Special Challenges for Parents
Who Are Primary FTD Caregivers

When your spouse is diagnosed with a terminal, degenerative illness, you suffer relentless, devastating loss with no apparent resolution long before that person's physical death. You become a full-time caregiver, and when someone young, strong, and mobile suffers from dementia, you can add warden to those duties as well. You must interact with friends and family who don't understand what you are going through, and they may unwittingly underestimate your pain by minimizing the situation ("Well, he seems fine to me! Isn't that encouraging?"). In an instant, you also become a single parent and the primary breadwinner, managing the family's finances and nurturing children who may need more of your time and consideration than ever before. Nothing about this journey is simple or painless. But if you can tend to yourself once in a while, some rewards may surprise you.