www.mcmasteroptimalaging.org Open in urlscan Pro
130.113.93.26  Public Scan

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM

Name: mc-embedded-subscribe-form — POST https://dementiarisk.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=b50fd3213710809d1ed2f524d&id=d9f278f4e3&f_id=00c05de0f0

<form action="https://dementiarisk.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=b50fd3213710809d1ed2f524d&amp;id=d9f278f4e3&amp;f_id=00c05de0f0" method="post" id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="validate" target="_blank"
  novalidate="novalidate">
  <div id="mc_embed_signup_scroll">
    <div class="mc-field-group"><label for="mce-EMAIL" style="color:#333;">Email Address</label><input type="email" name="EMAIL" class="required email" id="mce-EMAIL" required="" value="" aria-required="true"><span id="mce-EMAIL-HELPERTEXT"
        style="display:none;" class="helper_text"></span></div>
    <div id="mce-responses" class="clear">
      <div class="response" id="mce-error-response" style="display:none;"></div>
      <div class="response" id="mce-success-response" style="display:none;"></div>
    </div>
    <div aria-hidden="true" style="position:absolute;left:-5000px;"><input type="text" name="b_b50fd3213710809d1ed2f524d_d9f278f4e3" tabindex="-1" value=""></div>
    <div class="clear"><input type="submit" name="subscribe" id="mc-embedded-subscribe" style="background-color:#ffc375;color:#34495e;" class="button" value="Subscribe"></div>
  </div>
</form>

Text Content

×

SUBSCRIBE

We just need your email, then we'll add you to the list!


Cancel Subscribe
+AA
Fr
Toggle navigation
McMaster University 905-525-9140 info@mcmasteroptimalaging.org Your source for
healthy aging information that you can trust. 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S
4L8
 * Browse
 * Blog
 * Videos
 * E-Learning
 * Professionals
   * Clinician
   * Public health professional
   * Policymaker (health systems)
   * Policymaker (social systems)
   * Promotional Materials
 * Help
 * Français
 * 

Log In Subscribe



DEMENTIA RISK REDUCTION


LEARN ABOUT THE STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF DEVELOPING DEMENTIA.

Start Lesson

 

Learn more about this lesson



UNDERSTANDING DEMENTIA RISK FACTORS

Learn about some of the healthy lifestyle behaviours that you can do to reduce
your risk of developing dementia.

Test your knowledge of dementia risk factors with this quiz.


Take Quiz


THE IMPORTANCE OF BRAIN HEALTH

Promoting brain health is important because our brain is the control centre of
our body and plays a critical role in our overall well-being. The brain controls
everything from our thoughts, emotions, and behaviour to our movement, senses,
and bodily functions. Maintaining good brain health can help prevent or delay
the onset of cognitive decline and brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. 

Recent research has shown that there are several actions you can take to promote
brain health and delay or prevent cognitive impairment.

It is never too early or too late to reduce your risk of dementia.

Read our detailed overview to learn more about what you can do to promote your
brain. 

Download our summary handout.


OVERVIEW

Basic facts about the importance of promoting brain health and modifiable risk
factors.



PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, SEDENTARY BEHAVIOUR, AND SLEEP

Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep are important to your
well-being and brain health.


WEIGHT MANAGEMENT, DIET, AND NUTRITION

Being overweight, diet, and nutrition can all have an impact on brain function
and health.


BLOOD VESSEL HEALTH

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes can all impact your brain
health.


SMOKING AND ALCOHOL

Don’t smoke and avoid excess alcohol.


COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL ACTIVITY

Stay curious, stimulate your brain, and stay social.


HEARING LOSS

Hearing loss impacts our ability to communicate and participate in social
activities, our safety and independence as we age, and can also increase the
risk of falls.


OTHER CONDITIONS AND RX

Traumatic brain injury, depression, conditions that affect your oxygen levels,
medication side effects, and other considerations.


SUMMARY

Putting it all together.




GET DEMENTIA RISK REDUCTION TIPS DELIVERED WEEKLY TO YOUR INBOX WITH OUR 12-PART
EMAIL SERIES.

Email Address





WHAT IS DEMENTIA?

Dementia is a progressive brain disease that affects our cognition.

Cognition is our ability to interact with the world around us. It includes many
important functions, such as:

 * learning and memory - our ability to remember conversations and events or
   learn new information;
 * language - reading, writing, speaking and understanding;
 * visual and spatial function – how we navigate around our environment;
 * executive function - how we make decisions, solve problems and organize our
   life; and
 * social function - how we interact appropriately with our family, friends, and
   colleagues.   



WHAT ARE COGNITIVE CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH AGING?

As we age, some of our cognitive abilities gradually decline. We can’t remember
quite as much when learning new information; we don’t process things quite as
fast, and learning more complicated tasks becomes more difficult. We do,
however, continue to make lifelong memories, and even our vocabularies and
wisdom may continue to improve into later life.

The changes associated with aging are subtle. For instance, somebody forgetting
what they ate for breakfast by lunchtime would never be associated with normal
aging. Some degree of cognitive decline is normal and expected as we age; but,
importantly, the changes associated with normal aging don’t impact an
individual’s ability to function independently.



HOW IS DEMENTIA DIAGNOSED?

There is no one test to determine if someone has dementia. Health care
professionals diagnose the different types of dementia based on:

 * a careful medical history,
 * a physical examination,
 * laboratory tests,
 * pen and paper tests that evaluate cognitive function,
 * the characteristic changes in thinking, day-to-day function and behaviour
   associated with each different type of dementia.



WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Recent research has shown that there are several actions you can take to promote
brain health and delay or prevent cognitive impairment.


It is never too early or too late to reduce your risk of dementia.


Read our detailed overview to learn more about what you can do to promote your
brain.



WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK.

Take a moment to let us know what you think about this content by answering two
quick questions.


powered by


WILLING TO TELL US MORE?

We are interested in learning more about your experience with this content about
dementia risk reduction. Your participation in this 4-minute survey will help us
to improve this resource.

Take Survey


 


WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

"This study has been a real eye-opener, as it has educated and informed me on
concepts I previously did not associate with the risk of developing dementia." -
Study participant, 25-34 years old.

"Informative, not overwhelming. It helped me to consider my own actions and
allowed me to talk to my older parents to encourage them to be more proactive
about their health." - Study participant, 35-44 years old.

"This is a very timely topic as I look around and see friends and relatives
coping with the effects of dementia." - Study participant, 65-74 years old.

"Each topic was well focussed. The medical terminology was easy to understand
and very informative." - Study participant, 65-74 years old.

Want the latest in aging research? Sign up for our email alerts.
Subscribe


AUTHORS


ANTHONY J. LEVINSON, MD, MSC, FRCPC

Neuropsychiatrist, Professor; Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University




ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Who authored and edited this page?

This page was developed by the Division of e-Learning Innovation team and Dr.
Anthony J. Levinson, MD, FRCPC (Psychiatry). Dr. Levinson is a psychiatrist and
professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behaviour Neurosciences, Faculty
of Health Sciences, McMaster University. He is the Director of the Division of
e-Learning Innovation, as well as the John Evans Chair in Health Sciences
Educational Research at McMaster. He practices Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry,
with a special focus on dementia and neuropsychiatry. He is also the
co-developer of the iGeriCare.ca dementia care partner resource, and one of the
co-leads for the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal. He and his team are passionate
about developing high-quality digital content to improve people's understanding
about health. By the way, no computer-generated content was used on this page.
Specifically, a real human (me) wrote and edited this page without the help of
generative AI like ChatGPT or Bing's new AI or otherwise.

Are there any important disclosures or conflicts of interest?

Dr. Levinson receives funding from McMaster University as part of his research
chair. He has also received several grants for his work from not-for-profit
granting agencies. He has no conflicts of interest with respect to the
pharmaceutical industry; and there were no funds from industry used in the
development of this website.

When was it last reviewed?

August 22, 2023

What references and evidence were used to create this content?

Content was written and adapted based on credible, high-quality, non-biased
sources such as MedlinePlus, the National Institutes for Mental Health, the
McMaster Optimal Aging Portal, the American Psychiatric Association, the
Cochrane Library, the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH) and others.
In particular, evidence-based content about dementia risk reduction was also
derived from the World Health Organization and the Lancet Commission reports.
Please see additional references on the e-learning lesson landing page. 

Who funded it?

The initial development of some of this content was funded by the Centre for
Aging and Brain Health Innovation, powered by Baycrest. Subsequent funding was
through support from the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal, with support from the
Labarge Optimal Aging Initiative, the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the
McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) at McMaster University, and the
Public Health Agency of Canada. There are no conflicts of interest to declare.
There was no industry funding for this content.

Want the latest in aging research? Sign up for our email alerts.
Subscribe

OUR CONTENT

 * Blog
 * Videos
 * E-Learning
 * Evidence Summaries
 * Web Resource Ratings
 * Professionals

ABOUT

 * Our Content
 * Registration
 * Leadership team
 * Labarge Initiative
 * Partners
 * Contact

Support for the Portal is largely provided by the Labarge Optimal Aging
Initiative. AGE-WELL is a contributing partner. Help us to continue to provide
direct and easy access to evidence-based information on health and social
conditions to help you stay healthy, active and engaged as you grow older.
Donate Today.


© 2012 - 2020 McMaster University | 1280 Main Street West | Hamilton, Ontario
L8S4L8 | +1 905-525-9140 | Terms Of Use