Policy & Advocacy for Pop Health: Application: Developing a Health Advocacy Campaign

The Case for Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD)

NURS-6050N-23: Policy & Advocacy for Pop Health

Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) denotes a critical population health issue in America. Research shows how "FTD is devastating for those affected. Yet it is little known and it is poorly understood. "It can take years for families to get a correct diagnosis" (PR, 2015). As the most prevalent form of dementia for adults under age 60, this issue is vital to foster awareness of since “It is frequently confused with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and certain psychiatric disorders. Misdiagnosis is costly for patients and the medical community” (PR, 2015).

Scholars also show how “FTD is a rare disease, affecting approximately 50,000 nationwide. It is a debilitating form of dementia that affects the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain. FTD strikes people in the prime of life--typically between ages 50 and 60--and erodes their ability to speak, move and/or behave within social norms. There is no known cure for FTD” (PR, 2014).

Summary of the two Advocacy Campaigns

Of the 2 campaigns, the first is called the Food for Thought Campaign. It hosts events in 37 U.S. states, so it attempts to achieve diversity. This campaign also uses a targeted approach to reach a global audience as currently “More than 10 countries across the world are taking part” (PR, 2015). In contrast, the second campaign seemed to be more local in aim as it dealt primarily at One World Trade Center in New York and had more social media emphasis.

An Explanation of the Attributes of the Effective Campaigns

Some traits that made the Food for Thought Campaign effective include its dual emphasis on raising funds to fight FTD but also increasing awareness. By aligning events during World FTD Awareness Week from October 4-11, 2015, it also helps to promote education through community and social collaboration as it supports “Sharing food brings families and communities together," she added, "and these events foster a sense of connection for people facing an isolating disease" (PR, 2015). The range of activities, not merely a single race-theme, make this campaign effective since free choice is given and “Participants stage any Food for Thought event they choose. Examples: offering coffee and donuts at work while playing a YouTube clip, having a home cooked meal with friends, sharing family recipes on social media or partnering with a local community restaurant for profit sharing” (PR, 2015). Food brings all people together, so I like the logic of this campaign as races and exercise events can often isolate or intimidate those who are not athletically inclined, healthy, able, or fit. A major attribute of the second campaign is the fact that it has a highly global social media connection.

Development of a New Plan for the Health Advocacy Campaign for a new policy in Relation to the Issue and the Population.

Part of the plan will be to facilitate awareness of and correct fallacies about FTD, how it is effectively diagnosed, treated, and ultimately prevented.

Specific Objectives for the Policy to be Implemented

• Provide information about the myths and realities of Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD

• Offer strategies for patients and their families to improve the quality of life of people affected by FTD

• Augment collaboration by providing resources, awareness, and education for FTD

• Help to prevent misdiagnoses among the medical community

• Work to achieve foster a cure

My plan will also involve having local and national celebrities engage in the campaign to give it more pop culture appeal, modeled after a 2014 British governmental campaign, entitled "Live Aid for the 21st century", “featuring several celebrities singing the song "With a Little Help from My Friends" by the Beatles” (Celebrities back £3m dementia campaign, 2014).

The proposed campaign will be backed by data and evidence to demonstrate how “Frontotemporal degeneration is a rare, debilitating form of dementia that affects the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain, robbing its victims of the very things that make them unique as human beings—their personality, their emotions, and their ability to communicate” (PR, (2014). Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD) is paramount for citizens to understand since it “strikes in the prime of life when few thinks of dementia. That makes awareness so important" (PR, 2015, October 1). Studies also confirm how “Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) encompasses the syndromes of behavioral variant FTD and primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and refers to those neurodegenerative diseases characterized by predominant pathological involvement of the frontal and temporal lobes” (Hopkins & Chan, 2016).

References

Celebrities back £3m dementia campaign. (2014). Marketing (00253650), 1.

Hopkins, S., & Chan, D. (2016). Key emerging issues in frontotemporal dementia. Journal of Neurology, 263(2), 407. doi:10.1007/s00415-015-7880-7.

PR, N. (2014). Discovery Fit & Health Helps Raise Awareness for Frontotemporal Degeneration with Exclusive Broadcast Rights to Short-form Documentary IT IS WHAT IT IS - FRONTOTEMPORAL DEGENERATION: TRAGIC LOSS, ABIDING HOPE. PR Newswire US.

PR, N. (2014). Rare Brain Disorder Included for First Time in National Plan to Cure Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias. PR Newswire US.

PR, N. (2015). Eat, Not Exercise, to Do Some Good: National Nonprofit Takes a Bite out of Dementia with Grassroots Campaign Targeting All 50 States. PR Newswire US.

PR, N. (2015). First-ever World FTD Awareness Week Launches Tonight at One World Trade Center. PR Newswire US.