Brain Health
Your brain is who you are. It is your thoughts and feelings, your knowledge and memories. It is curious and creative, and it needs to be protected.
Brain Health Scotland
Brain Health Scotland is Alzheimer Scotland’s prevention initiative. Our mission is to inspire and empower everyone in Scotland to protect their brain health and reduce their risk of diseases that lead to dementia. We believe that it’s never too early and never too late to look after your brain. We work with people of all ages, across the whole of Scotland, to provide all the information you need to protect your brain and to join the effort to understand more about this vital part of who you are.
Your brain is amazing. Let’s keep it that way.
About brain health
Thanks to increasing evidence from scientific research, we now understand a great deal more about the links between lifestyle, brain health and reducing the risk of cognitive decline. For example, it is now known that for most people, the diseases that lead to dementia start in midlife.
The onset of these diseases is driven by many factors, some of which we can’t change such as family history and genetics, but many of which we can by keeping our brains healthy.
Here are some positive changes you can make to keep your brain healthy:
- Move More: Take regular exercise that gets your heart pumping
- Eat Well: A healthy and balanced diet can improve brain health
- Stay Connected: Enjoying time with other people and learning new skills keeps our brain active
- Reduce Risks: Staying safe and avoiding harmful habits like smoking or excessive alcohol consumption
- Switch Off: Managing stress, looking after mental health and getting enough sleep allows your brain to rest
- Take Care: Regular health checks to monitor and managing existing medical conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure that can affect brain health Brain Health Scotland is working to ensure that the concept of improving brain health to help prevent dementia is applied in future healthcare and public health campaigns.
What we do
Brain Health Scotland provides:
- Expert advice about brain health research, policy and healthcare
- Promotion of positive brain health in collaboration with Public Health Scotland and other partners
- Support to ensure health professionals can provide personalised protection plans
- Opportunities to join brain health research programmes in Scotland
Our two key programmes:
1. Brain Health Engagement: We promote awareness of the core principles of brain health across all walks of life. We work with partners in education, nutrition and fitness, as well as employers and sports associations to promote positive brain health.
2. Brain Health Services: We are developing Scotland’s first brain health services, including clinics, at which patients will access the information and interventions they need to protect their brain. We also provide opportunities to join research programmes, so everyone can join the effort to better understand brain health and disease.
What can you do?
There are many ways you can get involved with Brain Health Scotland.
- Join research: taking part in brain health research is one of the greatest ways to impact future success.
- Learn about brain health: we run a free online learning course about Understanding Brain Health. Search ‘Brain Health’ at futurelearn.com to find out more.
- Partner with us: we are keen to work with partners from all walks of life. We would love to hear from you if you are keen to embed brain health in your work, school or community.
- Work with us: register interest and sign up for alerts so we can let you know when we are looking for skills
- Data: all Brain Health Scotland data is held on the principle of open access – if you would like to know more, please contact us at brain.health@alzscot.org
Take the Brain health quiz
Your brain is amazing, let’s keep it that way. Find out how by visiting the Brain Health Scotland website and taking the Brain health quiz.