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Anthea Rowan

This is the 11th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.
You may have seen tests online to gauge how good your memory is. I am afraid of them. What if I fail? Or score less than perfectly? What does that mean? I usually avoid them. They leave me anxious.
So it was with some trepidation that I launched the new online tool from Alzheimer’s Research UK, the “Think Brain Health Check-in”.
“Take our brain quiz today,” it urged. So I did.
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This isn’t a test to check what you remember, it is a test to check how well you are looking after your brain so that you remember things better when you need to.
Dr Susan Mitchell, head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, says the free digital tool – built and backed using research from University College London – is not a diagnostic or cognitive test. Part of its purpose is to give users a little jolt, a wake-up call, as to how well they are looking after their brains and how to look after them better.
It is “designed to improve understanding of the different factors that shape our brain health and dementia risk”, she says.

Increasingly, studies suggest that up to 40 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented if people were mindful of the risk factors for the illness. The questions in the check-in are based on the latest evidence on the “modifiable” risk factors, as identified by medical journal The Lancet.
According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, only 2 per cent of people are doing what they can to keep cognition intact, and only one-third understand that dementia is not an inevitable product of old age; steps can be taken to minimise the risk or help avoid it.
However, there’s no sure-fire way to dodge the risk of dementia entirely, Mitchell says, because a person’s risk is shaped by a complex mix of factors that include age, genetics and lifestyle.

But if you know what predisposes us to risk – for example high blood pressure, loss of hearing, social isolation – and you manage those things, you’re giving yourself a better chance of avoiding cognitive decline.
The test is straightforward and takes only 10 minutes. It’s not intimidating; you aren’t required to remember anything. It walks you through questions about your physical health, how well you hear, how many hours a night you sleep, and about your mental well-being – and explains why those questions are pertinent.
For example, it asks how often you challenge your brain: never, occasionally, most days, every day? It then highlights why challenging your brain is key.
Grocery shopping, ordering dim sum: brain games for elderly
As Mitchell says, the check-in is designed to help people explore their current behaviours and identify areas in which they can make positive changes.
It’s aimed at people my age – 40s and 50s – because that’s a particularly important time for changes that could make the biggest difference to our dementia risk later, Mitchell says.
“It’s never too early or too late in life for people to start looking after their brains, which is why we’ve designed the check-in to be accessible for people of all ages,” she says.

The tool reinforced what I am beginning to understand about supporting brain health: it is a holistic exercise.
Just having olive oil isn’t enough; neither is doing the cryptic crossword in isolation. But taken as a mix of protective elements - doing word games, eating heart-healthy foods, getting enough sleep – those things put extra arrows in your quiver.
I found the check-in helpful and not at all frightening. I didn’t come away worrying; instead, I came away feeling oddly empowered.
For a long and healthy life, eat, sleep, feel and exercise the right way
Mitchell says that was exactly the aim: to leave people feeling empowered and motivated to make changes that could help reduce their risk.
So what did I learn about what I was doing right and what I could do better?
I need to work on my “sharpness” as I am a poor sleeper.
It also highlighted the importance of having some serious cognitive effort each day, such as reading something difficult. In the words of the US Alzheimer’s Association, “stump yourself”.

But I also found it encouraging because despite my occasional insomnia, my heart health is excellent, and I have a good social support system – isolation is a risk factor for dementia. I came away feeling hopeful.
And that’s the other point of the tool: it is designed to show us what we’re doing right as much as where we’re going wrong.
Since it launched, more than 144,000 people have completed the test online. In fact, the day it went live, the resulting traffic took down the website, Mitchell says.
This shows there’s a huge appetite from the public to learn more about the steps they can take to reduce the risk of dementia, she adds.
The fact that 98 per cent of people have room to improve their brain health highlights the huge potential for this app to help transform lives.
Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.


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Wellness

How can you prevent dementia? Free brain health online tool teaches the risks and gives essential tips on avoiding it

The new free “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. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Susan Mitchell is head of policy at Alzheimer’s Research UK. Photo: Dr Susan Mitchell

The Think Brain Health Check-in asks how often you challenge your brain - and then highlights why challenging your brain is key to staving off dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting a good night’s sleep every night is one way to lower the risk of developing dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Up to 40 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented if people were mindful of the risk factors for the illness and made lifestyle changes to prevent them. Photo: Shutterstock

How to keep your brain healthy as you age: eat a heart-healthy diet – such as the popular Mediterranean diet or newer Mind diet

Eating heart-healthy food such as by following a Mediterranean diet or its variant the Mind diet can help prevent cognitive decline. Mind combines the Mediterranean diet with foods that reduce blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock

The nutrients in Mind diet foods also have anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is a natural process, but sustained use or over-activation of our immune system can cause damage, says Thomas Holland. Photo: Thomas Holland

The cardiovascular benefits of the Mediterranean diet could contribute towards brain health, says Oliver Shannon. Photo: Oliver Shannon

 A higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with a 23 per cent reduced risk of dementia in a recent study. Photo: Getty Images

Singapore centre for age reversal Chi Longevity helps patients live longer, healthier lives – and you’re never too old, or young, to start on it, co-founder says

As more of us are becoming invested in our health as we get older, Chi Longevity offers therapies aimed at reversing biological ageing and helping patients stay healthy for longer into their golden years. Photo: Shutterstock

As more of us are becoming invested in our health as we get older, Chi Longevity, in Singapore, aims to reverse biological ageing and help patients stay healthy for longer into their golden years. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Andrea Maier, co-founder of Chi Longevity in Singapore. Photo: Chi Longevity

A patient at Chi Longevity undergoes an assessment to help determine his biological age. Photo: Chi Longevity

Once a patient’s biological age has been determined through a battery of tests, a programme of treatments is devised with the aim of slowing, or even reversing, the ageing process. Photo: Chi Longevity 

Diet is a determinant of biological age. Maier says that you’re never too young nor too old to start taking steps toward healthy ageing. Photo: Shutterstock

Clients have regular check-ins with the medical team which includes a psychologist, who can help patients stay motivated to stick with their health plan. Photo: Chi Longevity

50 half marathons since he started at 58, a strength training newbie who’s 88 – how to age well

Kiron Kukreja works out at Ikigai Health. 
Photo: Ikigai Health

Venkatesh Prabhu started started weight training in 2007 and running a year later. He is proof that old age should not keep people from finding their way to fitness.
Photo: Venkatesh Prabhu

Prabhu with his grandsons after running the Standard Chartered Marathon in Mumbai. Photo: Venkatesh Prabhu

Prabhu strength training at the gym. Photo: Venkatesh Prabhu 

 Prabhu with his daughter, Bhakti Naik. Photo: Venkatesh Prabhu

Prabhu with his cache of medals from more than 50 half marathons and six marathons. Photo: Venkatesh Prabhu

Prabhu running the New York Marathon in 2014. Photo: Venkatesh Prabhu 

Kiron Kukreja works out at Ikigai Health. Photo: Ikigai Health

Kiron Kukreja with Naik. Photo: Ikigai Health

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Decoding dementia

How caring for a parent with dementia taught me about symptoms, prevention and why seeking out the latest research is so important

Author Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother.

Author Anthea Rowan (right) with her mother, who has Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Anthea with her mother. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Studies suggest that regular exercise lowers the risk of cognitive decline by 35 per cent. Photo: Getty Images

Staying active can help prevent or delay the onset of dementia, studies suggest. Photo: Shutterstock

Why should you have a brain scan to test for dementia when there’s no cure? Knowing can help you delay its onset, neurologist says

It can be daunting to get a brain scan to test for signs of dementia, but a neurologist behind new research reveals the advantages of knowing early. Photo: Shutterstock

New research has found that dementia can be detected as early as nine years before symptoms manifest, and this could have significant implications for treatment. Photo: Shutterstock

Timothy Rittman, the neurologist who led the dementia research at Cambridge University. Photo: Cambridge University

A brain scan showing signs of dementia. Photo: Getty Images

Lizzie Perry, founder of This is Dementia, with her father, who was diagnosed with the disease at 58. Photo: This is Dementia

The approval in the US of a new drug that slows the onset of Alzheimer’s makes Rittman hopeful about the future of dementia treatment. Photo: Cambridge University

Why women are more likely to have dementia than men as they age, and how exercise and engagement can help lower your risk

Women may be at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s than men for a number of reasons: biological, societal or cultural. Experts suggest exercise and social engagement can help offset the risk. Photo: Getty Images

The spread of tau – the protein that clumps into the telltale tangles of dementia – may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Photo: Shutterstock

Female twins with a male co-twin were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia than female twins with a female co-twin. Photo: Shutterstock

Prenatal care and monitoring pregnant women’s health is key, as it may impact cognition and dementia risk in later life. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking regular exercise is key for women – and men – to reduce the risk of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

How high or low blood pressure increases the risk of dementia, and why it’s never too late, or early, to adopt a healthy lifestyle to manage it

Having blood pressure that is too high or too low has been linked to a higher risk of dementia, but it’s never too late to start living a healthy lifestyle that will help maintain optimal blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock


An optimal blood pressure reading, easily measured with a home device, is around 120/80. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Ruth Peters was lead author of a study looking at the links between blood pressure and dementia. Photo: Dr Ruth Peters

It’s never too late, or too early, to start thinking about brain health and living a healthy lifestyle. Photo: Shutterstock

Problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory and other thought processes may result from damage caused by impaired blood flow to the brain – which may be brought on by high blood pressure. Photo: Shutterstock

6 dementia fighting tips from Dr Sanjay Gupta and Marc Milstein, experts on brain health – walk, talk, read, learn, relax, and eat and drink properly

We can protect ourselves against the risk of dementia with some simple lifestyle practices. Exercising (above), eating a good diet, drinking less alcohol, socialising, reading more and trying new things all help keep the brain sharp, say brain experts including Dr Sanjay Gupta. Photo: Shutterstock 

The cover of one of Dr Sanjay Gupta’s book. Photo: Simon & Schuster

The cover of Marc Milstein’s book. Photo: Marc Milstein

Drink alcohol mindfully and ask yourself why you are having that drink. Photo: Shutterstock

Learning new things creates new brain cell connections and helps keep your mind sharp. Photo: Shutterstock

Reading is good for brain health. Try to read a wide range of book styles, and join a book club to discuss with others what you are reading. Photo: Shutterstock

During sleep, our brains are restored and repaired, so relaxing is important if we’re going to get those seven hours of quality sleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Relationships keep us engaged, interested and interesting, and may help prevent dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Like a light switch’: how sundowning syndrome affects dementia sufferers – and their carers; what it is and tips for how to cope

A person with dementia may experience “sundowning” syndrome - towards the end of the day they become more agitated, confused, panicked, resistant to instruction and restless. This affects their carers, too. Photo: Shutterstock

A person in bed, unable to sleep. Conservative estimates suggest about 20 per cent of dementia patients experience sundowning at some point.

Trey Todd is a neuroscientist at the University of Wyoming. Photo: Trey Todd

Sundowning was coined in 1987 by Lois Evans of Penn Nursing at Pennsylvania University. Photo: University of Pennsylvania

The pineal gland in our brain produces melatonin, which is what helps prompt us to sleep and awaken. In a broken system it is disrupted. Melatonin supplements might help fight sundowning. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking a patient with sundowning syndrome for a walk at a consistent time each day, morning or evening, may alleviate symptoms. Photo: Shutterstock

Getting out into the daylight early in the day is good for our sleep patterns, whether we have dementia or not. Photo: Shutterstock

Healthy marriage, healthy mind? Dementia risk lower for people married a long time, studies show; expert suggests why

Research suggests that people who have stayed married for a long time have a lower risk for dementia because they feel less lonely, are more likely to eat well and exercise more, and are more cognitively engaged. Photo: Shutterstock

Vegard Skirbekk is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Photo: Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Anthea Rowan’s parents on their wedding day. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

A long-time married partner represents a security that provides a buffer against stressors. Photo: Shutterstock

Anthea Rowan and her husband on their wedding day. Photo: courtesy of Anthea Rowan

If you live with a partner long term, you are more likely to develop healthy daily patterns, to eat well and exercise more. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Dementia village’ that’s the first of its kind helps residents live normal lives, has a restaurant, theatre and supermarket – and no one wears a white coat

Residents are free to live their lives as they like at the world’s first “dementia village”, The Hogeweyk in The Netherlands. Photo: The Hogeweyk

The Hogeweyk, a “dementia villlage” in the Netherlands, provides care and a familiar and safe environment in which people with dementia live while retaining their own identity and autonomy as much as possible. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Jannette Spiering is the senior managing adviser and co-founder at The Hogeweyk in the Netherlands, which offers “humanising care for people with dementia”. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Residents relax around the fountain in the theatre square at The Hogeweyk. Photo: The Hogeweyk 

Residents of The Hogeweyk respond positively to their increased autonomy. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Residents at the healthcare facility take part in a painting class. Photo: The Hogeweyk

Hearing loss dramatically raises the risk of dementia, so why are so many people in midlife doing nothing to prevent it? A test is easy to arrange

Hearing loss has been linked to a higher risk of dementia and cognitive decline,  say experts, who recommend testing for preventable hearing problems (above).  Photo: Getty Images

Alison Huang, a senior research associate at the Cochlear Centre at Johns Hopkins, in the US, says hearing loss makes the brain work harder to process sounds. Photo: Johns Hopkins

Jiang Fan from the School of Public Health at China’s Shandong University. Photo: Shandong University

Checking your hearing in midlife is crucial, and can help you stave off cognitive deterioration. Photo: Shutterstock

Can HRT reduce dementia risk? New hormone replacement therapy studies say yes, upending 2002 reports

HRT use has been linked to better cognition, blood flow and brain size and a reduction in all neurodegenerative disease in recent studies. Photo: Shutterstock

HRT (hormone replacement therapy) use has been linked to better cognition, blood flow and brain size and a reduction in dementia and other neurodegenerative disease in recent studies. Photo: Shutterstock

If HRT is started after the age of 65, brain cells will have already been deprived of oestrogen for many years. This could mean there is a decline in neuronal connections – the brain’s messaging system. Photo: Shutterstock

HRT was found to be most effective when introduced early in menopause, says Anne Marie Minihane, director of the UK’s Norwich Institute of Healthy Ageing at the University of East Anglia. Photo: University of East Anglia

Dr Andrea Kwakowsky from at the University of Galway in Ireland believes the “critical period” for starting HRT is within five years of menopause. Photo: University of Galway

Can lack of sleep raise dementia risk? Yes, studies say – but with one exception

Having only five hours of sleep a night can increase dementia risk by 30 per cent for adults over 50, one study says. Photo: Shutterstock

One tip to overcome insomnia is to avoid clock-watching. Photo: Shutterstock

Taking a warm shower or bath in the hour or so before bed may help you fall asleep – and stay asleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Roger Wong of the department of public health and preventive medicine at the State University of New York’s Upstate Medical University. Photo: Roger Wong

Sleep aids can heighten dementia risk, Wong says. Photo: Shutterstock

Can’t sleep? Try getting up and engaging in cognitively stimulating activities, like reading or making jam. Photo: Shutterstock

Dementia and ACB scores: how common prescription and over-the-counter drugs raise the risk of memory loss and cognitive decline

Certain common drugs, including antihistamines, antacids, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicines, can disrupt the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, dubbed the “memory molecule” increasing the risk of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

The writer, Anthea Rowan, with her mother. Photo: Anthea Rowan

Taking medications that block the action of acetylcholine can lead to memory loss, problems with spatial awareness, and cognitive decline. Photo: Shutterstock

Studies have found that anticholinergic drugs carried “significant’ dementia risk” for the over-65s. Photo: Shutterstock

Doctors need to be mindful of the risks posed by anticholinergic drugs, especially to an already at-risk population: the over 65s. Photo: Shutterstock

How to safeguard your ageing brain: build ‘cognitive reserve’ with mental and physical exercise, and stay active and socially engaged

The phrase ‘use it or lose it’ is not just a hypothesis, it’s a basic biological fact that holds as true for our brains as our muscles or bones. Photo:
Shutterstock

Our brains, like our muscles need regular use to stay healthy and flexible, say experts, and keeping our brains active builds our ‘cognitive reserve’, helping us to stave off dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Geriatric psychiatrist Dr David Merrill recommends the active pursuit of activities that keep the brain sharp to stave off dementia. Photo: Dr David Merrill

Dorina Cadar says cultural and social engagement, reading, doing crossword puzzles, visiting art galleries, clubs and cinemas, and volunteering all increase our cognitive reserve. Photo: Dorina Cadar

Visiting an art gallery or doing something new and different are good ways to build up cognitive reserve. Photo: Shutterstock 

How yoga benefits dementia patients: new study uncovers brain-health boosts, supporting earlier research

Yoga has health benefits including better brain neuroplasticity, improved sleep quality, and more robust cardiorespiratory fitness, all of which help people experiencing cognitive decline or dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Dr Diana Karamacoska is a research support programme fellow in healthy ageing and dementia at the NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University. Photo: Courtesy of Diana Karamacoska

Yoga could be helpful in managing brain inflammation, particularly with its mindfulness component. Photo: Shutterstock

Wendy Du is the founder of Shan Studios in Hong Kong. Photo: Wendy Du/Shan Studios

Du has maintained a daily yoga practice for 10 years. Photo: Courtesy of Shan Studios

5 nutrients good for brain health that can delay dementia, or prevent it, and foods to eat with a high concentration of them

Research has identified some key nutrients we need in our diets to maintain good cognitive function and delay or prevent the onset of dementia. Photo: Shutterstock

Eating healthy isn’t just good for our bodies, it’s good for our brains, too. Photo: Shutterstock

Zahinoor Ismail, of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary. Photo: University of Calgary

Kale with pine nuts is a dish high in magnesium, and so good for brain function. Photo: Shutterstock

Oatmeal, and other wholegrain foods such as brown rice and quinoa, are rich in magnesium. Photo: Shutterstock

Mackerel is a fish that is especially high in magnesium. Photo: Shutterstock