The 60s and Alzheimer's

I’m a fan of The Onion, an adventurous and different kind of news outlet. The other day I ventured into the Science and Technology section of the news site and found a story touching on Alzheimer’s disease and the baby boomer generation. The article is entitled, “Alzheimer’s Disease Causing Baby Boomers To Misremember 1960s Even More.” It talks about a study researchers at Stanford University conducted that shows this brain disease is beginning to make the 1960s a little fuzzy for the baby boomer generation. 

What really attracted me to this story is honestly the photo. It’s a picture of a gray-bearded man who seems to be looking off into space. (Photo Courtesy of The Onion) I felt kind of sorry for Harold Finster. I was curious what he can and can’t remember. The caption under the photo says, “Harold Finster could not possibly have been on state at Woodstock during Country Joe’s “Freedom,” because the song was actually performed by Richie Havens and Finster was living in California at the time.” It made me want to read more about Finster and his possible memory loss. I like when journalists give you a taste of the story at the beginning that isn’t exactly the main point. It’s a great way to pull readers and viewers in. This is exactly what this writer did, especially with the caption. 

There was an interesting bit saying some people thought they personally ended the war in Vietnam even before Alzheimer’s struck. The neuroanantomist said, “It’s just sad...” I agree with him. You almost have to laugh then realize how serious this disease is and how people just a bit older than my parents are feeling the affects. Maybe I should I say forgetting the affects. Finster’s son, Dylan, has a few quotes talking about his dad’s ‘old, innocent lies’. I thought that was a positive way to look at the degenerative disease’s effects.

The article says Harold thought he had hung out with Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin back in the 60s. Alzheimer’s blurs the lines of your past and perhaps, dreams of celebrity friendships. As the article goes on to say, “mixing fact with fiction...” was the main effect in a majority of the boomers studied.  I’d probably start meshing real life and dreams myself. 

The last line highlights the best importance of the story: “Alzheimer's may be loosening their grip on reality, but we're not sure how firm it was to begin with.”  This makes you leave the story with a smile on your face.  I can imagine that reality isn’t always 100 percent clear in our minds despite how much we really can recall. 

Here's a link a video about the study: Alzheimer's Study