Depending on your neurologist, he or she may use the 3 or 7 stages for Frontotemporal Dementia. We just visited our neurologist on March 21, 2024. Kimberly has declined a lot in the 4 months of our last visit. We use the 3 stages (Early, Middle, and Late). Our neurologist refers to the stages as Mild, Moderate, and Severe.
Kimberly is at the tail end of stage 2 and creeping up on stage 3. Our next visit is not for another 6 months; a lot can happen between now and then.
Stages 1 and 2 are about the same to me, with one big exception: in stage 2, everything seems to escalate intensively. She repeats more often, never stops talking, eats faster, paces the floor more, and gets tired more easily.
Stage 3 is something that I am not looking forward to—the possibility of severe impairment in multiple areas. Speech issues, loss of self-awareness, and struggle to communicate. They could be difficult to handle, refusing to cooperate. and become distraught over simple tasks. They will need help with eating, drinking, dressing, and bathing. Motor, social, and verbal skills will vanish, which I already see with Kimberly now. You cannot help your loved one at this stage—it is more than one person can handle.
In 7 stages, stage 2 (3 stages) would be similar to stages 5 and 6, and stage 3 (3 stages) would be the same as stage 7. Anything up to stage 2 (3 stages) and stages 5 and 6 (7 stages) are learning stages as the individual is showing traits of the disease as it is progressing. You may also see anxiety and OCD during the early learning stages.
If your loved one has not shown any signs of movement-related symptoms similar to ALS or Parkinson’s in the early stages, there is the possibility that it will show up in the last stages, which will make things a lot worse to handle your loved one by yourself. I pray for all of us acting as full-time caregivers that ALS or Parkinson’s does not enter any of the stages!
