EPISODE · Mar 17, 2026 · 46 MIN
When Dementia Doesn’t Look Like Alzheimer’s: FTD, Language Loss & Behavioral Changes”
from This is Your Brain on Mom · host Aflalo Communications Inc.
What if it’s not Alzheimer’s? In this powerful and deeply relatable conversation, we sit down with Alma Valencia — sandwich generation caregiver, advocate, and full-time daughter caring for her mother living with Frontal Temporal Dementia (FTD) — to unpack what happens when dementia doesn’t fit the mold. Before receiving an FTD diagnosis, Alma’s mother was misdiagnosed with depression and alcoholism. The family questioned everything: Was it bipolar disorder? A personality disorder? A midlife crisis? Until the behavioral changes, financial chaos, language shifts, and loss of executive function could no longer be explained away. Alma shares raw and sometimes shocking examples of how FTD showed up in her mother’s life — from unpaid rent and parking tickets to elaborate stories, impulsive decisions, and the gradual shrinking of vocabulary. We also discuss something many families experience but don’t talk about enough: personality shifts. The sweet church-going mother who never cursed begins using profanity. The filter disappears. Social boundaries fade. Humor becomes a coping mechanism. If you are: Caring for a parent with FTD or atypical dementia Questioning a diagnosis that doesn’t fully make sense Seeing behavioral symptoms that feel “beyond normal aging” Navigating language loss or personality changes Feeling isolated after a dementia diagnosis This episode is for you. Because dementia is not one-size-fits-all. And sometimes the hardest part isn’t the memory loss — it’s losing the version of the person you thought you knew. 🎧 Listen now and join the conversation. Alma shares how caregiving transformed her life — from a fast-paced 20-year career in fashion to embracing caregiving as a vocation. She speaks candidly about building community, creating resources, and ensuring other families don’t feel as alone as she once did. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
What if it’s not Alzheimer’s? In this powerful and deeply relatable conversation, we sit down with Alma Valencia — sandwich generation caregiver, advocate, and full-time daughter caring for her mother living with Frontal Temporal Dementia (FTD) — to unpack what happens when dementia doesn’t fit the mold. Before receiving an FTD diagnosis, Alma’s mother was misdiagnosed with depression and alcoholism. The family questioned everything: Was it bipolar disorder? A personality disorder? A midlife crisis? Until the behavioral changes, financial chaos, language shifts, and loss of executive function could no longer be explained away. Alma shares raw and sometimes shocking examples of how FTD showed up in her mother’s life — from unpaid rent and parking tickets to elaborate stories, impulsive decisions, and the gradual shrinking of vocabulary. We also discuss something many families experience but don’t talk about enough: personality shifts. The sweet church-going mother who never cursed begins using profanity. The filter disappears. Social boundaries fade. Humor becomes a coping mechanism. If you are: Caring for a parent with FTD or atypical dementia Questioning a diagnosis that doesn’t fully make sense Seeing behavioral symptoms that feel “beyond normal aging” Navigating language loss or personality changes Feeling isolated after a dementia diagnosis This episode is for you. Because dementia is not one-size-fits-all. And sometimes the hardest part isn’t the memory loss — it’s losing the version of the person you thought you knew. 🎧 Listen now and join the conversation. Alma shares how caregiving transformed her life — from a fast-paced 20-year career in fashion to embracing caregiving as a vocation. She speaks candidly about building community, creating resources, and ensuring other families don’t feel as alone as she once did. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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When Dementia Doesn’t Look Like Alzheimer’s: FTD, Language Loss & Behavioral Changes”
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