Living with FTD brings significant changes for both persons diagnosed and their care partners. As symptoms emerge — behavioral changes, language challenges, cognitive shifts — persons diagnosed will need to adjust their daily routines and lifestyles accordingly. And care partners must prioritize their own well-being to sustain the physical and emotional demands of FTD care.

AFTD’s Comstock Grants support both persons diagnosed and care partners on this journey. They provide financial assistance to help families access resources that support their well-being.

AFTD’s Comstock Quality of Life Grants defray the cost of goods or services that can make a meaningful difference in the everyday life of persons diagnosed. While we share some suggestions for how the grant can be used, persons diagnosed and their families ultimately decide to spend the grant money on whatever they think will help them the most based on their own needs and situation.

At the AFTD 2025 Education Conference, our Persons with FTD Advisory Council led a discussion of tools and tips they use to enhance their quality of life, along with ways they work with their care partners and loved ones to tend to their all-important self-care. The Council compiled their lived experiences and strategies in a new AFTD fact sheet called “Insights from Persons Living with FTD.”

Persons living with FTD can apply for a Comstock Quality of Life Grant by visiting the AFTD website.

Care partners are often told to focus on their own self-care, but this is much easier said than done. Some feel guilty or anxious about the idea of attending to their own needs while their loved one is facing FTD. Still others may lack a second care partner who can “tag in” to provide a reprieve – or they simply cannot afford to pay for self-care services.

AFTD’s Comstock Respite Grants help family care partners take a much-needed caregiving break. The grants can be used to subsidize a variety of crucial self-care activities, such as getting professional mental health support, joining a gym, engaging in their favorite hobbies, or spending time with friends and family. Family care partners can also use Respite Grants to hire a care service for their loved one – such as adult day care or an overnight stay at a skilled nursing facility or assisted-living center – so they can take a break and recharge.

At the 2025 Conference, Compassion in Caregiving founder Stephanie Muskat shared session available to watch on YouTube. You can also download an AFTD resource compiled by five former FTD care partners, which shares daily reminders of strength that they learned and used along their journey.

Care partners can apply for a Comstock Respite Grant by visiting the AFTD website.

If you are interested in making a gift to support this vital resource for people living with FTD and care partners, visit our online donation form and select “Caregiver Respite” or “Quality of Life for People with FTD” from the “What would you like your donation to support?” drop-down menu.

If you have any questions or concerns about AFTD Comstock Grants, need help with self-care, or seek any other guidance for your FTD journey, reach out to the AFTD HelpLine at 1-866-507-7222 or info@theaftd.org.