When dementia stopped his dance, Dr Cecilia Chan started a movement

By Dr Cecilia Chan for  hello leaders print, read the full version of this article in the sixth print edition here.

A retired dancer who once filled halls with music stopped overnight after a dementia diagnosis. Nothing physical had changed. His reason was heartbreakingly clear:

“I am stopping because I am afraid. I am afraid I won’t be able to dance the way society expects me to.”

For gerontologist Dr Cecilia Chan, that moment became a catalyst. It exposed how often the pain of dementia comes not from the condition itself, but from stigma and the weight of expectation.

At the BSC Eldercare Centre in Penang, Chan’s work centres on what remains, not what is lost. Her team builds care around each person’s memories, strengths and relationships, bringing families and volunteers into what she calls a “village” of support.

Human connection sits at the core of her approach. A song, a smile or a gentle touch can bring someone back to themselves. During the pandemic, she saw just how vital shared presence is to wellbeing.

Chan’s boldest experiments test what the sector often assumes impossible. When she proposed taking people with dementia on a weekend retreat at a beach resort, colleagues warned of chaos. Instead, families, volunteers and clients spent three days dancing, resting and reconnecting. No incidents, just joy.

Her work spans the hardest parts of the dementia journey. She guides families from diagnosis to end of life, offers hands-on training and pushes clinicians to collaborate when medication burdens outweigh benefits. Above all, she challenges the narrative that dementia equals withdrawal.

Chan’s message is blunt. If society frames dementia only as decline, people step back from life. But if we create space for dignity, creativity and belonging, people can keep dancing in their own way.

This digital edit barely scratches the surface of her story.