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September is World Alzheimer’s Month, an international campaign to raise dementia awareness and challenge stigma. Each year, Alzheimer and dementia associations, alongside all those involved in the treatment, care and support of people living with dementia, from around the world unite to organise advocacy and information provision events.
The focus of this year’s World Alzheimer’s Month campaign, ‘Never too early, never too late’, centres on risk factors and risk reduction, aiming to emphasise their crucial role in delaying and potentially preventing the onset of dementia. This also importantly includes ongoing risk reduction for those who have already been diagnosed. The World Alzheimer Report 2023 is available today and examines the drivers behind risk reduction, including lifelong risk reduction and the steps that individuals can take to reduce their risk.
Risk reduction and risk factors
- It’s never too early or too late for individuals to be proactive and take action to reduce their likelihood of developing dementia.
- Those who have been diagnosed with dementia should continue to practice risk reduction activities which could help people live better and longer.
- Practicing risk reduction post-diagnosis can continue to have benefit for people living with dementia, improving well-being and ensuring connections with others.
- Risk reduction for dementia, including awareness around its importance, should be practiced all different stages of a person’s life.
- Consuming less alcohol and ceasing smoking can significantly lower your dementia risk.
- Having regular hearing checks and having access to and using hearing aids if necessary is an important risk reduction factor
- Avoiding serious head injury and taking care in sports from an early age is a protective factor.
- By ensuring that all children have access to an education and the support and knowledge to maintain a healthy weight through nutrition and exercise, dementia cases could be reduced.
- Improving sleep and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a benefit for both brain health and overall wellbeing.
- Many risk factors are associated with social and economic disparities, making it imperative that governments address these inequalities crucial for dementia prevention.
- As dementia rates rise in low- and middle-income countries, efforts to raise awareness around risk reduction and general preventative measures can have a significant impact in slowing prevalence rates in these regions.
- People living with dementia need holistic care, addressing physical and mental health, and social needs.
- Even in the absence of a cure or disease modifying treatments, there are still medications which can help with some of the symptoms.
Find out more about World Alzheimer Month here
Find out more about Brain Health Scotland here
Find out more about how allied health professionals are supporting you to take steps to maintain and support lifelong brain health here
Thank you for reading this blog and please leave any comments.
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