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Fronto-temporal dementia: a case study and strategies and support for caregivers

02 November 2019
Long-Term Conditions
02 November 2019
Volume 24 · Issue 11

Abstract

Fronto-temporal dementia, also known as fronto-temporal lobular degeneration, is the second most common form of early-onset dementia with a prevalence equal to Alzheimer's dementia. Behavioural variant fronto-temporal dementia primarily involves the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Myelination of nerve fibres in these areas allow for highly synchronized action potential timing. Diagnosis is often significantly delayed because symptoms are insidious and appear as personality and behavioural changes such as lack of inhibition, apathy, depression, and being socially inappropriate rather than exhibiting marked memory reductions. In this article, a case study illustrates care strategies and family education. Management of severe behavioural symptoms requires careful evaluation and monitoring. Support is especially important and beneficial in the early to middle stages of dementia when nursing home placement may not be required based on the individual's condition.

The number of people with dementia, a disease that causes progressive decline in cognitive function, is increasing worldwide (Myhre et al, 2018; Thoma-Lurken et al, 2018). Dementia is considered to be a terminal condition that shortens an individual's life span. Therefore, dementia meets the World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of a condition in need of palliative care via an ‘approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, whether they are malignant or not’(WHO, 2019).

There are 13 types of diseases that cause dementia symptoms (Heerema, 2019). Depending on the specific disease, the overall health of the individual, general treatment response and average life expectancy can range from a few weeks (i.e. Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease) to 20 years (i.e. Huntington's chorea, fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease). Differentiating among the types is often determined by initial presentation, especially in those under the age of 60 years.

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Fronto-temporal dementia
Diagnostic challenges
Caregiver support
Behavioural management
Early onset