Implied Meanings in Alzheimer's/Dementia Articles

This document analyzes articles about Alzheimer's and dementia, focusing on the implied meanings in quotes. It discusses the use of irony, allusion, and connotation. The authors aim to make the audience understand the challenges of treating dementia and the impact of the disease on individuals and society. The document also highlights the importance of research and positive approaches to care.

Assignment Brief and Feedback form
(L3 study skills unit with single assignment)
Task 4 Table:
Full reference: Hammond, D. (2016). ‘My NHS dementia unit is about to close
and I fear for my patients’, The Guardian, [online] available at:
http://www.theguardian.com. Accessed 16-06-16.
Type of implied
meaning Quotation Explanation of meaning
implied in this quotation
Irony
“It’s not about money” “[it] is
to do with the costs incurred
in running a stand-alone unit,
and the desire … to move to a
different model of care”
The quotation expresses
an irony because the
mental health nurse is
asked by the officials to
say something that is
completely opposite to
the words spoken by the
officials regarding the
current situation
Allusion
Anyone can contract
dementia; and every day and
with a growing momentum,
anybody does.
The author implies that
the disease or the
condition is gaining
pace very rapidly.
Connotation
No, I deal with the ugly side of
dementia. The side that leaves
people confused, lost, crying,
screaming, kicking, biting,
psychotic, anxious, depressed
and pleading with me to find
their long-deceased mother;
those labelled “challenging”
by the care system
The author mentions the
patients as ‘challenging’
other than just
‘patients’. Nevertheless,
the term applies in its
original meaning in
addition to the
‘situation’ faced by the
doctors and nurses.
1

Assignment Brief and Feedback form
(L3 study skills unit with single assignment)
Overall, what do you think the writer wants the audience to think or feel about
the issue of Alzheimer’s/dementia?
The author wants the audiences to understand that treating dementia patients
is a challenge for the healthcare workers as much it is to the persons who are
suffering from dementia. The author projects the dark side of dementia with
clarity, and that committed healthcare professionals are required to make to a
difference.
2

Assignment Brief and Feedback form
(L3 study skills unit with single assignment)
Full reference: Pratchett, T. (2015). ‘‘A butt of my own jokes’: Terry Pratchett
on the disease that finally claimed him’, The Observer [online] Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com. Accessed 16-06-16.
Type of implied
meaning Quotation Explanation of meaning
implied in this quotation
Allusion
“When Milton’s Satan stood in
the pit of hell and raged at
heaven, he was merely a trifle
miffed compared to how I felt
on that day.”
The author writes about
how he felt on the day
when his Alzheimer’s
was diagnosed and he
encountered the most
appalling truth of his
life. He refers to have
felt more vehemently
than Milton’s Satan.
Irony My wife said, “thank goodness
it isn’t a brain tumour”, but all
I could think then was, “I know
three people who have got
better after having a brain
tumour. I haven’t heard of
anyone who’s got better from
Alzheimer’s.”
The quotation expresses
an irony because the
mental health nurse is
asked by the officials to
say something that is
completely opposite to
the words spoken by the
officials regarding the
current situation.
As the Alzheimer
subject’s wife expresses
a relief in this quote, it is
followed by the
subject’s thought “I
know three people who
have got better after
having a brain tumour. I
haven’t heard of anyone
who’s got better from
Alzheimer’s”
Hence, the situation
depicts a contradictory
state of things divided
between the wife’s
assumption of
Alzheimer’s being a less
severe condition than a
brain tumour and
3

Assignment Brief and Feedback form
(L3 study skills unit with single assignment)
husbands thoughts on
Alzheimer’s of being a
more grave disease. The
thoughts of the husband
on wife’s quotation
made the quotation look
more like an irony.
Hint
It is a strange life, when you
“come out”. People get
embarrassed, lower their
voices, get lost for words
The author indirectly
hints to social
perception about
Alzheimer’s with the
phrase ‘come out’ which
means coming ‘out’ of a
healthy life – showing
the true form of
Alzheimer’s.
Overall, what do you think the writer wants the audience to think or feel about
the issue of Alzheimer’s/dementia?
The author helms the readers and the non – sufferers of this dreary
neurodegenerative disease through his appalling experiences and feelings of
dismay, post the diagnosis of dementia. He describes the very composure of
Alzheimer’s as being a horrid nightmare disrupting the very meaning of human
existence as it slowly snatches away memories from the mind and gives the
sufferer, not even a fighting chance. So muffled, so hideous is its way of
expressing – that the disease can go on, stealing you from within without even
being noticed. The author’s autobiographical reflection curiously appeals to
the reader’s vulnerable emotions, pushing the bare imaginations of this
‘demonic’ disorder to new heights. But the author towards the end, keep the
hopes alive in the readers that with proper research and identification of
Alzheimer’s aetiology and onset , better futuristic medicines and effective
healthcare management will come up for the same. All that is needed is
courage, motive and will to fight against this appalling disease.
4

Assignment Brief and Feedback form
(L3 study skills unit with single assignment)
Full reference: Alzheimer Scotland. (no date). Available at:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/413979390719746984/. Accessed on 21-08-18
Type of implied
meaning Quotation Explanation of meaning
implied in this quotation
Inference “Be positive. You can keep on
doing the things you love”
The quotation is clearly
a suggestion to every
reader for it indirectly
expresses a correlation
between the two
statements. The
formation, word order
imparts a very
suggestive tone.
Symbolic
representation
Advertisement for Alzheimer
Scotland
The advertisement
symbolizes ‘happiness’
by depicting - a dancing
old couple.
Suggestion
We can assist them with
everything from home support
and day activities to
confidential advice
The author describes
the types of service care
and makes an indirect
suggestion to visit their
organisation.
Overall, what do you think the writer wants the audience to think or feel about
the issue of Alzheimer’s/dementia?
The author wants to suggest that new and holistic form of ‘caring’ can help to
improve activities of daily life in the patients. It encourages attention- building
of the patients by providing them with tasks that interests them. The picture
shows a happy couple dancing that symbolizes a right approach to
Alzheimer’s can bring optimism and joy in life.
5

Assignment Brief and Feedback form
(L3 study skills unit with single assignment)
References –
1. Alzheimer Scotland. (no date). Available at:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/413979390719746984/Accessed on 21-08-18
2. Hammond, D. (2016). ‘My NHS dementia unit is about to close and I fear for my patients’, The
Guardian, [online] available at: http://www.theguardian.com. Accessed 16-06-16.
3. Pratchett, T. (2015). ‘‘A butt of my own jokes’: Terry Pratchett on the disease that finally claimed him’,
The Observer [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com. Accessed 16-06-16.
6