Dementia Myth Busters – The Most Common Myths Explained Part 2

In this follow-up segment, Lisa dives into a second set of myths that often lead to misunderstanding and stigma around dementia. These myths cover topics beyond memory, including work ability, daily decision-making, communication, behavior, cultural differences, supplements, technology use, and the belief that dementia is a psychological issue rather than a medical one.

Lisa breaks down each myth with practical truths that help families better understand what dementia really looks like. Listeners learn why independence still matters, how meaningful activities can be adapted, why technology can help rather than harm, and how a full care team—not just doctors—supports better outcomes. These insights offer encouragement, clarity, and realistic expectations for anyone caring for or supporting someone living with dementia.

About the Host:

Author Lisa Skinner is a behavioral specialist with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. In her 30+year career working with family members and caregivers, Lisa has taught them how to successfully navigate the many challenges that accompany this heartbreaking disease. Lisa is both a Certified Dementia Practitioner and is also a certified dementia care trainer through the Alzheimer’s Association. She also holds a degree in Human Behavior.

Her latest book, “Truth, Lies & Alzheimer’s – Its Secret Faces” continues Lisa’s quest of working with dementia-related illnesses and teaching families and caregivers how to better understand the daunting challenges of brain disease. Her #1 Best-seller book “Not All Who Wander Need Be Lost,” was written at their urging. As someone who has had eight family members diagnosed with dementia, Lisa Skinner has found her calling in helping others through the struggle so they can have a better-quality relationship with their loved ones through education and through her workshops on counter-intuitive solutions and tools to help people effectively manage the symptoms of brain disease. Lisa Skinner has appeared on many national and regional media broadcasts. Lisa helps explain behaviors caused by dementia, encourages those who feel burdened, and gives practical advice for how to respond.

So many people today are heavily impacted by Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. The Alzheimer's Association and the World Health Organization have projected that the number of people who will develop Alzheimer's disease by the year 2050 worldwide will triple if a treatment or cure is not found. Society is not prepared to care for the projected increase of people who will develop this devastating disease. In her 30 years of working with family members and caregivers who suffer from dementia, Lisa has recognized how little people really understand the complexities of what living with this disease is really like. For Lisa, it starts with knowledge, education, and training.

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Episode Transcript

Lisa Skinner (00:00):
Hi everyone. Welcome back to the truth, lies
and Alzheimer's show. I'm LisaSkinner, your host, and today I
am presenting part two of mymyth busting segment. We did
part one went over a lot of themyths that are have been

(00:23):
circulating for decades aroundAlzheimer's disease and
dementia, and today I'mpresenting part two, and I've
got quite a few more to to goover with you. So let's go all
right. Number one myth for parttwo, dementia is an emotional or

(00:44):
psychological problem, not abrain disease. I've been hearing
this for decades. A lot ofpeople actually think this is a
mental health condition. It'snot. This is an actual disease.
So the truth is that dementia isprimarily a brain disease with
neurological changes throughmood and behavior. Though mood

(01:09):
and behavior are closely linkedand can be affected. So it's
misleading, because it doesconfuse neurological and
psychological aspects. Take awayfrom this is to treat both brain
health and mental health as partof the care plan. So let me just

(01:31):
elaborate on that for a second.It's very, very common for
people who live with Alzheimer'sdisease or related dementia,
like one of the other 100 knownbrain diseases that causes
dementia, and a huge majority ofpeople who live with Alzheimer's

(01:51):
disease suffer from depression.Well, depression falls under
psychological mental health, butit's being caused. It's it's one
of the results of the damagebeing done to the brain from the
brain disease. So that just kindof clarifies that another myth,

(02:17):
children and teenagers don'tneed to worry about dementia.
It's an older person issue. Thetruth is that there is a rarer
form of Alzheimer's diseaseknown as early onset dementia,
and can affect younger familymembers, and genetic counseling

(02:38):
or family planning decisions mayarise for some families. I
recently, probably in the lastthree or four months, heard of a
person as young as 19 years old,the youngest person ever to be
diagnosed with early onsetAlzheimer's disease 19 years

(02:59):
old. So it really can impactanybody at any age. Why that's
misleading? Because it minimizesfamily impact and genetic
considerations. So what can wetake away from this? Awareness
and planning may be relevant forsome families another one.

(03:23):
Dementia is untreatable. Nothingcan slow it down. That's not
true. Some interventions canslow progression or improve
symptoms temporarily, especiallywith early diagnosis and
comprehensive care, medicalmanagement, cognitive strategies

(03:43):
and or physical activity. That'smisleading, because it implies
that it's inevitable that ifsomebody develops Alzheimer's
disease or one of the otherbrain diseases that causes
dementia, that there's nothinganybody can do. Takeaway with

(04:06):
for that one is to implementearly and proactive care
matters. Another one onlydoctors can help. Nurses and
therapists aren't essential in acare plan. But the truth of the
matter is that amultidisciplinary team that

(04:28):
includes nurse practitioners,social workers, occupational or
physical therapists, dementiaspecialists, psychologists are
all often crucial for acomprehensive care plan that's
misleading, because it reallyunderstates a team based

(04:50):
approach to care. There's somany factors that are involved
in day to day living, and ittakes a village to cover. Every
aspect of it. So the takeawaytry to build a care network that
includes diverse professionals.That stands for reason. Dementia

(05:13):
is a single disease. Therearen't different types. False.
Dementia is a broad category.It's not even a disease. It's an
umbrella term used to describeand refer to the sign symptoms
and behaviors that result fromthe damage being done to the

(05:35):
brain. There are many causes.Alzheimer's disease, vascular
dementia, Lewy body dementia,Frontotemporal dementia, those
are just some of the more commonones we hear about. But each of
them has a distinct has its owndistinct features and care

(05:56):
needs. The other thing that'scontrary to this statement. Myth
is that people can actually livewith more than one brain disease
simultaneously. Maybe they haveAlzheimer's disease and vascular
dementia happening exactly atthe same time, and each one is

(06:18):
damaging different parts of thebrain that's actually more
common than people realize. Soit's misleading because it over
simplifies the diagnosis and themanagement of these conditions.
So what can we do have accuratesubtype awareness guides to

(06:41):
treatment and planning, anothermyth that hearing loss has no
impact on dementia risk, and thetruth is, unfortunately, that
hearing loss is associated witha very high risk of developing
dementia, but if it's addressedand treated and managed like

(07:06):
with hearing aids, that theimpairment may support cognitive
health and communication andthat's misleading, because It
overlooks completely dismissesthat it's a modifiable factor,
meaning that it can be managedand treated, and would negate

(07:26):
that from being a really,really, really high risk. It's
one of the highest risks.Takeaway to that is that regular
hearing checkups and hearingaids will be extremely
beneficial for people withhearing loss. Next one dementia

(07:47):
always starts with obviousmemory problems. Well, the early
symptoms can be subtle and vary.You'd notice changes in
behavior, language difficulties,confusion, top down planning
issues, some people first noticechanges in executive function or

(08:09):
in their personality. That'smisleading because it
misattributed tributes, theearliest signs to memory alone,
a takeaway for that is beattentive to a broad range of
cognitive changes. It's saidright there in the different

(08:32):
types of brain diseases thatcause dementia, that each one
comes with distinct features andcare needs. That's very true. So
if you've had a head injury, youwill definitely get dementia.
That is a myth that's beencirculating around for a long,

(08:54):
long time, especially pertainingto professional football
players. But the truth is thathead injuries can and do
increase risk of developingdementia, especially with
repeated injuries or severetrauma, but they do not

(09:15):
guarantee that a person willdevelop Alzheimer's disease or
related dementia again, that'smisleading, because this one
also implies inevitability. Sowhat you can do is make sure
that you protect your headhealth, seek prompt care for

(09:37):
injuries and manage vascularrisk factors. Another one,
dementia is a punishment or aconsequence of a person's
personal failings. I've heardthis one for

Unknown (09:54):
years. The truth is

Lisa Skinner (09:58):
plain and simple. Well, dementia is a medical
condition with biological roots,stigma and blame just end up
harming families and patients,because it's absolutely not
true, and the obvious misleadingstatement there is it

(10:20):
stigmatizes and blames victims.The takeaway is to promote
empathy for the person, educateothers and use respectful
language. Next one. You candiagnose dementia accurately

(10:41):
with a single online test. No,that doesn't happen. Online
quizzes and self assessments arenot diagnostic tools everybody.
They may indicate concern, butit definitely requires clinical
evaluation, and that'smisleading, because it creates

(11:03):
false certainty. So what do youwant to do about that? See,
you're a clinician for athorough assessment. This is not
the Reader's Digest version ofdiagnosing dementia. There is no
Reader's Digest version. Anothermyth that I want to bust is that

(11:29):
all dementia symptoms are thesame across people and again, so
many people in the 30 years thatI've been working with families
have fallen prey to the falsebelief that it only causes short
term memory problems andconfusion. No, no. The symptom

(11:54):
profiles do vary widely withdifferent people, so person to
person. Some could haveprominent language issues.
Others, they can have Visiospatial problems. They can have
fluctuations in alertness and orpersonality and behavioral

(12:15):
changes. That's misleading,because it promotes a uniform
symptom picture, that's been myargument for decades. So what
can we do about that, to improvethat situation, assess and
tailor care to the individual'sunique presentation, aka person

(12:42):
centered approach to dementiacare. Dementia cannot be
discussed openly. It's got to bekept private. Well, the truth is
that open conversations reducefear, encourage planning and
improve access to support andcare. Enough said about that

(13:05):
one, and it's misleading becauseit perpetuates stigma and
secrecy. So what can we do? Justkeep encouraging Honest dialog
and love with loved ones andclinicians, and that's been
absent from the dementia worldfor way, way, way too long. Next

(13:29):
one exercise is only good forphysical health, not for
cognitive health. And the truthto that is that regular physical
activity does support brainhealth, can slow cognitive
decline and improves mood, sleepand overall functioning. As a

(13:50):
matter of fact, I read somethingrecently that said implementing
3000 steps per day can increaseour cognitive health seven times
than not doing 3000 steps perday. That's pretty significant.

(14:11):
So it's misleading, because itunderplays the cognitive
benefits of exercise. So thetakeaway is, include aerobic and
strength training activities aspart of a care plan. Next myth
Dementia Care is only aboutmedications. The truth is that

(14:34):
non pharmacological strategies,including environmental
modifications, regular routines,communication strategies and
techniques and increase socialengagement are central to
quality of life and safety. It'smisleading because it minimizes

(14:58):
the value. Of holistic care, andthe takeaway is to prioritize
care planning that combinesmedications with supports next
one, once a dementia diagnosisis made, the prognosis is

(15:18):
identical for everyone? Well, Iguess it depends how you look at
that one, but the truth is thatprognosis is highly
individualized while they'regoing through the progression of
the disease and influenced bycomorbidities. So in other

(15:41):
words, other medical conditions,the support systems that they
have and their access to care.And that is misleading for
obvious reasons. It assumesuniform outcomes for each
individual person, which is notthe case. Takeaway to that is to

(16:06):
use personalized planning andregular reevaluation next
dietary changes alone canprevent dementia. Well, the
truth to that, and this isfactual, that diet is a factor
among many to reducing aperson's risk of developing

(16:29):
Alzheimer's disease and relateddementia, but no single diet
guarantees prevention. HealthyEating supports overall brain
and body health. That'smisleading, because there is no
single diet that's a cure.Again, there is no cure, but a

(16:52):
proper diet has been found toreduce risk of developing
Alzheimer's disease. So thetakeaway try to focus on overall
healthy lifestyle patterns,rather than a single superfood.
I will remind everybody, becauseI have discussed this in

(17:12):
previous episodes, the two worstfoods we can eat that can raise
our risk of developingAlzheimer's disease are ultra
processed foods and processedfoods. But does that mean that
if you eat a fast food hamburgerevery day of your life, you're
going to get Alzheimer'sdisease? No, it does not, and I

(17:37):
wouldn't want anybody to believethat. So I'm busting that myth
right here and now, but it doesincrease a person's risk.
Another myth people withdementia should not engage with
digital technology. That's kindof a new one for me, but the

(17:59):
truth is, many can use andbenefit from simple, accessible
technologies like video calls tohelp with isolation, loneliness,
depression, reminder apps andsafety devices to stay connected

(18:21):
and independent, and that'smisleading, because it assumes
blanket limitations. So thetakeaway to that is, yeah, go
ahead and introduce userfriendly technology with
supports and training dependingon the needs of your person,

(18:42):
couple more here. Dementia onlyaffects memory in the elderly.
Other cognitive domains areunaffected. Gone over this one
before, but I'm going toreiterate it because it's
important. It's been a long heldMiss belief other domains,
including language, attention,executive function and Visio,

(19:09):
spatial skills are alsoaffected. Not everybody. Depends
what the brain disease is, butthey are all very common
symptoms, and it's misleading,because it understates the
breadth of the symptoms that arerelated and associated and

(19:31):
accompany dementia. So acomprehensive cognitive
assessment is important, isn'tit for that very reason, there
isn't anything special toconsider for cultural or
language differences in dementiacare.

(19:54):
Well, the truth of thatstatement is that the cultural
background. Language and beliefsinfluence a person's
preferences, care decisions thatare made on their behalf and in
what communication strategies,tips and techniques you might

(20:15):
use, culturally competent careimproves engagement and
outcomes. I've seen that happen.I really like that one, and it's
misleading again, because itassumes a one size fits all
approach, so respect culturaland linguistic needs, identify

(20:40):
them in your person involveinterpreters or cultural
liaisons as needed. And that'sit for part two of busting myths
about living with Alzheimer'sdisease and dementia. I know
there's a lot, but my gosh,that's a lot of false

(21:02):
information out there. We'vejust covered probably close to
50 of them, and it just blows mymind at how long these things
have been around, and thatpeople believe, actually
believe, a lot of thisinformation, and it impacts
everybody as a result,especially the people who were

(21:25):
caring for and that we love. SoI hope this has been really
valuable for you and veryhelpful and that you'll take
away a lot of the disinformationthat exists out there and focus
on what we know to be fact. Sothat concludes today's episode

(21:49):
of the truth lies andAlzheimer's show. I'm Lisa
Skinner, your host. Gentlereminder for everybody, if you
have a minute, please check outour website at minding
dementia.com, we're alwaysupdating information, adding
resources to help you throughthe dementia world, to navigate

(22:15):
it a little easier with lessstress. So we'll be back next
week with another new episode,and in the meantime, please try
to have a happy and healthy weekahead. See you next time bye,
bye.