Promoting Brain Health - Discover how to reduce your risk for dementia

It’s never too early or too late to reduce your risk of dementia. Did you know that up to 40% of dementias could be prevented or delayed by modifying your lifestyle? In this recorded webinar, Drs. Anthony Levinson and Richard Sztramko what the latest research says about the actions you can take to promote brain health and delay or prevent cognitive impairment. Discover how physical activity, weight management, hearing loss, blood vessel health, social and cognitive activity, smoking and alcohol consumption, and other conditions, such as traumatic brain injury and medication side effects, can affect cognition.

Learn more at dementiarisk.ca.

0:00 Introduction
1:32 What is dementia?
6:26 How does cognition change as we age?
9:06 How can you prevent dementia?
13:43 Physical activity and weight management
16:17 Blood vessel health and dementia
21:18 Smoking, alcohol consumption
23:36 Nutrition, diet, and supplements
26:35 Cognitive and social activity
29:17 Medication adverse effects and other conditions
34:13 The more healthy lifestyle behaviours, the better.
40:28 'Old-age-forgetfulness' versus dementia
41:35 How often should I be tested for dementia?
43:16 Are there treatments for Alzheimer’s or other dementias?
46:00 Commonly prescribed drugs and cognitive impairment
49:33 Can stress or anxiety disorders increase the risk of dementia?
51:40 Can healthy lifestyle behaviours help those with mild cognitive impairment or dementia?
52:57 If hearing loss is such an important risk factor, how do you encourage loved ones to wear hearing aids?
54:37 What does the research say about proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for gastritis and the risk of dementia?

Guest Bio:

Dr. Richard Sztramko practices geriatrics and general internal medicine at Vancouver Coastal Health in British Columbia. He was formerly an Assistant Professor at McMaster University and the University of British Columbia focusing on eHealth interventions related to patient education, and physician and healthcare provider communication. Through his work with patients with dementia and their families, Dr. Sztramko understood there was a desire and need for online education about dementia developed by experts in geriatrics. As a result, together with Dr. Anthony Levinson, he developed iGericare.ca, an online dementia education program for caregivers of people living with dementia.

Host Bio:

Dr. Anthony Levinson is a Professor at McMaster University and a physician who works in the area of consultation-liaison psychiatry in Hamilton, Ontario. As the Director of the Division of e-Learning Innovation in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr. Levinson develops and studies internet-based solutions to deliver high-quality health educational experiences to both the public and healthcare professionals. As part of the leadership team for the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal, he leads the design and development of multimedia content, including online learning about various topics related to healthy aging.

This talk is presented as a partnership between the Optimal Aging Portal and the Office of Alumni
Engagement.

Disclaimer: These videos are provided for informational purposes only. They are not a substitute for advice from your own health care professional. The videos may be used for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal ([email protected]).