bonny@alzheimersdiseasethebrand.

com

I continue writing about health economics and clinical medicine after over 15 years
as a medical writer. Professionally and personally I follow the crossroads of health
policy, economics, and the practice of medicine. Content media describing economic
and capitalistic forces influencing funding, research, and end of life care in patients with
Alzheimer's disease is overwhelming and difficult to contextualize. A narrative voice is a
powerful and humanizing tool to inform and engage thoughtful consideration and
dialogue.
Years after being admitted to the Stadtische Heilanstalt fur Irre und Epileptische
(Hospital for the Mentally Ill and Epileptics) in Frankfurt, Auguste Deter became the first
patient described with the eponymous diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. The history of
dementia evolving from a psychiatric disorder to a biologic entity of today generating a
$300 billion dollar medical brand weaves a compelling narrative. Shortly after the
"discovery, during the early 1900s attention and research was relatively dormant for
four decades. Alzheimers Disease: The Brand focuses a light on the premature
medicalization of a condition that "fast forward" to modern day continues to obviate
diagnostic criteria, treatment, and most of all--a cure.
Why now? In 2015, the costs to all payers for the care of people living with Alzheimers
disease and other dementias will total an estimated $226 billion, with Medicare and
Medicaid paying 68 percent of the costs. Based on the current trajectory, costs are
projected to increase to over $1.1 trillion in 2050, with Medicare and Medicaid costs
increasing to nearly 70 percent of the total.
Why me? I am a careful observer and a storyteller. Professionally I am a health
economics/medical writer and data analyst. I have been tempted to write about
dementia, specifically Alzheimer's disease for about a decade. Following the long
goodbye that I experienced with my father's diagnosis I was just numb or didn't know
what I could add to the narrative--until now.
A few links to my writing...
http://www.alzheimersdiseasethebrand.com

Book: A dynamic publication about the humanity, clinical care, history and economics of
Alzheimer's disease.
Hook: A medical writer and insight analyst focuses the lens on the evolution of Alzheimer's
disease from diagnosis to a 300 billion dollar healthcare cost juggernaut