Frontotemporal Dementia: Complications of the Elderly

Dementia is senior adults can lead to life altering health complications and loss of independence. For many senior adults, the complications are associated with Alzheimer's disease. For others, however, the complications of dementia may be related to a complication involving the frontal lobe.

A form of dementia known as FTD, frontotemporal dementia is a complication that involves deterioration and degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes. As a complication that is not reversible, if your aging parent, or other loved one, experiences a complication involving FTD, a life time of healthcare services will be required.

Symptoms of an elderly adult who is suffering from frontotemporal dementia may include a sudden change in affect, with a mood appearing to be quite depressed, an inability to self-regulate or self-control specific behaviors, and even a loss in an ability to engage in social activities.

The complication that makes FTD of such a concern in the elderly population, more so than the onset of Alzheimer's disease, is the inability of the elderly adult to engage in non-cognitive activities. This is to say that in many forms of a dementia, where loss of cognitive and thought processing is evident, the complication may not be as significant as that found in an FTD patient. In the frontotemporal dementia complication of the elderly adult, while cognitive processes may be impaired, the more prevalent issue is the loss of non-cognitive processes including an inability to engage in social activities.

Essentially, when FTD sets in, the elderly adult becomes isolated and unable to process and control behavior. This, in and of itself, may result in a significant degree of dependence on others. If you are caring for a loved one who suffers from a form of dementia, it is important to obtain accurate diagnosis. While Alzheimer's disease may lead, eventually, to loss of behavioral control, in those elderly adults with FTD, there is a greater risk for behavioral complications.