The Ethics of Sex and Alzheimer's

Description

A growing epidemic, Alzheimer s punishes not only its victims but also those married to them. This book analyzes how Alzheimer s is quietly transforming the way we think about love today. Without meaning to become rebels, many people who find themselves "married to Alzheimer s" deflate the predominant notion of a conventional marriage. By falling in love again before their ill spouse dies, those married to Alzheimer s come into conflict with central values of Western civilization “ personal, sexual, familial, religious, and political. Those who wait sadly for a spouse s death must sometimes wonder if the show of fidelity is necessary and whom it helps. Most books on Alzheimer s focus on those who have it, as opposed to those who care for someone with it. This book offers a powerful and searching meditation on the extent to which someone married to Alzheimer s should be expected to suffer loneliness. The diagnosis of dementia should not amount to a prohibition of sexual activity for both spouses. Portmann encourages readers to risk honesty in assessing the moral dilemma, using high-profile cases such as Nancy Reagan and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to illustrate the enormity of the problem. Ideal for classes considering the ethics of aging and sexuality. (Source: Google Books API)

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