Checkmate for Scottish comedian Craig Hill as he launches dementia risk reduction campaign

05 JUNE 2006
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
To: News/Community/Health journalists

Scottish comedian Craig Hill will be launching Alzheimer Scotland’s innovative dementia awareness week campaign ‘Good for you, Good for your brain’ on 5th June at 10.00am by playing a game of giant chess at Buchanan Street Galleries and helping reduce his own risk of developing dementia.

‘Good for you, Good for your brain’ is Alzheimer Scotland’s first campaign to target people aged 45-65 years of age with healthy lifestyle messages that may help to reduce their risk of developing dementia later in life. The key messages focus on the importance of eating healthily, taking regular exercise, staying mentally active and maintaining social networks all of which may help to reduce people’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s quite significantly.

Craig Hill whose own mother had Alzheimer’s disease says, “There is a mounting body of research that highlights the link between healthy lifestyles in middle age, and a decreased risk in developing dementia later in life. With the number of people with dementia increasing significantly each year, the time is definitely right to get these simple messages into the public domain.”

He continues, ‘’Good for you, Good for your brain’ focuses on small changes that people can make to their lifestyles NOW, that may help to reduce their risk of developing dementia later in life. For example eating oily fish once a week may help to reduce risk by up to 60%, taking regular exercise by up to 40%, and keeping your brain active by enjoying mental challenges like chess may help to reduce risk by up to 47%.”

More information on how you can reduce your risk of dementia can be found in Alzheimer Scotland’s new Risk reduction leaflet. To order a free copy of this leaflet call 0845 456 7739 or visit www.goodforyourbrain.org.

Please give our Freephone 24hr Dementia Helpline telephone number: 0808 808 3000 and our website address: www.alzscot.org at the end of articles.

Contact details:

Sarah Bromley, Awareness Manager, tel 0131 243 1453, mob 07966 458 869, sbromley@alzscot.orgMaureen Thom, Information Manager, tel 0131 243 1453, mthom@alzscot.org
Kate Fearnley, Policy Director, tel 0131 243 1453, mob 07791 028 317, kfearnley@alzscot.org

Note for Editor:

Dementia affects approximately 63,000 people in Scotland.
Alzheimer’s disease is the main form of dementia. The second most common is vascular dementia. As yet there is no cure.

Alzheimer Scotland is Scotland’s foremost voluntary organisation working for people with dementia and their carers. It:

• speaks out for the rights and concerns of people with dementia and their carers;
• operates services on over 60 sites throughout Scotland providing practical services such as day, evening and weekend centres, home care and befriending and carers' support services;
• provides the 24 hour national freephone Dementia Helpline (0808 808 3000);
• provides the website www.alzscot.org;
• supports a network of over 40 carers' support groups;
• provides information to carers, professionals and people with dementia;
• publishes leaflets, booklets, reports and a quarterly newsletter keeping carers and professionals up-to-date
• has a research programme.