Dementia prevention in our hands

If the current generations of young people take better care of themselves we could see a decline in the numbers of people developing dementia, a recent report shows.

Released today by Alzheimer’s Australia and the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, ‘Is the Incidence of Dementia Declining?' looks at several European studies compiled recently that suggest preventative health measures, such as limiting alcohol consumption and staying physically active, could make a significant contribution to reducing the risk of dementia.

Author of the report and newly appointed Chief Medical Adviser to Alzheimer’s Australia Professor Perminder Sachdev said one of the studies they looked at from the UK found that the prevalence of dementia in people aged 65 and older was 20% less in 2011 than what was expected.

But we shouldn’t celebrate too soon, according to Professor Sachdev.

“The problem is that younger people are not necessarily healthier than older people, just look at the rise of obesity in Australia,” he said.

Professor Sachdev said unless as a society we are vigilant, this perceived decline in the incidence of dementia might not continue.

“We’ve had some gain but I think we could do better,” he said.

“Dementia prevention starts at birth. Early education sets people up for a healthier life later on.

“In mid-life risk factors start to become prevalent – obesity, smoking, drinking and vascular disease.”

Professor Sachdev said there are many preventative measures people can take that could reduce their risk of developing dementia, such as monitoring their nutrition and visiting the GP regularly to identify and treat any medical problems, like diabetes or high blood pressure, which are considered high risk factors of dementia.

“These are very simple things, but it means taking charge of your life, and a lot of people do not think about this day to day.”

Alzheimer’s Australia National President Ita Buttrose said Australia is lucky to have the world’s first publicly-funded dementia risk reduction program, ‘Your Brain Matters,’ delivered by Alzheimer's Australia and funded by the Commonwealth government.

The program aims to raise awareness about healthy lifestyle choices that protect the brain from dementia, but Ms Buttrose said many Australians remain unaware about certain risk factors associated with dementia.

"Further work needs to be done to link dementia to the preventative health strategies for smoking and alcohol, and for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease," she said.

Professor Sachdev said the awareness campaign needs to be extended further, to schools and businesses. As well as that, he said there are a number of simple interventions that governments can do to improve public health.

“Currently governments are relying on individuals to make healthy choices, but human behaviour is very difficult to change.

“One of the many drivers of human beings is economics - The reduction of tobacco intake was partly due to higher taxes on cigarettes, but you can still get a cask of wine cheaper than a bottle of water.”

Despite its positive revelations about the effects of preventative health, the report does caution that total numbers of people with dementia will continue to rise in Australia, because of the increasing numbers of older people.

Ms Buttrose said it is critical that we continue to fight dementia and develop high quality care.

“It can’t be assumed that the favourable factors leading to the decline in dementia prevalence in some countries will continue to apply.”

Image: Professor Perminder Sachdev (Credit: Britta Campion)