Dementia Support Line
'Stay positive to boost brain health in old age' - Alzheimer's Society comment
Think positively to keep your brain healthy and lower the risk of dementia in older age, experts have said. A new report by the Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH) suggests feeling good and being emotionally well is linked with better brain health among over-50s.
Meanwhile poor mental wellbeing, feeling pessimistic and hopeless, could affect how older people think and reason. Visiting loved ones, getting out and about in the community and staying active are all ways of boosting emotional health, charity Age UK said.
The GCBH, an independent group of scientists, health professionals and academics, reviewed existing evidence to produce advice on improving brain health. Its report, launched in the UK by partner Age UK, states that greater mental wellbeing is linked with a lower risk of dementia.
Alzheimer’s Society Research Communications Manager Lotty Davies said:
'Thanks to researchers at Alzheimer’s Society’s Centre of Excellence in Exeter, we know that good psychological health is key to living well with dementia.
'No one with dementia should have to face the condition alone without adequate support. We know that simple steps to improve self-esteem, challenge ageist stereotypes and reduce depression or loneliness could improve mental wellbeing.
'One day research will beat dementia but until a cure is found we must improve quality of life for the 850,000 people with dementia in the UK. That is why Alzheimer’s Society is uniting with researchers and investing £6million in three Centres of Excellence to improve the everyday lives for people affected by dementia.'
