4 Jan 2009
Dear Readers,
I have received many inquiries about the outcome of the story of the gentleman with Frontal Temporal Dementia (FTD) who had an amazing “awakening” a few weeks ago. Here is what his wife has to say:
Dear Mary,
I sent the column you wrote about my husband to friends and family. Some wished I had emphasized that for almost a year my husband’s verbal ability was limited to saying "yes" and "no". Others wished I had added another line explaining he had reverted back to this “normal” behavior the next day. One thing is for sure though; your column has been read from Maine to Florida, Massachusetts to California which means you are known nationwide!
Dear Mary,
Are tremors common with Alzheimer’s disease? My husband was diagnosed by our physician with AD but he has a family history of Parkinson’s. He was given Parkinson’s medication with the assumption that if it was Parkinson’s disease the tremors would stop, but it made them worse.
Dear Reader,
Yes, they are. The brain and spinal cord compose the central nervous system. If one or the other is damaged, messages cannot be sent to or received from the body. Cellular brain damage from Alzheimer’s disease impairs this message transmission system resulting in tremors and even rigidity in the later stage.
Tremors are known early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, but they are also seen in Lewy Body Dementia and in some nutritional deficiencies. It is important to get a complete medical and psychological assessment early on to determine which disease process is involved. From there appropriate medication can be prescribed to treat the symptoms.
Dear Mary,
My wife has had dementia for several years. Over the course of her illness I’ve observed what appears to be a regression to childhood. She no longer acts like an adult and exhibits very childish behaviors. For example, she insists on carrying around a small stuffed animal that one of our grandchildren left behind. She strokes and cuddles it and even sleeps with it at night. When I try to take it away, she throws a temper tantrum just like a small child. It is very upsetting to me to see her act like this. What can I do about it?
Dear Reader,
Your wife’s behavior is normal for her disease. As progressive dementias advance, child-like - not childish - behaviors are normal. Loss of memory progresses from what is learned last to what was learned early in life. According to a renowned researcher in dementia “…knowledge and skills regress in reverse developmental order” (Reisberg, 1999).
Your wife is not capable of intentionally “acting” a certain way. She is behaving according to what she remembers which to her is present time. Allow her the small pleasure of holding the stuffed animal. At this stage in her disease it may be the only pleasure she comprehends. It is important not to treat her like a child, though. She deserves the respect and dignity of an adult which she has earned.
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