FTD - A Devastating Disease

Tool: Articulate 360 - Storyline

My Role: Researcher, Script & Storyboard Writer, Course Designer, & Voice-Over Audio Editor

Learners: Caregivers, families, and friends of a Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) patient

Objectives:  

• Use a storytelling format to inform the learner of the facts, symptoms, and causes of FTD, a degenerative brain disease.  

• Utilize a knowledge check after the story to determine if the learner retained some basic facts regarding FTD.

• Provide resources to assist those who care for a person suffering from FTD.  

Learner Objectives:  

• Describe basic behavioral changes and symptoms commonly occurring in a person diagnosed with FTD.

• Identify the areas of the brain that are affected by FTD.

• Recognize the common struggles and frustrations that often occur with the caregiver or family member dealing with an FTD patient.

Challenges:  

A dear friend of mine informed me that her husband was diagnosed with FTD in 2018.  I witnessed her struggles and the difficulties that her children have had to endure. When "Bob" wandered absently away from home, my family engaged in the search efforts. We watched the rapid deterioration of "Bob."  Not knowing much about FTD, I talked with "Amy," researched the subject, and attended a University of Pennsylvania conference on FTD.  Because of its "devastation" on my friend's life and the tremendous impact on my own family, I became an FTD spokesperson in my church community. I realized there was a huge need to inform how FTD impacts the caregiver and the patient and how the community could help.

Solution:  

Using mostly real-life situations that my friend's family endured, I designed a storyboard and script for an eLearning project developed the project in Articulate Storyline, and created an infographic to provide helpful steps after FTD diagnosis. The eLearning described the emotional story of the Brown family and provided FTD facts, symptoms, causes, and additional resources.

Project Outcome:  

I received great feedback from my friend "Amy" Brown and IDOL Courses for my storytelling. As a result of this eLearning development, I was issued the Level 1: eLearning Credly badge from IDOL Courses. My storytelling skills were also highlighted in Robin Sargent's book, "The Do It Messy Approach: A Step-by-Step Guide For Instructional Designers and Online Learning Developers." 

• Link to her book on Amazon

• Link to her book from IDOL Courses and extra book resources