Unforgotten: Love and the Culture of Dementia Care in India: 2 (Life Course, Culture and Aging: Global Transformations)

Book Details:

• Book Title: Unforgotten: Love and Dementia in an Indian Family

• Author: Bianca Brijnath

• Publisher: Berghahn Books

• Language: English

• ISBN: 9781782383543

• Pages: 240

• Binding: Library

• Edition: 1st

• Release Date: 01-07-2014

• Package Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches

About the Book:

Unforgotten offers a profound ethnographic account of dementia care in urban India, focusing on middle-class families and their experiences with the illness. The book sheds light on how dementia is understood, experienced, and managed in a cultural context that may differ drastically from Western medical norms. Through a series of intimate family portraits, it illustrates the challenges, sacrifices, and emotional toll caregivers endure while grappling with the changes in their relationships and identities due to dementia.

Bianca Brijnath takes a unique anthropological approach to explore the lives of individuals affected by dementia, highlighting the local idioms on aging and dementia, the stigma that surrounds it, and the practical barriers in accessing medical support. The book dives deeply into the personal and social experiences of caregivers, such as husbands waking up at dawn to feed their wives and daughters who sacrifice their careers for years to care for their mothers.

Key Features:

• Rich ethnographic detail that gives a voice to those living with dementia and their caregivers in urban India.

• Focus on the cultural nuances of caregiving and aging in a non-Western context.

• Examines the practical and emotional challenges of dementia care, emphasizing stigma and societal barriers.

• Discusses the intersection of family dynamics, social roles, and healthcare accessibility in India.