I’ve written nothing about this disorder. I don’t think I’ve ever uttered the words, FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA. This kind of dementia never really crossed my mind. For so long, we were told that mom probably had mixed dementia—Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular Dementia. I accepted that “diagnosis.” I suppose I evan began to define my mom as that. But as her behaviors became increasingly worse, I did start to wonder if there was something else going on…. even dad thought there was something else going on. We read about Alzheimer’s and VD and in the beginning she fit the mold…….. then she shattered the mold.
Now we have an answer. Frontotemporal Dementia.
While I’m relieved to finally know what exactly is slowly gnawing away at her gray matter, I think this journey would be a lot easier if she actually had Alzheimer’s disease. Maybe not. Everyone is different I suppose.
Below is an interview sent to me by the incredibly amazing people at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute about FTD, which aired on our NPR station here in Phoenix, KJZZ. Hope you’ll take a listen and learn more about this lesser known dementia.
My Demented Mom 
[…] An article, which appeared in The New York Times, about a wife and her husband who has Frontotemporal dementia really hit home with me……. I wish this article came out five or six years ago…… For me, reading this, well, I felt some comfort………… like when they talked about shoplifting …………… knowing that it wasn’t my mom trying to steal the Almond Joy or the Starbucks (that I had already paid for), it was the dementia eating away at her gray matter. […]