A humorous piece about Dementia by Daniela Russo – published on LinkedIn
So imagine this: an ancient world. No MRI. No PET scan. No OT. No speech therapist. Not even a brain emoji. Someone sees a person struggling with reasoning and goes: “Ah, yes. Without mind. Case closed. Next!” And just like that, the Latin term “dementia” was born. Very dramatic. Very Netflix period drama. Zero neuroscience.
If we diagnosed other conditions with that same logic: Broken leg – no leg, Allergy – no nose, Sleep apnoea – no sleep. Constipation – no exit available. We’d all be walking around with Pokémon-style medical cards: Hi, I’m No Sleep. This is my cousin No Filter.” Then, for centuries, the term isn’t even medical – it’s legal. As in: “Your Honour, this gentleman should not sign contracts or run the kingdom.” Translation: “Do not let this man buy a castle”.
Fast forward, and neuroscience finally shows up extremely late to the party. “Wait, wait … they DO have minds! It’s just taking the scenic route. There are detours! There’s traffic on Memory Lane! Please remain seated! There will be turbulence!”
Then medicine tries to modernise the branding: “Dementia is an umbrella term…..” Okay, but can we talk about this umbrella??? Because if that umbrella actually worked, the public would not still be asking: “Is it just Alzheimer’s?” “Is it contagious?” “Can Grandma get better with Sudoku?” “ Why does my dad remember 1974 better than yesterday?” So clearly the umbrella is broken. Or upside down. Or on strike. Or the rain is coming from the side. Or maybe someone stole the umbrella. We don’t know. We need a committee and possibly an inquiry.
Meanwhile, what’s actually happening inside the brain looks less like an umbrella system and more like a meteorologist losing composure on live TV: “We have a nostalgia hurricane over the temporal lobe. Category 5 amygdala storm incoming…. And scattered showers of lost nouns… music memory remains sunny with zero cloud cover!” Let’s not forget the sensory forecast: Supermarkets = category 5 sensory disaster zones. Fluorescent lights. Nineteen types of yogurts. Children screaming. No chairs. Zero dopamine. Airports are easier.
Here’s what the system never advertises properly: Love still lands. Music bypasses customs and goes straight to the VIP lounge. Smells unlock memories faster than textbooks. Culture shapes behaviour more than guidelines. Emotional memory outlives logical memory every time. We can’t blame the public for not understanding. We tried to teach dementia using Latin + legal language + umbrellas + PDFs + no storytelling. Families don’t need Latin. They need translation. So, if you asked me to explain dementia without using the word, I would say: It’s when the brain rearranges the furniture. The person is still there – the sofa just moved to the kitchen.
Your turn! If YOU couldn’t use the word, how would YOU explain it? No judgement. No exams. No umbrellas. Go!!
So waar