Someone in our local support group recently sent me this link to US Dept. of Health and Human Services’s curriculum for physicians (especially primary care physicians) and healthcare professionals (social workers, psychologists, pharmacists, emergency department staffs, dentists, etc.) on dementia. Though the web address includes the term “Alzheimer’s,” frontotemporal dementia is also mentioned in this curriculum:
Training Curriculum: Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
Health Resources and Services Administration (part of Dept of HHS)
bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/geriatrics/alzheimers-curriculum
One of the types of frontotemporal dementia is the “motor type,” which include corticobasal syndrome and progressive supranuclear palsy.
Here are some excerpts on frontotemporal dementia.
Robin
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Overview of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia for an Interprofessional Team (Module 1)
Frontotemporal Dementia Types
* There are at least 3 distinctive clinical syndromes, each with heterogeneous neuropathology.
– Progressive behavior/personality decline: behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD)
– Progressive language decline: Primary progressive aphasia (PPA)
– Progressive motor decline: corticobasal syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or [progressive] supranuclear palsy. FTD with progressive motor decline is rare. FTD with progressive motor decline can involve movement problems/slowed movement, muscle rigidity (Parkinsonian symptoms), body stiffness, and changes in behavior or language.
* Behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) is the most common variant. It is characterized by marked personality changes and changes in social conduct.
Understanding Early-Stage Dementia for an Interprofessional Team (Module 5)
Early-Stage Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD): Overview
* FTD is a heterogeneous group of diseases with overlapping clinical symptoms but different causative genes and differing underlying pathologies.
* FTD is caused by damage to frontal and/or temporal lobes. Impairments generally progress quickly but memory often remains intact.
* Persons with FTD demonstrate changes in behavior and personality, language problems, and motor problems.
( Memory impairment is minimal in early stages.
Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Persons Living with Dementia (Module 12)
When to Consider Hospice Care in Persons with End-Stage FTD
* Persons with end-stage FTD are generally younger and healthier than persons with other types of end-stage dementia.
* As with other dementias, FTD is often not recognized as a terminal diagnosis.
* End-stage FTD may “look different” than other advanced dementias.