Art, Dementia, and Elder Abuse: The Sad Story of Peter Max

Back in high school I was a big fan of Peter Max.   His work was everywhere – on the cover of Life Magazine, on album covers for The Beatles, and on psychedelic day-glow posters at the head shop on Journal Square in Jersey City, the town where I grew up.  I remember staring at his freaky top-hatted flying people surrounded by balloon-like stars and planets rendered in bright primary colors.  It was therefore with sadness that I read in the New York Times the unfortunate post-script of Mr. Max’s career as a cultural icon.  Now 81 years old with probable dementia, he’s had his name and art co-opted by opportunists in what is likely a multi-million dollar case of elder abuse and fraud.  I am a geriatrician – an internist with a subspecialty of caring for older adults.  As such, over the years I’ve become familiar with the ravages of dementia and the effect it has on people around them.  Dementia is a group of diseases characterized by progressive neurological deterioration and cognitive decline.  There are a number of subtypes but the end result is often the same.  Loss of memory progresses to inability to toilet ones-self and perform routine functions such as eating and walking.  The loss of cognition sometimes renders them vulnerable to opportunists looking to waylay their assets, or in Mr. Max’s case, use his name to make millions. There are several types of elder abuse.  Physical and verbal abuse is the most obvious, but other types can be insidious a...
Source: Jeffrey M. Levine MD | Geriatric Specialist | Wound Care | Pressure Ulcers - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tags: An Aging World Art & Medicine Featured Medical Articles art and medicine elder abuse elder exploitation end-of-life care financial abuse geriatrics gerontology Improving Medical Care Jeff Levine MD Source Type: blogs