Mailbox Response
The question was submitted
28/03/2008
Subject: Frontotemporal Dementia
My mother was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia late last year with the dianosis confirmed in February. In January she moved into permanent care. Her main symptoms are obsessive behaviour and not initiating conversation. She can answer questions, (mostly just repeating the phrase in the question). I have two questions.
1. What is the difference between Pick's disease and Frontal Temporal Dementia, and Lewy Bodies?
2. My mother wants to wear the same clothes every day. These clothes - a pair of shorts and a t-shirt - are too small for her as she has put on weigh and need washing. My mother can be very difficult about changing her clothes so I understand why the staff don't always change her. They don't want to distress her. She goes and gets the clothes out of the dirty washing basket and fights to put them back on. I have bought new clothes but most of the time my mother won't wear them.
Are there any behaviour managment strategies specifically dealing with clothes and obsession?
Thanks very much for reading this.
Answer from DementiaNet
Frontotemporal dementia comprises a number of similar but distinguishable diseases. Pick’s disease is one of these. They are all characterised by abnormal processing of tau and/or ubiquitin. These are proteins and it is unknown why these proteins accumulate in the brain and cause damage to brain cells. Lewy body disease causes different symptoms. These patients are likely to have signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease along with the memory problem. Lewy body disease is caused by an abnormality in another protein called alpha-synuclein. Alzheimer’s disease on the other hand is due to an abnormality of amyloid protein. The three types of dementia all present in a characteristic pattern and this is because different parts of the brain are affected.
With respect to your mother, there are behaviour management strategies that can be employed to overcome the problem you describe. It would be best to ask your mother’s GP to arrange a meeting with you and the facility nurses so that these strategies can be openly discussed. A geriatrician opinion would also be worthwhile. The GP can request this. If the problem persists, a clinical psychologist opinion would be valuable.
The answer was published on DementiaNet
14/04/2008