and those around her is the story and both movie and book walked the same path. Only after a deceptively innocent slip of the tongue, a shortterm memory loss during a lecture, and a disorientation attack inside the campus will it become. Julianne moores titular performance in still alice, a columbia university linguistics professor diagnosed with early onset alzheimers disease, nabbed. Her intellectual and physical capacity declines cruelly, and its certain that she. The film accurately portrays many of the signs across the three stages of alzheimers. Everything she did and loved, everything she was, required language. The film also provides an accurate depiction of the difficulties and.
The novel is about a woman who suffers earlyonset alzheimers disease. Alice is played by actress julianne moore, who won the academy award. Soon, cognitive tests reveal shortterm memory problems and a pet scan shows amyloid plaques a sign of alzheimers in alices brain. Still alice shows readers what to expect if they get the diagnosis. Still alice is directed by wash westmoreland and richard glatzer. Still alice and alzheimers research julianne moore won an oscar last night for her heartbreaking portrayal of a woman with earlyonset alzheimers in still alice. Early onset alzheimers disease eoad, with onset of symptoms at a young age 1,2, usually has a higher prevalence of atypical manifestations with earlier multi domain cognitive impairment when compared to lateonset alzheimers disease load cases. In still alice, a professor slides into alzheimers. The novel is about a woman who suffers early onset alzheimers disease.
I read this book because i have symptoms of early onset dementia. The idea of a woman in her early fifties with earlyonset alzheimers is such a compelling notion that it carries the reader through most of the book. In still alice, the focus was on a woman coping with early onset alzheimers. The film portrays the struggle that both a person living with the disease and their family face when the alzheimers diagnosis comes at such an early age. Heres why our book club loved still alice off the shelf. Both stories focus on a main character devoted to a high powered career whose life changes dramatically due to disease or injury.
It is a disease of the brain and a form of dementia. Youngeronset also known as early onset alzheimers affects people younger than age 65. In lisa genovas bestselling novel still alice, a linguist with earlyonset alzheimers navigates her symptoms with her husband and three adult children. Up to 5 percent of the more than 5 million americans with alzheimers have younger onset. I kept my eyes and ears open about early onset alzheimers for a couple of.
Oliver sacks, the man who mistook his wife for a hat. After getting about halfway, though, the reader can only hope for the next doctor visit, rather than the story, to reveal more about alices uncertain mental future. Earlyonset alzheimers disease is diagnosed before age 65. Learn more about the author and her experience living with dementia. Like alice howland in the film, a person with early onset alzheimers disease may be forced to resign from employment years earlier than they had. Still alice book cover in examining disease, we gain wisdom about anatomy and physiology and biology. Youngeronset can also be referred to as early onset alzheimers. Still alice tells the story of a university professor who is diagnosed with an aggressive early onset dementia. This reallife story about how alice howland, a linguistics professor at columbia, and her family deal with her diagnosis of familial alzheimers disease at age 50, is both heartfelt and powerful. Watching the film is the first time many people get to see closeup what its like to be. The book is an attempt to imagine what it must be like for a very intellectuallygifted woman to be hit at the age of 50 with earlyonset alzheimers disease. A linguistics professor and her family find their bonds tested when she is diagnosed with alzheimers disease.
A story about earlyonset alzheimers disease stannah. In examining the person with disease, we gain wisdom about life. The book is about alice and her not so slow downfall into early onset alzheimers at the age of 50. She is married to an equally successful husband, and they have three grown children. The title suggests otherwise, of course, and one of the tragedies of alzheimers for the friends and family of the afflicted person is that the sufferer seems present and absent at the same time. The film tells the story of a 50yearold harvard linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early onset alzheimers disease. Still alice mass market paperback december 16, 2014. This condition is sometimes called earlyonset alzheimers disease or alzheimers disease. With julianne moore, alec baldwin, kristen stewart, kate bosworth. Keith, wendy and hilary are three of the 42,000 people living with earlyonset dementia in the uk, out of a total of 850,000. Earlyonset alzheimer dementia is a medical condition. Still alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50yearold womans sudden descent into early onset alzheimers disease, written by firsttime author lisa genova, who holds a ph. Within the pages of this bestseller she had read as an undergraduate, lisa genova found something more profound than a set of intriguing neurological case.
More than 5 million people in the united states live with alzheimers disease. Still alice is far from a good thing for dementia awareness. Still alice is shockingly accurate people living with. As we all know, alzheimers disease ad is the most common neurodegenerative dementia 4,5, and it would turn. Still alice reveals devastation of early onset alzheimers. The film successfully captures the tragedy of the disease, and moores portrayal of alice is riveting, which largely makes up for the films weaknesses. The news is usually shocking, and it means you need to plan now for big changes ahead, so youll be safe and get the care you need as. Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. Its a small miracle that still alice, lisa genovas novel about alice howland, a 50yearold linguistics professor faced with earlyonset alzheimers disease, got made into a feature film.
Still alice starring julianne moore tells the story of alice howland, a linguistics professor diagnosed with a form of earlyonset alzheimers disease. The story follows the emotional roller coaster this family experiences as alices disease progresses. Alice howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the cape, is a celebrated harvard professor at the height of her career when she. Still alice pocket books, 2009, 50yearold alice howland is at the pinnacle of. The multiple awardwinning film, still alice, brings the issue of earlyonset dementia to the forefront. But eventually things sort of worsen, as they do with this disease, and shes diagnosed with early onset alzheimers. People with this disorder are younger than those with lateonset alzheimers and face different issues, such as dealing with disability at work, raising children, and finding the right support groups. But remember that it was about early onset alzheimers disease, which is genetic and rare, although it does affect over 250,000 people in the us. Earlyonset alzheimers disease, which affects patients younger than 65, has frequently been described as having different symptoms to lateonset alzheimers disease. What alice faces is early onset alzheimer s, a form of the disease that is far rarer than common alzheimer s disease, and often affects people in their prime, regardless of how mentally active they are. The portrayal of alzheimers disease in still alice.
Its a story first and foremost, but it really gets to the heart of the whole alzheimers experience. Alzheimers disease is a brain disease that impacts your ability to think and remember. In my view, julianne moore deserved the academy award for. Still alice by lisa genova early onset alzheimers experience. In the movie still alice, alice, a successful woman, after being diagnosed with early onset alzheimers disease ad loses almost all she had. Lisa genovas debut novel about a 50yearold woman diagnosed with earlyonset alzheimers disease follows alice howland over the course of two years, from. Moore says she spent months meeting with people affected by the disease. It is rare, representing less than 10 percent of all people who have alzheimers. The respected and otherwise healthy linguistics professor, alice howland, is a fiftyyearold mother of three, an accomplished scholar, and a tragic victim of earlyonset alzheimers. Actress julianne moores awardwinning performance in still alice tells the story of another woman who was diagnosed with earlyonset alzheimers at age 50.
Kate swaffer was 49 years old when she was diagnosed with a rare form of youngeronset dementia. My mother had early onset alzheimers about 20 years ago and she died after suffering for about 10 years. At 50 she is diagnosed with early onset alzheimers. This month my book club read still alice, neuroscientist lisa genovas haunting novel about a harvard cognitive science professor who discovers, at age 50 and the height of her career, that she.
Early youngeronset alzheimers alzheimers association. Still alice is about the life of alice howland, who is stricken with alzheimers disease. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. Though a work of the fictional descent into dementia via early onset alzheimers, the author offers a unique way for students of. Still alice novelist shines spotlight on early onset alzheimers. There is a cultural stigma around earlyonset alzheimers, therefore spreading awareness about the disease is vital. She feels it all happening in her head and cant do a thing about it. Still alice novelist shines spotlight on early onset.
Alice howland says at one point in still alice, a line adapted from the book by author lisa genova. The book did provide more details about the limited options for treatment and more about the support group alice formed thumbs up book. Alices case doesnt typically fall under the traditional age bracket for the onset of alzheimers because she is only 50. Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional. Alice is a very well respected professor of linguistics at harvard university, traveling all over the globe giving lectures, and her opinion is listened to with respect. What the film still alice tells us about alzheimers disease. Portraying the struggle still alice is presented from alices point of view, giving moviegoers a glimpse into what people with alzheimers experience. In still alice, moore plays alice howland, a 50yearold linguistics professor diagnosed with earlyonset alzheimers. Still alice, and the advocacy for alzheimers in fiction. Genova has stated in a postscript to a later edition of the book that her. Still alice and the specter of earlyonset alzheimers. Still alice tells the story of a university professor who is diagnosed with an aggressive earlyonset dementia. This is because early onset alzheimer s is a genetically conditioned disease, with few environmental factors.
If most oscar handicappers are correct, the next best actress statuette will go to julianne moore for her heartbreaking work as a university professor battling earlyonset alzheimers in. Still alice explores life locked in the mind of a person. Were all big fans of reading and love it when a great book overlaps with work focus. Alice howland, a 50yearold woman, is a cognitive psychology professor at harvard and is a worldrenowned linguistics expert. The book is about alice and her not so slow downfall into early on set alzheimers at the age of 50. Earlyonset alzheimers disease occurs between a persons 30s to mid60s. Understanding early onset alzheimers disease kindly care.
1586 565 942 20 1635 384 1613 1177 1106 538 1659 1405 396 383 551 660 137 469 1523 1088 125 1377 1497 1353 1130 749 855 610 1489 1406 868 1159 1055 1418