Growing old without dementia: what people can do to improve their brain health

Paul Glazier

Head of Corporate Partnerships, Alzheimer’s Research UK

When we think about improving our health, are we thinking about the benefits for our brains as well as the rest of our bodies? 

As well as the profound emotional impact that dementia has on the people affected and their loved ones, this devastating condition also has a huge economic burden on our society, with current costs for the UK estimated to be around £26 billion. This cost is expected to more than double in the next 25 years to £55 billion in 2040.

Despite being one of the main causes of death and a major health condition affecting nearly a million people in the UK, there is still much misunderstanding about dementia.

This includes the myth that dementia is an inevitable part of getting older rather than something caused by physical diseases such as Alzheimer’s. 

Currently only one in three people (33%) recognise that there is anything they can do to lower their risk. This means we still need to do a lot of work to overcome this perception, and ultimately, to reduce the number of people developing dementia in the future.

Despite being one of the main causes of death and a major health condition affecting nearly a million people in the UK, there is still much misunderstanding about dementia.

Improving your brain health

Through research, we’ve learnt a lot about the things that increase our likelihood of developing dementia. Some of these, like our age and genetics, we can’t change, but up to 40% cases of dementia are linked to factors we may be able to influence ourselves – some of them through relatively simple changes to the way we live.

This is why we have developed our Think Brain Health e-learning for our partners, to educate their staff about dementia and empower them with the knowledge they need to reduce their risk of developing the condition. 

Increased education and awareness 

Building on our Think Brain Health campaign, this e-learning covers the importance of healthy behaviours such as cutting out smoking, being physically active and eating a balanced diet. As well as the physical side of things, it also highlights the important role that social connections and keeping our brains active play in keeping our brains healthier for longer. 

We’re indebted to the companies we work with who are helping these messages reach a wider audience. For example, Legal & General have been supporting our awareness campaigns such as #ShareTheOrange for many years and have been rolling out the e-learning with their employees.

The course is available in two formats: a 60-minute CPD accredited version and a 20-minute bite-size version and we want to work with more companies across the country to raise awareness about dementia and brain health.