When Lisa Skinner first encountered dementia, there wasn’t a name for what she was seeing, at least not one that families dared to use. Her grandmother was losing touch with reality, describing birds in her mattress and men breaking into her home, but in those days, people called it “senility.” It wasn’t discussed, diagnosed, or even acknowledged. Now an international speaker and award winning expert on the subject, her fans and clients say she brings hope and clarity to a difficult topic.
“Back then, there was so much silence around it,” Skinner recalls. “People were embarrassed, even ashamed. Families didn’t have the words or the understanding to talk about what was happening.”
That silence, and the confusion it caused, stayed with her. Over time, it became the foundation for a lifelong career devoted to demystifying Alzheimer’s and dementia, not through fear, but through education and empathy.
Understanding the Human Side of Dementia
Today, Lisa Skinner is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, behavioral specialist, helping families and professionals navigate the emotional and practical realities of cognitive decline. With over 30 years in dementia care, award-winning author and international TEDx and medical conference speaker Lisa Skinner has become one of the most trusted voices in Alzheimer’s education.
Her approach is distinctly human. Rather than framing dementia as purely a medical condition, she views it as a shared human experience, one that requires communication as much as clinical care. “Most families panic when they see the first signs,” she explains. “Memory loss, confusion, personality changes. It can be terrifying if you don’t understand what’s happening. My goal is to give them the tools to respond with clarity instead of fear.”
Skinner’s work sits at the intersection of psychology and caregiving, blending research-based insight with real-world compassion. Her bestselling book, Truth, Lies, and Alzheimer’s: Its Secret Faces, as well as her podcast/TV show and educational programs, help caregivers recognise that how they respond to a loved one’s confusion can either diffuse distress or exacerbate it.
Compassion Over Correction
One of the central principles Skinner teaches is deceptively simple: stop trying to correct what you can’t control. “People with dementia experience reality differently,” she says. “Trying to convince them they’re wrong often leads to anxiety or anger. It’s not about giving in; it’s about understanding what their brain is doing in that moment.”
Instead, Skinner encourages families to validate emotions rather than facts — to enter the person’s world instead of forcing them back into ours. This approach, known as compassion over correction, has transformed the way many caregivers communicate with loved ones experiencing memory loss. “It’s not about pretending,” she adds. “It’s about meeting someone where they are and helping them feel safe.”
A Shift in Public Understanding
For decades, dementia was a subject many avoided. But public awareness has grown significantly in recent years, driven by both media portrayals and educational advocacy. Skinner’s voice has been one of the most consistent in that space, guiding the conversation beyond stigma and toward understanding.
“There are still a lot of misconceptions,” she notes. “People often think dementia is just about memory, but it affects reasoning, behavior, emotions, and even perception. It changes how a person sees and experiences the world.”
According to the World Health Organization, more than 55 million people worldwide live with dementia. The number is projected to double by 2050. Skinner believes this makes education more urgent than ever. “Every family will be touched by it in some way,” she says. “The earlier we prepare, the better we can care.”
Turning Knowledge into Tools
Recognising that most caregivers never receive formal training, Skinner developed a comprehensive six-week online course designed to fill that gap. It’s self-paced and supported by a Caregiver Companion Guide, covering everything from communication strategies to behavioral management and emotional resilience.
“The biggest challenge caregivers face isn’t the physical work,” she explains. “It’s the emotional toll of not knowing what to expect or how to respond. My course helps them build confidence and reduce stress by understanding what’s really happening in the brain.”
The program is based on principles Skinner has refined over decades of experience in both private practice and family care. Each module focuses on practical skills: recognising triggers, managing confusion, de-escalating difficult moments, and maintaining dignity for both the patient and the caregiver.
“It’s about empowerment,” she says. “Knowledge doesn’t remove the pain, but it replaces helplessness with understanding.”
The Science and the Silence
While there’s still no cure for Alzheimer’s or most forms of dementia, Skinner emphasises the growing body of research linking prevention to overall health. Managing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and sleep apnea, maintaining mental stimulation, and reducing chronic stress are all believed to lower risk.
But just as important, she argues, is changing how we talk about dementia itself. “Language shapes perception,” she says. “If we only talk about loss, we miss the humanity that’s still there. People living with dementia can still laugh, feel, and connect. The disease changes how they express those things, it doesn’t erase them.”
Her advocacy extends beyond families to healthcare professionals, who she believes need more training in person-centered communication. “Doctors are good at diagnosing,” she says, “but not always at helping families understand what comes next.”
Bringing the Conversation Home
Through her podcast and television program, The Truth, Lies, and Alzheimer’s Show, Skinner continues to bring these conversations into the public sphere. The show features interviews with medical experts, caregivers, and people living with dementia, offering practical guidance and emotional insight.
Her message, though grounded in science, is ultimately one of empathy. “When someone’s world becomes unfamiliar,” she says, “familiarity, patience, and kindness are what help them feel safe again.” Whether speaking on international stages or consulting privately with families, Skinner returns to the same core belief: understanding changes everything.
A Culture of Awareness
Three decades after a bewildering day with her grandmother, Skinner has become part of a global movement reframing how society views dementia. Where silence once prevailed, there’s now a growing culture of openness and advocacy.
“It’s not a topic people want to think about,” she admits. “But avoiding it doesn’t protect us, it just leaves families unprepared.”
Her work invites people to face dementia with both realism and hope: to see caregiving not as defeat, but as an act of humanity that connects generations.
A Legacy of Understanding
Lisa Skinner’s story began in confusion, but it evolved into clarity, for herself and for thousands of families around the world. She doesn’t promise easy answers. What she offers instead is perspective: a reminder that even in the hardest moments, empathy is a form of medicine. As she often tells her audiences, “We can’t control dementia. But we can control how we respond to it, and that can change everything.”
Learn more:
Visit www.mindingdementia.com for information about Lisa Skinner’s educational programs, speaker expertise and caregiver resources.
To provide well-rounded coverage and a breadth of insight across various events, we rely on contributions from several staff writers, each bringing their own area of expertise to our publication.
