Preserving Cognitive Functions!” Prevention and Care in German Public and Professional Discourses on Dementia

The emphasis on dementia research has moved away from treatment and now concentrates on early detection. Dementia and cognitive decline are no longer seen as inevitable but are now seen as effects of individual lifestyle choices, implying that they can be delayed and even prevented.

In his dissertation, Mr. Petersen examines the impact of this new view of dementia and the notions of cognitive decline, aging, and prevention that characterize the medical and nursing debates on dementia in Germany. It also analyses how scientific knowledge is transferred into media discourses. What are the representations of the disease? What images of aging and what rationalities mark the different discourses?

Media coverage of dementia is characterized by a strong emphasis on individual responsibility and lifestyle factors. This CREGÉS conference will focus on how current discourses on dementia are associated with responsibilization, activation, and the medicalization of (cognitive) aging.