"Frontotemporal Dementia is the most common cause of dementia for people under 60, affecting more than 50,000 Americans. Onset strikes earlier in life - when dementia doesn't even seem like a possibility - and accurate diagnosis may take years. Families lose active parents and breadwinners without knowing what is stealing away the person they love. And when a diagnosis is made, there are no effective treatments. Changing that actually starts with you. www.theaftd.org/learnmore"
This newspaper ad could make an enormous difference for someone beginning to notice changes in their family member. Most people don't think of dementia when a loved one is still in their 40s and showing signs of personality changes and behavior issues. At this point, there is no treatment, but just having a diagnosis and understanding what the problem is could help families better cope with all the issues involved with FTD and CTE. In our case, after my brother-in-law got tossed out of his home by his family, he would have been living on the street if we didn't have the resources to help. Not everyone is as lucky.
