ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part focuses on the mistaken assumption, so frequently repeated by mental health professionals and officials, that old age is invariably associated with psychological impairment. It deals with the Alzheimer’s disease experience as it is socially constructed by members of support groups. The part also focuses on a more detailed knowledge of the work of George Herbert Mead than most readers will have, it can also be read as a narrative of caregivers’ attempts to make sense of the apparent meaninglessness of the onset and course of the disease. Readers familiar with the symbolic interactionist perspective will appreciate the depth of Gubrium’s analysis, but all will recognize the anguish of the spouses and children who must believe that the victim has a mind that still functions.
