Pathways developed to reduce dementia risk in Colorado
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Dementia, a disease with profound effects on families, loved ones and caregivers, affects more than 55 million people globally, including 6 million in the U.S.
New research shows people can reduce their risks by making even small changes in their daily routines, for example, through exercise and eating more vegetables.
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Sarah Lock, senior vice president for policy at AARP, said there are also important steps policymakers can take to make it easier for people to maintain healthy behaviors.
"When we do that, we can disrupt dementia," Lock asserted. "That's a really exciting possibility, given that so many of us -- as our nation is aging -- are facing that risk."
Dementia is the third-largest cause of death in the nation for people age 70 and older, and two-thirds of Americans have at least one major potential risk factor. People who smoke five cigarettes per day have a 16 percent higher dementia risk than nonsmokers. People with prediabetes face a 25 percent increased risk, which rises to 50 percent with full-blown diabetes. Prolonged exposure to air pollution is also a major dementia risk factor.
Other risk factors include alcohol use, depression, high body mass index, hearing loss, hypertension, low education, physical inactivity, social isolation and traumatic brain injury. Lock pointed out policies to reduce these risks can vary by state. For example, in Colorado, physical inactivity is not as big of a problem as in other states but hearing loss is.
"We can suggest to policymakers that they focus on ways to help people screen and correct for hearing loss," Lock noted. "In Colorado, that might be a wiser use of public dollars, to go after the problem that seems to be biggest in your state."
Lock added the goal of the research is to offer people pathways to better brain health and to give older Americans more quality time with their loved ones. The findings were released by the new Dementia Risk Reduction Project, a collaboration between AARP, the Alzheimer's disease Data Initiative and the University of Washington.
