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Dementia

dementia care

Reducing the risk of dementia

Your brain is incredible. It controls your movement, emotions and stores your precious memories.

Sadly, the physical diseases that cause dementia – like Alzheimer’s disease – can take all of this away. There’s no sure-fire way to prevent dementia yet. That's because some of the things that shape our risk, including our age and our genes, we can’t change.

But others, like our diet and the things we do to challenge our brains, we can. In fact, the latest evidence suggests that up to 45% of all cases of dementia are linked to factors we may be able to influence. Go here to read more about the Alzheimer’s Research UK research on its website.

If that’s news to you, you’re not alone. Only four in 10 (39%) people in the UK realise that it’s possible to reduce their dementia risk. Go here to read more about the public attitudes towards dementia on the Alzheimer’s Research UK website.

But when you can’t see your brain, how do you know what you should be doing to protect it? Three simple things you can do to look after your brain:

  • Keep connected: Research suggests that social isolation is linked to an increased risk of dementia. So keeping connected to the people around us is another good way to give back to our brains. Spending time with loved ones, having virtual catch-ups or volunteering can also help us feel happier and healthier in general.
  • Stay sharp:  Regularly challenging your brain, as well as taking time for your mental wellbeing and sleeping well, can help protect it as you age. Researchers think challenging your brain helps to build your ‘cognitive reserve’. This is its ability to cope and keep working properly, even in the face of damage from diseases like Alzheimer’s. The key is to do things you enjoy, whether that’s reading, playing board games, art, learning a new language or something completely different. Taking time out for hobbies and activities you enjoy can help boost mental wellbeing too. This, combined with good sleep, will mean you're more likely to feel happier, healthier and more relaxed.
  • Love your heart: We know how important things like being physically active, eating healthily and not smoking are for our heart. But fewer people realise that doing the very same things can help keep our brains in shape too. Staying active helps our hearts pump blood around our bodies, delivering a vital supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Research suggests that, because of this, the brains of people who exercise regularly tend to be healthier, with less damage to their small blood vessels. Plus, the NHS tells us that exercise releases endorphins that help reduce stress and improve our mental wellbeing. Being physically active goes hand-in-hand with eating well. Research also tells us that eating too much saturated fat and sugar can increase the risk of both heart disease and dementia.

Go here to find out more about brain health basics on the Alzheimer’s Research UK website

Go here to access the Alzheimer’s Research UK brain health check-in

Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth a galwadau ffôn yn y Gymraeg neu'r Saesneg. Atebir gohebiaeth Gymraeg yn y Gymraeg, ac ni fydd hyn yn arwain at oedi. Mae’r dudalen hon ar gael yn Gymraeg drwy bwyso’r botwm ar y dde ar frig y dudalen.

We welcome correspondence and telephone calls in Welsh or English. Welsh language correspondence will be replied to in Welsh, and this will not lead to a delay. This page is available in Welsh by clicking ‘Cymraeg’ at the top right of this page.