Home / Health / Dementia's Subtle Start: Mum's Personality Shift Alarms Daughter
Dementia's Subtle Start: Mum's Personality Shift Alarms Daughter
29 Sep
Summary
- Daughter noticed personality changes before memory issues arose.
- Low vitamin B12 was initially suspected as a cause.
- Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a rare form affecting younger people.
Beth Jones observed concerning changes in her mother, Gill, starting in 2021, well before a dementia diagnosis. Gill, 68, became uncharacteristically quiet and later exhibited personality shifts, saying "nasty" things, which was unlike her usual warm demeanor. Friends on a Cyprus trip in September 2022 also voiced concerns about Gill's cognitive state.
Initial investigations suggested low vitamin B12, but treatment yielded no improvement. After Gill narrowly failed memory and clock-drawing tests, a referral to a memory clinic led to further delays as Gill had hidden the appointment letter, fearing a diagnosis due to her own mother's experience with dementia. In February 2024, Gill was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a rare form affecting about two percent of dementia cases.
FTD impacts personality, emotions, and behavior, and can affect individuals of any age. Beth found the post-diagnosis support lacking, describing the experience as isolating. She has since started a podcast, 'FTD Navigating the Cr*p', to raise awareness, emphasizing that FTD is not exclusive to the elderly, citing a case of a 22-year-old diagnosed with the condition.
