The silence of Alzheimer’s disease: Stigma, epistemic injustice, and the inequity of those with progressive cognitive impairment

Abstract

ABSTRACT Alzheimer’s disease is shrouded in stigma even though roughly 47 million people around the world have been diagnosed with the disease. This stigma is perpetuated through media, cultural misunderstandings, and age-related stereotypes, and is so powerful that it results in the silencing and social death of many of these individuals. This paper theoretically extends the model of self-stigma, using high-profile examples to illustrate individuals’ response paths, and emphasises the need for social interventions to improve quality of life for those living with Alzheimer’s disease; a moral imperative as diagnoses are expected to reach 130 million over the next 30 years.