Brain health, dementia and memory loss
Dementia is not a natural part of ageing and can affect your memory and the way you speak, think, feel and behave.
In the same way that you can improve your physical health, you can also improve the health of your brain. Research suggests that looking after your brain can lower your risk of developing brain diseases such as dementia, meaning it may be possible for you to delay or even prevent the onset of such diseases.
Our risk of developing dementia is complicated, and changes as we get older, but in most cases, it is caused by a number of different things. Some of these can’t be changed, but many can.
What you can do
Ground-breaking research suggests that 40% of cases of dementia can be prevented or delayed by small changes in the way that we live our lives.
We can reduce our risk of dementia by:
- wearing correctly fitted hearing aids if we have trouble hearing
- moving more
- staying social
- maintaining a healthy heart
What you can’t do
Unfortunately, you can’t change your genes. Some people will have a higher risk of developing dementia because of their genes. But even so, dementia is still not inevitable for people with higher genetic risk.
And again, you can’t stop growing older: everyone’s risk of developing dementia increases as they get older, but it’s not a certainty.
It’s never too early or late to start looking after your brain health. Even small changes could make a big difference.
Further information
Everyday hints and tips for a healthy brain. If you’d like to understand more about what it is like to live with memory loss or dementia, and the challenges people can face, listen to our dementia resource.
There are local organisations where you can get support and advice on living with dementia.