Learn About the Stages of Frontotemporal Dementia

By Marina Pink | March 28, 2022 |

If a senior citizen has frontotemporal dementia, they are going to experience certain signs. Some of these may be subtle in the early stage of this disease. However, as the disease progresses the signs are going to become more prevalent and take over their behaviors and personality. Unfortunately, there isn’t a cure for frontotemporal dementia at this time. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things that family caregivers and elder care providers can do to help them.

Elder Care in Studio City CA: Frontotemporal Dementia

Earliest Signs

Before your elderly loved one receives a frontotemporal dementia diagnosis, they may still be in the earliest stage. During this stage, there are some signs that you or elder care providers might notice in your elderly loved one such as:

Eating too much
Acting compulsively
Not being as social as usual
Denying they are forgetting things
Quick to react
Mood swings
Subtle changes in their behavior

Throughout the progression of the disease, these things will worsen. However, during the first stage of frontotemporal dementia, the signs may be so subtle that you think it is just them getting older.

Mid-Stage Frontotemporal Dementia

This is the stage where a lot of senior citizens who have the disease receive a diagnosis. As noted above, one reason for that may be because the signs that occur before this stage are so subtle that they are attributed to getting older. With this being said, during the mid-stage of frontotemporal dementia, some of the signs that you or a senior care provider might notice in your elderly loved one include:

Needing more help from you, their doctors, loved ones, and home care providers
Acting out more
Needing speech therapy as their language impairments worsens (slowed speech, forgetting words, communication issues, etc.)
More severe mood swings
Worsening memory loss
Higher risk of tripping over things or falling in general

During this stage, you and elderly care providers may need to make changes to their homes to ensure they are safe. Some ways you can do this are putting a ramp up on the porch, keeping clutter picked up, and making sure the kitchen utensils are put in safe places.

Final Stage of the Disease

During the final stage of the disease, the signs that you or companion care at home providers notice will be more advanced and severe. Some of the signs that may be noticed in your elderly loved one include:

Severe difficulty communicating (can’t communicate at all near the end)
Completely lost their original personality
Severe mood swings, aggression, and behavior changes

It is going to be difficult for everyone in the family and friends to adapt to this stage. Your elderly loved one isn’t going to know who anyone is at this point. They are going to need Elder Care.

Elder Care Conclusion

Do you believe that your elderly loved one has frontotemporal dementia or any other type of dementia? If so, it is crucial that you or an elder care provider take them to see their doctor. The sooner they can receive a diagnosis, if this is what they have, the sooner the care plan can be created to try to help them manage symptoms better for as long as possible.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in Studio City, CA, please contact the caring staff at Home Care Help. Serving All of Los Angeles County. Call Us Today (888) 989-7388

Sources

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/types-frontotemporal-disorders

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Marina Pink

Owner at Home Care Help

Marina Pink is the Owner at Home Care Help. Home Care Help is an innovator in providing services in a caring and professional manner. We have an exceptional history, spanning twenty-three years, of providing care to people in moments that matter most. It is our utmost priority to address every need in a timely manner; and, it is our goal, above all else, to give the level of support that enables our residents to have as much independence as possible with care and respect.