MT HJ19

Declares the last full week of September as Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) Awareness Week in Montana, coinciding with World FTD Awareness Week

Requests the Governor issue a proclamation recognizing the awareness week and directs the Secretary of State to send copies to the Governor, Department of Public Health and Human Services director, and all county commissions

FTD is a terminal, incurable neurodegenerative disease affecting the frontal and temporal lobes, causing impairments to speech, personality, behavior, and motor skills, with an average life expectancy of 7-13 years after symptom onset

FTD primarily affects people ages 21-80, with the largest percentage in their 40s-60s, and represents 5-15% of all dementia cases while being the most common form of dementia for people under 60

Average annual care costs for FTD are approximately double those of Alzheimer's disease, and diagnosis takes an average of 3.6 years from symptom onset