Frontal Lobe Dementia

Less than 10 per cent of all dementias are frontal lobe dementia. Frontal lobe dementia can be distinguished from Alzheimer Disease early in the course of the illness. Frontal lobe dementia affects the temporal lobes, frontal lobe, or both temporal and frontal lobes.

Damage to the frontal lobe leads to alterations in personality and behaviour, changes in the way a person feels and expresses emotion, and loss of judgement. The first symptoms of frontal lobe dementia are typically psychological and behavioural problems. These may include changes in character and in social behaviour. The person may show insensitivity or lack of constraint, which may result in the person getting in trouble with the criminal justice system because of stealing or behaviour that lands them in trouble. The person may become quite obsessive during the early stages. For example everything must be neat and in order or the person may repeatedly wash their hands. As well, there may be sexual misadventures, social graces may deteriorate, and the person may make inappropriate comments.

As well as personality and behavioural problems the person will experience language problems. For example, they may have limited speech output, lack of speech spontaneity, decreased vocabulary, and repetition. The person may use jargon, meaning that instead of being able to find the word to describe an object, the person with the disease will give a description of it instead.

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One in every 11 Canadians over the age of 65 and 1 in every 3 over the age of 85 are living with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder.

Alzheimer’s disease is the leading form of progressive dementia, as approximately 65% of all people with dementia have Alzheimer’s disease.

Right now, Alzheimer’s affects more than 160,000 Ontarians over the age of 65. By the end of 2009, this number will increase to 184,416. Aging baby boomers and longer life expectancy rates will help fuel the Alzheimer’s crisis.

For every person affected by Alzheimer’s disease, 10 to 12 others are directly impacted. These include caregivers such as family members, friends and neighbours; employers and healthcare workers.

Alzheimer’s disease is the seventh leading cause of death in Canada.

Within the past 10 years the Alzheimer Society of York Region has contributed more than $625,000 towards research into finding a cause and cure for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Currently, Alzheimer’s disease costs Ontario taxpayers $7 billion a year. Unless changes are made to funding research and developing community services and programs, Alzheimer’s disease will overwhelm Ontario’s health care system.