By Meghan McCarthy
Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing coverage of the 2024 Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference (AAIC). To view all highlights, please click here.
Each morning, Sarah wakes up early, makes a pot of coffee, and turns on the news. The ritual had been a part of her routine for decades. In their retirement years, Sarah’s partner, Jodi, slept in a little later but always joined Sarah eventually. Together, the two sip their coffee and watch the stories of triumph and tragedy alike on their morning station.
Sarah doesn’t remember exactly when a change in Jodi started. Watching together, the pair used to get quite moved by the morning highlights. Now, Jodi remains mostly unaffected. It’s a subtle change, but one that Sarah noted after becoming particularly emotional one morning. Not only was Jodi very uninterested in the story, but also unconcerned about her partner’s emotion.
As time passed, Jodi’s withdrawn personality became more noticeable. In social settings, Jodi began acting without regard for social norms. She lacked an interest in others’ emotions. Jodi was not aware of these changes. As a loving partner, Sarah began to worry. Together for decades, it was clear to her that Jodi’s empathetic and caring nature was being replaced with a different personality.
After seeing several clinicians, Jodi was eventually diagnosed with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD).
Empathy loss is a hallmark symptom of this form of dementia.