My sister has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. She is 57 years old. In August 2008 she didn't show up for work, and when I went to her home I discovered that she had started hoarding.

I had not been to her house in several years. Whenever I went there she would meet me outside and would not invite me in. I found her inside lying on her bed in the same clothes as the day before. No sheets on the bed, and lying in urine.

After we arrived at the hospital I asked them to run an MRI because she had had a brain tumor in 1988. After the MRI was examined I was told that she had a head trauma from a car accident. I knew she hadn't and kept pressing for more tests. They ran a CT scan and then another neurologist looked at her MRI and saw the disease. This has nothing to do with the brain tumor.

She began forgetting to go work, getting angry at other drivers when driving, forgetting to pay bills and having crying episodes at work.

In January she had an incident at work where she got mad and threw a box at someone. After that we had to put her on disability and take away her driving privileges. This has been hard for her to understand because she thinks she is fine. The hardest part for me was telling the doctors (in front of her) what was going on.

This is only the beginning I know and I must find the courage to talk to her about plans for her future. I am her only sister. My brother helps but can do only so much. My parents are 80 and 81 and they are in better health than my sister. It has been 8 months, and I finally have her house clean. The dementia itself is enough to deal with. Now I also have to take care of her financial and medical decisions. I make sure that I still make the time to enjoy my 3 grandchildren and go away periodically with my husband and do nothing. Absolutely nothing. Right now she is at the point where she is child like and does not want to bathe, brush her teeth or go to bed.

What comes next?