Alzheimer’s disease is usually thought of as something wrong with brain. Current wisdom suggests that the symptons can be treated with medication, but Robert E. Reichlin, Ph.D. sees it as much more. He sees it as involving the heart as well.

When a patient is medicated it is about control. When we are concerned about the personhood of the individual it becomes a matter of the heart. An uncaring caretaker approaches the Alzheimer’s patient as a management issue rather than of love, time, and energy.

The Heart of the Matter Self-Portraits illustrates the loss of cognitive ability as well as the Alzheimer’s patient’s need to be recognized as a person and adult.