7 Stages Of Frontotemporal Dementia

How Long Do People Live With Dementia

The average person with a dementia diagnosis will live between four to eight years. Some people, however, live up to 20 years after their diagnosis. Different types of dementias, like Alzheimers disease and vascular dementia, follow a similar seven-step progression.

Life expectancies vary slightly for different dementias, according to the Alzheimers Society :

• Alzheimers disease. The life expectancy range is between eight and 10 years.
• Vascular dementia. People with vascular dementia face external risk factors like stroke or heart attack, and the average lifespan is five years.
• Lewy body dementia. A greater threat of injuries and infections place the life expectancy for dementia with Lewy bodies at around six years.
• Frontotemporal dementia. The expected lifespan ranges from six to eight years.

What Is Vascular Dementia

Dementia is a general term for issues with memory, reasoning, planning, and judgment. The causes for dementia vary depending on the symptoms and the underlying condition.

The most common type of dementia is Alzheimers disease, followed by vascular dementia.

While experts believe Alzheimers is caused by a buildup of abnormal proteins in the brain, vascular dementia is caused by brain damage from impaired blood flow in the brain.

This may occur after a stroke, or from any other condition such as a transient ischemic attack , that damages blood vessels in the brain and deprives it of oxygen. The damage to the brain eventually results in symptoms of dementia such as memory loss, confusion, and trouble concentrating.

As with many other types of dementia, vascular dementia can develop gradually, and the progression of the disease generally falls into seven stages.

How Common Is Frontotemporal Dementia Who Gets It

As many as 7 million Americans may be afflicted with a form of dementia. FTD may account for 2 percent to 5 percent, or 140,000â350,000, cases of dementia, and for as many as 25 percent of dementias that develop before age 65.

FTD affects men and women equally, and onset is usually after age 40 and before age 65. Approximately 40 percent of people diagnosed with FTD have a family history that includes at least one other relative with dementia. There is a strongly inherited genetic link in at least 10 percent of people diagnosed with FTD.

Additionally, a form of dementia in persons with motor neuron disease may be associated with FTD.

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How To Support A Loved One Experiencing Dementia Symptoms

As your loved ones dementia worsens, it can become increasingly difficult for family caregivers to keep up with the levels of care your loved one needs.

Creating a care plan soon after your loved ones diagnosis is the best way to address their care needs over time.

Finding a loving community should be a part of your care plan, to ensure your loved one has a place to receive the type of advanced, loving care they need.

The Kensington was proud to partner with Jennie Clark of Stanfords Aging Adult Services at Stanford Health Care for this virtual presentation. During this open and honest discussion, Jennie guides you through common questions that caregivers have when caring for their loved ones with dementia.

Stage : Repetitiveness And Personality Changes

Signs that your loved one has progressed to this stage might include:

• Repeating themselves a lot or asking the same questions
• Trouble making decisions or knowing what to wear or eat at certain times
• Trouble concentrating
• Forgetting their phone number or address
• Having trouble remembering names or faces of familiar people
• Showing signs of personality changes or having sudden mood swings

This might be where you start to consider memory care for your loved one. Some senior living facilities offer memory care in addition to upholding their independence in a senior apartment.

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Stage : Inability To Speak Walk Or Do Basic Functions

The final stage of dementia is where there is very severe cognitive decline to the point of requiring 24-hour care. Your loved one may be non-verbal at this stage and not be able to do much on their own. Hospice care can be an option at this stage, but you may still be able to visit with them and communicate with them, making them comfortable as much as possible. Symptoms in this stage include:

• Inability to eat or speak
• Inability to walk or get around without assistance
• Loss of bladder and bowel control
• May not recognize family members
• Severe disorientation
• Loss of muscle control

Late-stage dementia is difficult for everyone and can mean someone is in the final stages of life. Luckily there are endless sources for patients, loved ones, and caregivers to tackle this difficult time.

Stage : Mild Dementia

At this stage, individuals may start to become socially withdrawn and show changes in personality and mood. Denial of symptoms as a defense mechanism is commonly seen in stage 4. Behaviors to look for include:

• Difficulty remembering things about one’s personal history
• Difficulty recognizing faces and people

In stage 4 dementia, individuals have no trouble recognizing familiar faces or traveling to familiar locations. However, patients in this stage will often avoid challenging situations in order to hide symptoms or prevent stress or anxiety.

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What To Expect In Early

In early-stage vascular dementia, damage to the blood vessels or disruption of blood flow to the brain may already have occurred, yet symptoms are relatively mild.

While memory loss is a common first sign of mild cognitive decline in those who are developing dementia, memory issues are often not the first sign of vascular dementia.

Instead, those developing vascular dementia may experience confusion more often, issues with communication, and trouble making decisions, planning, or problem-solving.

The early stages often are the best time to make a care plan for your loved one, because they can be involved in the decisions.

Its difficult to estimate how long the first stage of dementia lasts because many experts say the brain changes involved in dementia are occurring for several years prior to the appearance of symptoms.

However, each stage of dementia lasts an average of two years. Its important to always keep in mind that each person will progress on their own timeline because there are numerous factors involved.

Some Tips To Improve The Quality Of Life Of Senior Adults Through Respite Care Are:

• Helping them to care for their finances and let them apply for disability payments if needed
• Preventing any social, physical, or psychological challenges they may face
• Making required adaptations to decrease the risk of falls
• Taking them to depression and anxiety counseling, if required
• Helping them maintain a routine
• Helping them avoid triggers of overeating, hypersexuality, and other problematic behaviors

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At times despite your best intentions, you might not be able to adequately care for your elderly loved one who has FTD. In such situations, it is best to seek professional help to enable you to care for your loved one. Getting in-home care to support a loved one suffering from FTD can help you care for your loved one while enabling them to stay in their home environment.

If you have aging parents suffering from frontotemporal dementia, Newport Home Care can help as we offer in-home caregiving. Schedule an appointment with us today, and we can create a care plan for your loved one based on your requirements.

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Stage : Moderate Dementia

Patients in stage 5 need some assistance in order to carry out their daily lives. The main sign for stage 5 dementia is the inability to remember major details such as the name of a close family member or a home address. Patients may become disoriented about the time and place, have trouble making decisions, and forget basic information about themselves, such as a telephone number or address.

While moderate dementia can interfere with basic functioning, patients at this stage do not need assistance with basic functions such as using the bathroom or eating. Patients also still have the ability to remember their own names and generally the names of spouses and children.

Metabolic Connectivity Analysis Of The Limbic Cstc Circuit

We used sparse inverse covariance estimation , which is a method previously validated by Huang et al. A series of nodes that represent brain ROIs for the connectivity analysis were selected to cover the whole brain . Because our hypothesis was specifically focused on the limbic CSTC circuit, we selected six ROIs for the functional connectivity analysis, which included the vmPFC, OFC, rectus gyrus, ACC, limbic striatum, and thalamus . We performed a seed-based analysis with the six ROIs to investigate the connectivity between the frontal cortex and the limbic striatum, the limbic striatum and the thalamus, and the thalamus and the frontal cortex.

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Living With Frontotemporal Dementia

Coping with FTD can be frightening, frustrating, and embarrassing for the patient and family members. Since some symptoms cant be controlled, family members shouldn’t take their loved ones behaviors personally. Families need to maintain their own well-being, while ensuring that their loved one is treated with dignity and respect.

Caregivers should learn all they can about FTD and gather a team of experts to help the family meet the medical, financial, and emotional challenges they are facing.

Its important to find a healthcare provider knowledgeable about FTD. Other healthcare specialists who may play a role on the team are home care nurses, neuropsychologists, genetic counselors, speech and language therapists, as well as physical and occupational therapists. Social workers can help the patient and caregivers find community resources, such as medical supplies and equipment, nursing care, support groups, respite care, and financial assistance.

Attorneys and financial advisors can help families prepare for the later stages of the disease.

Advanced planning will help smooth future transitions for the patient and family members, and may allow all to participate in the decision-making process.

What To Expect In Late

In the later stages of dementia, your loved one will require significant support with their activities of daily living , including assistance with eating, dressing, and using the bathroom.

The final stage of dementia is usually the shortest stage, lasting around one to two years.

The goal in the final stages of vascular dementia is maintaining comfort, routine, and indulging the senses.

Learning how to communicate and interpret your loved ones needs is essential, as they may turn mainly to nonverbal communication.

At any stage of dementia, its important to focus on what the person is still able to do, rather than the abilities they have lost.

Developing a routine will help your loved one feel more comfortable. Surround them with their favorite hobbies and items, including old photographs, and beloved movies, games, and music.

The Kensington White Plains uses cognitive-stimulating programs, music therapy, pet therapy, robo-pets, and pocket programming as some of our enhanced care programs designed to foster connection and decrease anxiety.

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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Frontotemporal Dementia

The signs and symptoms of frontotemporal dementia vary from person to person and the order in which they appear can also vary. Changes in the frontal lobe of the brain are generally associated with behavioral symptoms and may also lead to movement symptoms. Changes in the temporal lobe generally lead to disorders of language and emotion.

Symptoms of frontotemporal dementia and associated disorders may include:

Stage : Trouble Finding Or Understand Words

Stage 4 is similar to stage 3 but with a little more severity. Your loved one may require an in-house care assistant to chauffeur them to appointments, keep the house tidy, help them manage their bills and finances, and even safely navigate stairs or other hazardous parts of the home.

If possible, it could be the right time to get your loved one into a new home with fewer obstacles, or even a senior living community where these tasks can be easier to manage.

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What Causes Frontotemporal Dementia

The exact cause of FTD is unknown. However, the condition is associated with some changes that occur in the brain. One of these is a loss of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes.

Another change is an accumulation of atypical forms of two proteins called tau and TDP-43. While these proteins occur naturally, when they dont function normally, they can damage nerve cells.

Theres also a genetic aspect to FTD. Researchers

What Are The Stages Of Frontotemporal Dementia

FTD is a progressive condition. When a condition is progressive, it means that its symptoms get worse as time passes.

While there are no firmly defined stages of FTD, people with the condition typically progress through several general stages. Each of these is characterized by the appearance or worsening of certain symptoms.

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Moderately Severe Cognitive Decline

The fifth stage of vascular dementia is when day-to-living starts to become difficult. This is considered moderately severe decline and constitutes late stage dementia. Whilst a person with stage five dementia may still be able to wash and feed themselves and use the toilet, they may struggle remembering things like their address, phone number, and dressing appropriately. Although stage five is late stage dementia, most people can recall family and friends, and they can typically recall childhood memories vividly.

Stage : Very Severe Decline

Many basic abilities in a person with Alzheimer’s, such as eating, walking, and sitting up, fade during this period. You can stay involved by feeding your loved one with soft, easy-to-swallow food, helping them use a spoon, and making sure they drink. This is important, as many people at this stage can no longer tell when they’re thirsty.

In this stage, people with Alzheimer’s disease need a lot of help from caregivers. Many families find that, as much as they may want to, they can no longer take care of their loved one at home. If thatâs you, look into facilities such as nursing homes that provide professional care day and night.

When someone nears the end of their life, hospice may be a good option. That doesn’t necessarily mean moving them to another location. Hospice care can happen anywhere. Itâs a team approach that focuses on comfort, pain management and other medical needs, emotional concerns, and spiritual support for the person and their family.

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Stage : Very Severe Cognitive Decline

In the final stage, the brain appears to lose its connection to the body and becomes incapable of telling it what to do.

The person is likely to progressively lose their motor skills as well as the ability to speak. They may only be able to utter unintelligible sounds or words, if at all. They will need assistance with all personal care tasks such as eating, walking, and using the bathroom.

Who Is Most At Risk Of Vascular Dementia

Its thought that around 150,000 people in the UK have vascular dementia, with people over the age of 65 being more likely to develop it. It is caused by blood flow issues in the brain, so people who have atherosclerosis , heart disease, or people who have had a stroke may be more at risk.

There are a number of lifestyle factors that can increase your risk of a dementia diagnosis, including:

• Being overweight
• Eating an unhealthy diet

There is no definitive way to prevent dementia, but living a healthier lifestyle may reduce the risk of damaging the blood vessels close to your brain, therefore reducing the risk of things like blood clots which can lead to other conditions that may cause damage to your brain cells.

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Duration Of Stages: How Long Do The Stage Of Alzheimers / Dementia Last

No two people with dementia experience the disease exactly the same way, and the rate of progression will vary by person and type of dementia. In addition, it is not uncommon for individuals to have mixed dementia, meaning they have more than one type. That said, there is a natural course of the disease, and over time the capabilities of all persons with dementia will worsen. Eventually, the ability to function goes away. Keep in mind that changes in the brain from dementia begin years before diagnosis, when there are no outward symptoms. This makes it difficult to know how much time a person has left, though there are ways to come close to knowing life expectancy.

Mild DementiaIn this early stage of dementia, an individual can function rather independently, and often is still able to drive and maintain a social life. Symptoms may be attributed to the normal process of aging. There might be slight lapses in memory, such as misplacing eyeglasses or having difficulty finding the right word. Other difficulties may include issues with planning, organizing, concentrating on tasks, or accomplishing tasks at work. This early stage of dementia, on average, lasts between 2 and 4 years.

Stage : Moderately Severe Cognitive Decline

From this stage onward, the person may no longer be able to function without some assistance.

These are some of the symptoms of this stage:

• Difficulty recalling an important detail such as their address, phone number, or high school
• Disorientation in terms of place and time, such as confusion regarding the season, date, day of the week, or time of day
• Difficulty counting backward from 20 by 2s or from 40s by 4s
• Trouble with making decisions

In this stage, the person can likely still remember their own name and the names of their spouse and children, but they may struggle with recalling the names of their grandchildren. They may be able to eat and use the bathroom without assistance, but may need help with tasks such as deciding what to wear.

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