29. Wake Up Maggie Movie: The Film Giving Dignity and a Voice to Frontotemporal Dementia

Send us Fan MailWake Up Maggie: The Film Giving Dignity and a Voice to Frontotemporal Dementia with Katie PrentissFrontotemporal dementia (FTD) can enter a family like a false accusation — sudden personality shifts and years of misdiagnosis. Actor and filmmaker Katie Prentiss knows this firsthand. She opens up about caring for her mom through FTD, the loneliness of uncharted waters, and the challenges of Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA).From grief came a question that changed everything: what makes you feel alive? That question led Katie to acting — and to her debut feature film, Wake Up Maggie — built from lived experience and designed to bring FTD to audiences who rarely see it on screen.In this episode:What FTD looks like before diagnosis — and why it's so often misreadPrimary progressive aphasia and the communication challenges families faceWhy Wake Up Maggie speaks to caregivers and midlife "unraveling" momentsStorytelling as edutainment and film as an empathy machineA question to sit with: What would you want others to know about you — to capture your essence — if you could no longer speak for yourself?If this episode moved you, please leave a rating and review and share it with someone navigating dementia or supporting a caregiver.Resources mentioned:Katie's Sunshine Soul Podcast  Listen to Katie’s podcast interview on Caregivers Compass with Stephanie MuskatSeniors Making a Horror Movie: How Filmmaker Sean Cisterna Turned Rejection Into a Global Movement Agains Isolation Connect with Katie Prentiss:https://www.katieprentiss.com/wake-up-maggieThank you for listening!Do you have a question or a topic related to "capturing essence for care" that you would like discussed on the podcast?  Email:  [email protected] use the "Send us Fan Mail" link at the top of the Episode Description to text the show!Interested in learning more?  Check out my Etsy ShopVisit my YouTube channel or websiteIntro and outro music with thanks:  Upbeat and Sweet No Strings by Musictown Lisa brings over 25 years of experience working in healthcare settings with older adults. The perspectives shared on this podcast are her own and do not represent the views of any past or current employer. Patient/resident stories are shared only with explicit permission or as anonymized composites for educational purposes.