The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

“Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, it is a progressive brain disorder which gradually destroys the memory and reasoning skills, and eventually the ability to perform the simplest tasks” (Alz.org). The initial symptoms of Alzheimer’s materialize when a person is in their mid-60s. In this document, I will discuss what Alzheimer’s is and how the character Allie, in the movie “The Notebook” demonstrated Alzheimer’s disease and the accuracy of the disease.

Still Alice, a film adapted from the novel Still Alice, portrays the progression of dementia through Alice Howland, a linguistics professor, wife, and mother of three. According to the Mayo Clinic (2016), “dementia describes a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning”. More specifically, Alice is diagnosed with early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease due to her age and genetics. Still Alice includes many examples in Alice’s deteriorating episodic, semantic, skill, and working memory. Though Alice uses strategies to fight the deterioration, the Alzheimer's eventually rids her of any form of memory.

How do stroke survivors (or others with a chronic illness) and health care providers remain hopeful and “realistic”? What values are involved in maintaining hope while being realistic?

Lisa Genova, the author of Still Alice, a heartbreaking book about a 50-year-old woman's sudden diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. She is a member of the Dementia Advocacy, Support Network International and Dementia USA and is an online columnist for the National Alzheimer's Association. Genova's work with Alzheimer's patients has given her an understanding of the disorder and its affect not only on the patient, but on their friends and family as well (Simon and Schuster, n.d.).

As baby boomers age and the demographic of the nation changes, it is with increasing frequency that the terms dementia, Alzheimer’s, and chronic cognitive decline are included in common vocabulary. Television viewers are inundated with advertisements for Alzheimer’s medications. Popular sitcoms include episodes about dealing with the stresses that can occur in a family dealing with cognitive decline issues. Entire movies, such as Still Alice, speak to these issues from the perspective of the patient. Chronic cognitive decline has been brought to the forefront of the American culture not only in homes across the country but in the healthcare system where the challenges of recognizing, treating, and managing these conditions while providing quality of care can be challenging.

Dementia refers to the loss of brain function and Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia. It normally attacks old people, but research shows that even the young and energetic can suffer from dementia. Though not totally clear, it is said to be caused by the genes and the environment. Alice Howland is a highly esteemed professor at Harvard University living comfortably with John Howland her husband and three children. The first signs of dementia start showing up when she can’t find her cell phone and she thinks this is normal as her husband normally misplaced his keys, then she becomes disoriented in her home town, and is baffled when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages. We feel for Alice because how she

In Still Alice, the main character has memory impairments at the age of fifty. There were a few minor symptoms that were just thought to be because of being overworked and fatigue, but in retrospect point to her disease. For example, forgetting which word to use during a presentation. The recollection was a complete blank. Because of her fairly young age, Alzheimer’s disease was not considered a possibility. Alice believed that it had something to do with her going through menopause, but then she got her menstrual period and decided to go see a neurologist. When Alice did go to the doctor to see what was going on and was diagnosed, it caught

The movie Still Alice, portrays the life of Dr. Alice Howland and her family, as they deal with the heartbreaking diagnosis and life tribulations of Alice as she deteriorates with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease at 50 years of age. This heartwarming story will touch the hearts and unravel the emotions of its viewers from the beginning until the end.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a movie presenting the life of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a gentleman who suffered a severe stroke, which caused him to endure a peculiar disorder called locked-in-syndrome. The symptoms of this render him paralyzed from head to toe, without the ability to speak. In the opening of the movie, Bauby is unaware that he cannot speak because he shows confusion when no one is responding to what he is saying. The only consistent, physical movement that he has is the ability to move his one functioning eye, and blink his eyelid open and shut. In order for Bauby to communicate, the speech therapist has instructed him to blink once to indicate “yes” and twice to indicate “no”. Locked-in-syndrome is a neurological disorder that leaves the patient aware or their surroundings, memories, and language, but due to the loss of voluntary movements, speech is lost (Adaes, 2015). Bauby displays all of these symptoms, explaining that he only thing that keeps him sane is his ability to escape through his imagination and memories

“Still Alice” is about a well-respected psychologist named Alice Howland diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is described as a progressive, incurable disease that destroys memory and important mental functions. Alice displayed many signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, such as mental decline, difficulty thinking and understanding, disorientation, poor concentrating, agitation, forgetfulness, self-care deficits, personality changes, getting lost and wandering, and restlessness. Alice is smart and successful, but everything changes for the worse when she gets diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

A caterpillar is kept captive inside a chrysalis for months or even up to two years (“Butterfly Life Cycle”). The 2007 French film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was directed by Julian Schnabel. This film is about a forty-three year old man, Jean-Dominique Bauby, who was the editor for Elle Magazine. He was valuable to the fashion world. He has reached the top of his career and had a publishing contract to write his book on a 19th century tale, until one day he found himself waking up on a hospital bed in Berck-Su-Mer Hospital (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Synopsis”). Jean-Dominique suffered a severe stroke, that led him to a rare neurological condition called, “locked-in syndrome,” (Glenn 50). This is where all the voluntary muscles are non existent (paralyzed), except for the eyes, in this case only his right eye (Glenn 50). By analyzing the cinematography and music we can appreciate Bauby’s perspective in life, which allows us to have a distinct connection to his emotional and physical condition.

The theme of the story "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is that no matter how hard life is, or what your struggles are, look for the positive in all situations. I think that is the theme because even though he couldn't talk or do many things besides blink and swivel his head. Bauby images that he could be a formula one driver and you would see him burning up the track or him being a solider in a TV series on history's great battles. Even though he has locked in syndrome he still imagines that he is not laying in the hospital doing nothing but lying there because that is the only thing he can mostly do. He communicates through blinking his left eye respectively to make words and sentences, he soon wrote a book only through blinking and a

Still Alice by Lisa Genova is about a woman named Alice in her 50’s who develops early onset Alzheimer’s. The diagnosis shocks her and her whole family as she is incredibly intelligent and so young. The novel is about the struggles of her adjusting to the new ways her mind is working and her family trying to figure out how to interact with their changing wife/mother. It shows one woman’s progression of the disease and the way it affects how she feels, thinks, acts, and generally changes life as she knows it.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a film about Jean-Dominique Bauby who was the editor-in-chief of French fashion bible Elle magazine. At the age of 43 he suffered from a devastating stroke while driving to the theater with his son. He started having complications breathing and pronouncing words to his son realizing he needed to stop on the side of the road, where his son runs out of the car looking for help. Jean-Do lapsed into a coma awaking 20 days later learning that he has locked-in syndrome. Locked-in syndrome is a condition where Jean-Do is mentally aware of his surroundings but cannot communicate verbally due to a complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body except for eye movements and blinking. Dr. Lepage

     After watching dementia turn her vibrant and intelligent grandmother into someone who neither recognised herself nor her life, Genova was inspired to write 'Still Alice’.  The narrative unfolds from multiple perspectives,