Pardon me America, but your paranoia is showing.

Last year, Americans spent $203 billion to fight Alzheimer’s according to Alzheimers.net. Support groups flourish with one estimate placing the number of support groups in the tens of thousands — not including the number of groups which meet online.

But for what purpose and for whose benefit?

Maybe, just maybe, all of the time and resources spent on combating Alzheimers is for the benefit of the family and friends of the “victim” who is being “devastated” by the “memory-robbing thief.”

Imagine being 92-years old and setting in a small one-bedroom apartment. Today follows the same mind-numbing routine of yesterday which will be reflected in tomorrow’s mind-numbing routine. The only thing to fill the hours are memories of loves lost, lives led and old friends. As certain death stares in the face, the mind is locked on the kalediscope of memories of times past.

Would it be possible that Alzheimers could be a blessing where the aged are no longer victims, but rather survivors who are freed to enjoy life as it is meant to be enjoyed: one day at a time.

With a shift in thinking, maybe Americans could stop seeing Alzheimers as a theif sneaking in to rob, and instead see it as a nanny safely tucking someone into bed at the end of a long and exciting life.

In Western culture, a terror of absent-mindedness has gouged broad tracks into the national psyche. Misplacing a pair of glasses or the remote control, once considered no more earth-shattering than simple forgetfulness, is now an allegedly quantifiable symptom. Awkwardness with technology is called an early indication of memory crashing on the rocks of age..

The mere passing sniff of imagined memory loss often has disastrous outcomes in an unstable economy where middle age employees are frequently sent home to retire early because of their age.

The epidemic of nail-biting around loss of mindfulness is so powerful that many aged adults seek relief for the type of day-to-day inattention that, not long ago, was thought natural.

Increased understanding of Alzheimer’s has not reduced the confusion and shame around the condition; it has raised it. People, above 55, fear Alzheimer’s over any other malady according to a 2010 study by MetLife.

The reality that only 1 of 8 Americans, over 65, has Alzheimer’s, has failed to register with, or soothe, the national nightmare.

Advocacy groups, makers of “anti-aging” products have combined with mainstream media, for various reasons, conspired to boost the estimate of victims and the terrors of the disease.

Physicians have, as well, been complicit with some using “cognitive impairment” as a reason for ending life-sustaining procedures.

Some voices amplify the alarms. Tony Kushner links Alzheimer’s to self-destruction in his Off Broadway play, “The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures.”
His 72-year old protagonist, Gus Marcantonio, a withdrawn union organizer lets his family know that he has figured he has Alzheimer’s. Gus’s solution is to put the family home on the market and off himself sometime Saturday when everyone is away. Gus doesn't have any indications of Alzheimers, which the viewers can see, except once missing his place in a loud, sincere and touching speech.
Korean director, Lee Chang-dong, won the best screenplay award at Cannes for his movie, “Poetry.” Chang-don’s elegant and compassionate heroine is presented a determination of Alzheimer’s. Her only symptom was the time she forgot the word for “bus station.”
In the film, she jumps off a bridge.

It doesn’t need to be like this. People with these impairments can live contentedly for a long time. My mother was troubled by her memory loss, but she has discovered an upside. She’s forgotten President George W. Bush. She’s tossed water balloons with her granddaughter and reminisced about growing up on the plains of North Dakota. We’ve had a satisfying and warm time, albeit long-distance. She audibly cheers up at the sound of my wife’s voice and greets me with a cheery “Adios” every time I call. Guess she hasn’t figured out that she means “Hola.”

The mind is roomy and elastic, Reasoning and emotional energies can outlast simple memory loss — as do the other traits that make us human.

A change in caregiving is slowly growing, at least among those unselfish enough to want to battle the disease.

Thomas Kinwood, a British psychologist, died in 1998. His books feature dignity instead of debilitation, and they remain influential.
A memoir by Elinor Fuchs, “Making an Exit,” explores the casual conversation with her mom when she was in an difficult stage of Alzheimer’s.

Anne Basting wrote a play based on poems conceived by persons with Alzheimer’s. The shared theme of the poems? “Forget Memory. Try Imagination.”

A difference could be made if everybody began to experience educated opinions. We could make cognition-related fear-mongering disgraceful and scarce. We could make discussions about end-of-life care less blistering and develop better treatment procedures as we reaffirm our common covenant with older people.

We could also ease our relationships with people of any age and allow adults to look forward to growing older with strength instead of desperation.

Western culture has proven to be too obsessed with life and death. We’re afraid of death. We want to get death, and anything related to it, as far away from us as possible.

As fast as possible.

The Eastern culture may have it right. While Westerners have a linear view of everything where everything has a beginning, a middle and an end, The Eastern culture has more of a circular view.

The end is only the beginning.