About this item
For caregivers of deeply forgetful people: a book that combines new ethics guidelines with an innovative program on how to communicate and connect with people with Alzheimer's.How do we approach a "deeply forgetful" loved one so as to notice and affirm their continuing self-identity? For three decades, Stephen G. Post has worked around the world encouraging caregivers to become more aware of -- and find renewed hope in -- surprising expressions of selfhood despite the challenges of cognitive decline. In this book, Post offers new perspectives on the worth and dignity of people with Alzheimer's and related disorders despite the negative influence of "hypercognitive" values that place an ethically unacceptable emphasis on human dignity as based on linear rationality and strength of memory.
About the Author
Stephen G. Post, Ph. D. is the best-selling author of The Hidden Gifts of Helping (2011) () , as listed by the Wall Street Journal. He speaks widely on themes of benevolent love and compassionate care at the interface of science, health, spirituality, and philanthropy. His work has been featured in periodicals such as Parade Magazine and O: The Oprah Magazine, and on such media venues as The Daily Show, John Stossel, 20/20 and Nightline. He has addressed the U.S. Congress on volunteerism and public health. His contributions to healthcare have been widely acknowledged. He received the Hope in Healthcare Award for "pioneering research and education in the field of unconditional love, altruism, compassion and service" (2008) , the Pioneer Medal for "ground-breaking work in healthcare" from HealthCare Chaplaincy of New York (2012) , the Kama Book Award in Medical Humanities from World Literacy Canada (2008) ; and the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Alzheimer's Association (1998) . He served as the Public Member of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Composite Committee to which he was reappointed on the basis of "greatly appreciated contributions. " Post is an elected Fellow of the Philadelphia College of Physicians for "outstanding contributions to medicine. "His book entitled The Moral Challenge of Alzheimer Disease: Ethical Issues from Diagnosis to Dying (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000, 2nd edition) was designated a "medical classic of the century" by the British Medical Journal, which wrote (2009) , "Until this pioneering book was published in 1995 the ethical aspects of one of the most important illnesses of our aging populations were a neglected topic. " He is an elected member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Panel of Alzheimer's Disease International. Professor of Preventive Medicine and Founding Director (2008) of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University School of Medicine () , he was previously (1988-2008) Professor in the School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University. In 1994, Post was elected a Hastings Center Fellow, and a Senior Scholar in the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. He served as editor-in-chief of the third edition of the five-volume Encyclopedia of Bioethics (Macmillan Reference, 2004) , the most influential reference work in the field. His writing was included in "Best American Spiritual Writing" (2005) . Post founded The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love () in 2001 with a four-year grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The Institute engages in the scientific study of self-giving and altruistic love. He is an elected Founding Member of the International Society for Science and Religion at Cambridge University, a Senior Research Fellow in the Becket Institute at St. Hugh's College of Oxford Uni
