Proclaiming the Day of May 21st, 2026, to Be "Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) Awareness Day" in the State of Rhode Island

WHEREAS, Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), also known as Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD), affects approximately 50,000 to 60,000 people in the United States. These diseases mainly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, the areas of the brain associated with personality, behavior and language; and

WHEREAS, In Frontotemporal Dementia, parts of these brain lobes shrink, known as atrophy, and can cause a variety of symptoms including acting in ways that may seem to be socially inappropriate, acting more compulsively, losing the ability to use or understand language, showing less response to other people's feelings, changes in eating habits to include overeating sweets or carbohydrates, repeatedly placing objects in the mouth, eating things that are not food and compulsive behaviors such as tapping, clapping, or smacking lips repeatedly; and

WHEREAS, Other symptoms of Frontotemporal Degeneration impact a person's movements such as causing tremors, rigidity, muscle spasms or twitches, poor coordination, trouble swallowing, muscle weakness, laughing or crying at times that don't match the situation, and falls or trouble walking. These symptoms are similar to those seen in Parkinson's Disease; and

WHEREAS, Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease are both types of dementia, but they affect the brain in different ways. Frontotemporal Dementia usually begins at an earlier age than Alzheimer's Disease, often beginning between the ages of 40 and 65. Memory loss may not be an early symptom of Frontotemporal Dementia while it is usually one of the first symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. Frontotemporal Dementia is often mistaken for Alzheimer's Disease or a mental health condition, especially in the early stages, and oftentimes the clinical aspects of Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease overlap, making it hard to diagnose the condition of Frontotemporal Dementia; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby proclaims the Day of May st, 2026, to be Frontotemporal Degeneration Awareness Day in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Ms. Rita B. Choula, M.A., Chair of The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.