Alice Howland, Alice, And The Treatment Of Alzheimer's Disease

As rare as it is to get Early-Onset Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Alice Howland was among the 5% diagnosed with it. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior”. Clearly, that is what Alice had and was noticeable throughout the movie. If someone were to compare two characters in the movie, could they not compare Alice at the beginning of her diagnosis and at the end of it? When looking back at Alice in the beginning of the movie one can see her colorful and smart personality shine through, whereas at the end of the movie it is evident that she can no longer remember words or dress herself, which clearly shows her transition between two completely different

She then made a video for herself explaining that when she can no longer answer the following questions in her phone: “what is the month of her birthday, what is her oldest daughters name, and what street does she live on,” she will need to follow these instructions. Her plan was to swallow a bottle of sleeping pills, lie down, and not tell anyone. While watching the “old” Alice on the screen give the “new” Alice advice the differences are clear. The “old” Alice was still wearing vibrant and warm colors, and for the most part she still had her memory and mindset together. The “new” Alice does not wear much color anymore, kind of sulks around which is understandable considering her state, and she doesn’t really smile or look happy anymore either. When looking at the two different Alices the changes are

Although Alice claimed she liked stress and it kept her motivated, could it be one of the causes to having this disease? As she slowly lost recent memories, she often reminisced on those with her mother and sister who died in a car accident. Maybe she did not fully grieve their loss enough or accept it, which added on stress, not to mention the other stress from teaching, lecturing, writing books, and maintaining a household. So could this be the reason she got the “rare genetic form of early-onset