Up to 45% of dementia cases could be prevented. That’s why Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT), the county’s main provider of mental health and dementia services, is sharing simple lifestyle changes you can start today.
Healthy Habits for a Healthy Brain
In the UK, 944,000 people live with dementia. That includes one in 11 people over the age of 65. Dementia Action Week is the perfect time to take positive steps for your health and understand the risk factors that can raise your chances of developing dementia.
Getting older doesn’t mean you’ll get dementia. It also doesn’t only affect older people. Some people are diagnosed in their 30s, 40s, or 50s. This is known as young onset dementia and makes up around 9% of all cases.
Small changes, when kept up over time, can bring big benefits for both your physical and mental health. What’s good for your heart is good for your brain.
Watch this short animation to learn more about what dementia is and how it affects people:
Understand the factors that increase dementia risk
Risk factors include:
- Alcohol consumption
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Lack of social contact
- Hearing loss
- Uncorrected vision loss
- Air pollution
- Physical inactivity
- Traumatic brain injuries
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Obesity and poor diet
- Depression and sleep problems
- Lack of education
Simple steps make a difference
Gina Thompson, Dementia Transformation Programme Lead at LPFT, said:
“While no single behaviour can guarantee dementia prevention and genes play a role, our daily choices have a real impact on brain health.
“Getting an NHS Health Check, testing your hearing and sight regularly, being active and eating well can all support your brain – both now and in the future.
“We also need more people to take part in research. Only through research can we discover what causes dementia, develop better treatments, and improve care for those living with the condition.”
You can help by signing up to Join Dementia Research. Your information helps match you to studies you might be able to join, online or locally.
To learn more about reducing your dementia risk and find helpful resources for a healthy lifestyle, visit www.lpft.nhs.uk/dementia-prevention.
To sign up for Join Dementia Research, visit www.joindementiaresearch.nihr.ac.uk.