Government Called On To Raise Awareness To Prevent A Third Of Dementia Cases

Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, is calling on government to lead public awareness campaigns on dementia risk reduction and improving brain health. The call comes as a speech today from Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock lays out future NHS strategy that focuses on preventing health conditions.

Dr Alison Evans, Head of Policy and Impact at Alzheimer’s Research UK said:

“Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK and research suggests up to a third of cases could be prevented using many of the same strategies that reduce risk of heart disease. Right now, only 34 percent of UK adults think they can reduce their risk of dementia meaning there is a huge opportunity to educate people about how they can look after their brain health from midlife on.

“The Health Secretary is right to focus on prevention and Alzheimer’s Research UK is calling for a government-led awareness campaign to increase public understanding about dementia risk and prevention. We know that the diseases that cause dementia begin in midlife, so the recent inclusion of dementia risk reduction messaging in the NHS Health Check for people 45 and older is an important step.

“We must see part of the additional funding promised to the NHS put towards public health campaigns that focus on dementia and brain health to build greater understanding and begin to reduce the number of people living with dementia.”