11/22/2025
Written by: Daniela Russo
🧠🌈 MYTH:
“Once someone gets a dementia diagnosis — that’s it, everything they do is because of dementia.”
😂 Really? So if they laugh, dementia.
If they dance, dementia.
If they want cake at 3am… okay, maybe that one is universal, not dementia. 🍰😄
✅ TRUTH:
A diagnosis tells you the disease, not the person — and definitely not the brain’s full menu of abilities.
We treat dementia like a one-button remote control:
“Press diagnosis, get decline.”
But the brain is more like a messy wardrobe — lots of surprises, many hidden treasures, some socks missing, but still plenty working!
Let’s talk neuroscience without the headache.
🎶 MUSIC? Still works.
Even when memory fades, music sneaks past damaged areas and lights up whole neural networks.
This is why someone who can’t remember breakfast suddenly remembers every lyric from 1973.
The brain loves rhythm more than it loves your clinical checklist.
💓 EMOTIONS? Still firing.
The limbic system stays active long after logic goes on holiday.
You might forget my name, but you’ll remember my tone of voice.
You’ll feel when I bring safety… or stress.
Because the amygdala never forgets a vibe.
🍫 Dopamine? Still in stock.
Joy, laughter, connection, chocolate, music — all still release dopamine and oxytocin.
Neuroscience never said, “dementia = no pleasure allowed.”
Professionals did that.
The brain didn’t.
🧩 Behaviour is not a symptom — it’s a clue.
Wandering?
Maybe they’re bored.
Agitated?
Maybe the environment feels like a nightclub at 9am.
Shadowing?
Maybe you are the only safe object in the room.
Not pathology… communication.
🌱 The brain still wants what every human wants:
✅ safety
✅ routine
✅ joy
✅ music
✅ connection
✅ softness
✅ sensory clarity
✅ a calm environment
✅ familiar faces
✅ hydration (yes — water solves 80% of crises 😅)
These are not “activities.”
They’re the brain’s preferred operating system.
💡 Diagnosis ≠ destiny
MRI scans show the injury, not the humour.
Cognitive tests show the decline, not the rhythm.
Labels show the disease, not the spark.
And trust me — there is spark.
I’ve seen people dance, laugh, flirt, sing, joke, tease, argue, negotiate, refuse baths, and demand extra dessert — all while living with dementia.
Because the brain is not a broken appliance.
It’s a living orchestra that needs the
right conductor.
When dementia enters the brain, it changes some pathways
but it does NOT cancel the person.
The diagnosis is paperwork.
The real story is love, safety, rhythm, environment, and connection.
Give the brain what the brain loves
and it will surprise you every time
