Gerd Steffens & Thomas Fuchs

No illness disturbs us more and causes greater anxiety in an ageing society than dementia, which gradually creeps into our lives and leaves a trail of devastation in its wake.
Gerd Steffens, a German scholar and historian who studied in Heidelberg and taught political education at the University of Kassel, has now published a new, incredibly moving book about his wife’s dementia. In vivid diary entries, he notes how the disease, as an uninvited guest, initially suppressed and covered up, gradually settles into their life together and changes everything. He focuses less on the loss of memories, commonalities and opportunities, and more on how it is possible to maintain a shared horizon despite the ravages of dementia.

The discussion between Prof. em. Dr. Gerd Steffens and the Heidelberg psychiatrist and philosopher Prof. Dr. Thomas Fuchs will shed light on how to deal with the disease and its philosophical and psychiatric dimensions.

Moderation: Barbara von Machui