ABSTRACT
This chapter presents data toward a more fully social appreciation of Mead’s seminal understanding of mind. Following a medical description of the disease and the study from which the data are drawn, four features of the social preservation of mind are examined: the idea of the hidden mind and the problem of its realization, the question of who is mind’s agent, discernment and articulation rules, and the organization of mental demise. Called “the disease of the century”, Alzheimer’s or senile dementia is considered to be the single most devastating illness of old age. At present, there is no prevention or cure for Alzheimer’s disease. The combination of conditions has meant that Alzheimer’s disease virtually has “two victims”—the person afflicted and the caregiver. Both in theory and practice, from medical opinion to custodial concern, the Alzheimer’s disease experience is considered to be an interpersonal one, as the “two victims” theme suggests, never the sole problem or burden of the victim.
