The Centre for Dementia Prevention held its inaugural winter conference, ‘‘Preventing Dementia: Advice and Advances’’ at the end of 2017. Hosted in the beautiful surroundings of Edinburgh University’s Playfair Library, the sold-out event was a fantastic success. Thank you to all who joined us! Below are video highlights from a range of talks delivered on the night by our excellent expert speakers.
Welcome and Introduction
Our chair for the evening, Professor Tara Spires Jones, begins by outlining the scale of the challenge we currently face, with an estimated 45 million people living globally with dementia.
Current Priorities in Dementia Prevention Research
Professor Craig Ritchie, Director of the Centre for Dementia Prevention, and Henry Simmons, Chief Executive of Alzheimer Scotland, answer questions submitted by research participants and the wider community. Topics discussed include; How close are we to preventing dementia? How does the NHS prepare now for future disease-modifying medications? And what will your job role involve ten years from now?
How Lifestyle Choices May Reduce Your Risk
With a recent report suggesting a third of overall dementia risk is potentially modifiable, what lifestyle changes can we all make to improve our brain health? From greater understanding of environmental influences to designing better drug trials to harnessing the powerful technology within smartphones. In this clip Professor Craig Ritchie, Dr Tom Russ (both University of Edinburgh) and Dr Ivan Koychev (University of Oxford) discuss some of the key factors to target for dementia risk reduction.
In Their Lifetime: Can Today’s Youth hope for a Future without Dementia?
The Keynote speech of the evening was delivered by Hilary Evans, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK. Hilary’s talk drew inspiration from the recent birth of her son George. Looking to the future, what developments will he be likely to see in his lifetime? Will the first disease modifying treatments be available by his 10th birthday? By George’s teenage years will preventative medications for at-risk individuals be routine? And when George reaches mid-life, will tailored risk factor management strategies for dementia be as commonplace as blood pressure monitoring for cardiovascular risk is today? Watch Hilary’s fascinating talk to share in her many reasons for optimism for the youth of today.
