FTD – Die unbekannte Demenz

They are mothers, not even 40 years old; they are friends who suddenly become abusive in public; they are upstanding men and women who suddenly start stealing – they all suffer from a form of dementia that is still largely unknown. It is called frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Around 10% of all people affected by dementia suffer from FTD. Social worker Margrit Dobler provides information about the disease in the video. She became involved early on in supporting family members caring for their loved ones with FTD. She founded the first support groups for family members in Switzerland – in Chur, Olten, Zurich, and Basel; there are now six groups. Her book, "In the Prime of Life and Demented – Understanding Frontotemporal Dementia" (Rüffer & Rub Non-Fiction Publishers, https://ruefferundrub.ch/buecher/r-r-..., is now available. The lack of insight into their illness, but especially their lack of tact, their disinhibited behavior, and their unpredictability, are very difficult for family members to cope with. Their lack of empathy and their lack of interest in everything, especially the people around them, are often hard to bear. Because personality and behavioral changes are the primary symptoms at the beginning of the illness, it is not uncommon for it to be mistaken for mental health conditions such as depression, burnout syndrome, schizophrenia, or mania. In this book, family members – spouses and children alike – have their say. They describe how their mothers are changing and how they are coping. They recount how they cope with their partner's complete transformation and how they learn to live with the grief of their partner's slow loss. A supervisor explains what's needed to keep a colleague with FTD employed. These are stories of grief, anger, and hope, but above all, they are moving love stories – because enduring this illness requires immense strength and love, which ultimately speaks volumes about one's humanity.