5 Alzheimer’s experts’ lifestyle advice on avoiding and delaying the onset of the most common form of dementia

On World Alzheimer’s Day, five experts give advice on avoiding the onset of this most prevalent form of dementia that affects more than 55 million

Physical and mental exercise, socialising, and getting your hearing, cholesterol and glucose tested all help, as does doing or learning something new every day

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Lifestyle tips for avoiding or delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, include staying active and socially engaged. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:15am, 21 Sep 2023Updated: 6:05am, 21 Sep 2023

This is the 20th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.

I don’t know how dementia slipped under my radar for so long. Then it was almost all I saw.

Do we not see it because it’s tucked out of sight?

When my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s – the most prevalent form of dementia, accounting for 60 to 80 per cent of cases – I didn’t actively, or consciously, hide her away. Taking her anywhere became increasingly challenging for both of us, with her incontinence and then compromised mobility.

Keep your brain active throughout your lifetime – particularly by learning new skills as you age. Photo: Shutterstock

Then it was just too frightening for her. Our return home just a few hours after we’d left – for a dentist appointment or a haircut, say – unsettled her greatly: “Where are we?” she’d ask plaintively. “Who are you? Why have we moved?”

Maybe we fail to see dementia because we aren’t looking – or because we are looking away.

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Decoding dementia

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