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This condition – which robs people of their memory, their ability to think and make decisions – affects more than 55 million worldwide. Here’s where you’ll learn what you can do about dementia, from changing your lifestyle to lower your risk of getting it to spotting the warning signs in older people. Discover the latest news on potential drugs to treat, even cure, the disease, and the best ways to manage it.
New drugs to deal with diseases such as Alzheimer’s are worth a try but ultimately, identifying patients before the onset of symptoms is the best way forward for ageing societies.
- The longer you sit, the greater your dementia risk, study finds: rising from an 8 per cent increase sitting 10 hours a day, to a 321 per cent increase for 15 hours
- Aerobic exercise, even if light, will increase growth factors in the brain that help preserve existing brain cells and may actually grow new ones, expert says
Neuroscientist Mark Mattson explains how intermittent fasting may promote brain health and protect against diseases such as Alzheimer’s, with tips on how to begin and how long to fast for.
Depression is not contagious, but can affect you if you look after someone with the condition, a psychiatrist says. A Singapore lawyer with depression, and her fiancé, stress the need for self-care.
Your eyesight can affect your mental health, according to a recent study, which found a link between vision problems and increased risk of dementia. Experts advise getting your eyes checked regularly.
Covid-19 restrictions speeded up brain deterioration in people over 50, a long-term study of over 3,000 subjects has found, raising ‘important questions’ about their increased risk of dementia.
Life education group Arts’ Options gives drama training to over-55s in Hong Kong, and hopes to form the city’s first professional older-age acting troupe. Participants gain self-worth and new skills.
Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen started Hilarity for Charity after her mother developed Alzheimer’s. The charity pays for professionals to relieve family carers and teaches young people about the disease.
A recent study on how to live longer found that adopting eight healthy lifestyle habits by age 40 could add an average of 24 years to a man’s life, and 21 years to a woman’s.
Excess belly fat can put us at increased risk of dementia as we age, studies show. Experts explain the link and offer advice on how we can lose weight to avoid our brains atrophying.
New blood-based biomarker tests from Hong Kong-based Cognitact and US-based Quest could detect Alzheimer’s disease early, giving people a chance to work on interventions.
A few minutes of brisk activity – walking up stairs, walking faster than normal, doing housework vigorously – can lower your risk of suffering ailments such as cancer and heart disease. Such activity is known as Vilpa.
Five experts give advice on avoiding or delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, including physical and mental exercise, socialising, and getting a hearing test.
Our sense of smell is deeply entwined with our memory, and recent research shows it is possible to improve memory and thought by improving our sense of smell through exercises for the nose.
Readers discuss the need to prioritise boosting Hongkongers’ mental health, and a more compassionate approach to helping people with dementia
Film star Brigitte Lin, 68, shares her secrets for retaining a sharp mind as she becomes ambassador for dementia prevention project.
Amyloid plaques and tau tangles are telltale signs of Alzheimer’s disease, but what are they, how do they form, and how do they affect the brain, leading to dementia?
Scientist’s widow Gwen Kao Wong joins new music project ‘Remember The Time We Sing’ to boost public knowledge of the degenerative brain disease.
Experts explain the processes by which dementia triggers delusions, a lack of inhibition, and other troubling behaviour in sufferers, and how carers can best deal with it.
A smile may evoke a positive response from a dementia patient, and could make them more open to complying with your requests as a carer, an expert on the disease explains.
A healthy diet is good for our brains, not just our bodies, and research has found 5 nutrients that are particularly important to preventing or delaying dementia. Experts explain how they aid brain health.
‘Cognitive reserve’ refers to how many neurons our brains build and retain. This reserve – made stronger by mental stimulation derived from a variety of activities – reduces the effects of damage from dementia.
Taking common drugs, including antidepressants, antihistamines and sleeping pills, for as little as 60 days can affect memory, cognitive ability and spatial awareness by disrupting the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
Anxiety and depression can increase the risk of developing one or more of 29 physical conditions, from heart disease to diabetes, bacterial infections and circulatory diseases, according to a recent study.
A one-time prolific model for the likes of Dior, Chanel and Ralph Lauren, Emma Heming Willis now spends much of her time campaigning and caring for her husband after his dementia diagnosis
A lack of sleep is linked with greater dementia and Alzheimer’s risk later in life, while using sleeping tablets also increases the risk of cognitive decline. But it’s not all bad news.
Having a positive relationship with animals, specifically dogs, is linked to a number of health benefits involving the heart and brain, multiple studies on pet owners show.
The new ‘Think Brain Health Check-in’ online tool from Alzheimer’s Research UK doesn’t test your memory but checks how well you’re looking after your brain and gives tips to help prevent dementia.
Around 6 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s disease, most famously actor Michael J Fox. An expert talks about the symptoms, possible causes, treatment and progress towards a cure.
Eating heart-healthy food, such as by following the Mediterranean diet or a variation on it, the Mind diet, can help prevent cognitive decline.
