Joanna Dauber, D.O., shared her family’s experience in caring for her late mother, who lived with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), and offered guidance to fellow physicians on how to care for families impacted by FTD in a recent article.

Dr. Dauber, a family medicine resident at Christiana Care Wilmington Hospital, wrote an article about how her mother’s PSP diagnosis changed her family’s life, which was featured in a recent edition of DelFamDoc, the peer-reviewed journal of the Delaware Academy of Family Physicians. Her mother, Linda Dauber, was diagnosed with PSP at age 59 and died in 2014 at age 61.

“When learning she had [PSP]…we were left with more questions than answers,” wrote Dr. Dauber. “Unfortunately, this is the situation for many families whose loved ones are given this diagnosis. My family quickly learned this was not just a diagnosis for my mother, but a diagnosis for our whole family.”

In the article, Dr. Dauber explained what FTD is, outlining its related subtype disorders and the current options available for FTD-related symptom management. She also advised other physicians who may be unfamiliar with FTD on how to care for persons diagnosed, specifically pointing to how a “family physician can play a huge role for those diagnosed with FTD.” The physician wrote that she hopes the article “may provide some guidance for [physicians] to support those families who end up with this dreadful diagnosis.”

Dr. Dauber, a former AFTD Volunteer Regional Coordinator, spoke of her family’s experience with connecting with AFTD. She referred to several AFTD resources, such as the Partners in FTD Care newsletter, webinars, and the AFTD Education Conference, that can help better inform other healthcare professionals on FTD.

“We were lucky enough to find [AFTD],” she shared. “On days that we felt alone with this diagnosis, connecting to other families offered insight and support that helped my family continue forward.”

Read Dr. Joanna Dauber’s article “Something Is Not Right with Mom—How a Diagnosis of PSPS Changed My Family’s Life,” featured in DelFamDoc, here.