| R 354 |
| 2026 -- S 3311 Enacted 05/21/2026 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| PROCLAIMING THE DAY OF MAY 21ST, 2026, TO BE "FRONTOTEMPORAL DEGENERATION (FTD) AWARENESS DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
Introduced By: Senators McKenney, Zurier, Murray, Famiglietti, Dimitri, Rogers, Felag, Acosta, Vargas, and Appollonio |
| Date Introduced: May 21, 2026 |
| 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 21st, 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. |
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| LC006476 |
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