Abstract

CESANELLI, Violetta  and  MARGULIES, Susana. The Alzheimerization of Aging. Contributions of the Ethnography of Care. Desacatos [online]. 2019, n.59, pp.130-147. ISSN 2448-5144.

In Western modern societies ageing is associated with degeneration and proximity of death. In many countries in Europe and in the United States, degenerative diseases are considered a serious public health problem and people who suffer them represent a burden for their family and for the society. Applying an anthropological perspective, we analyze how “being old” become a medical and social problem through the construction of “Alzheimer’s disease” as a diagnostic category. We close with partial results of an ethnographic investigation from 2011 to 2013 in France and Italy, about the experience of six women living with Alzheimer’s disease and the importance of being cared.

Keywords : biomedicine; caring behavior; diagnostic criteria; Alzheimer; anthropology of health.