My friend, Toni, has just started a new blog at http://myhusbandhasftd.wordpress.com this is about life with her husband who has the misfortune to suffer from the early onset dementia known at Fronto-Temporal Dementia or FTD. He is now severely affected by the disease and she is writing to share the ups and downs of their day-to-day life with others in the same position and for the benefit of professionals in the field. She is also telling, in instalments, the story of the years leading up to his present state. As Toni believes it is of paramount importance to protect the ‘rights’ of vulnerable people, in the main story she refers to him as ‘Mr’ – a fun name used by her family.
This is a brave and generous enterprise and I wish her luck.
Thanks, Hilary. Considering that it affects a relatively high proportion of younger people, causing huge personal and family problems – profligacy, lost properties, alcohol abuse, violence, sexual disinhibition – it is surprising that it is not more well known. Hopefully the Government’s National Dementia Strategy will make some changes, but we ‘won’t hold our breath’! Toni