Poole Central Locality and Public Health join together to promote the dementia prevention message

Recent research suggests that at least 1/3 cases of Alzheimer’s disease are caused by potentially modifiable risk factors (Norton et al., 2014). Despite this, at both local and national levels, there has been relatively little work on dementia prevention. Poole Central locality and Poole Public Health have been working together to raise the profile of dementia prevention through workshops, NHS health checks, increased understanding of general population’s knowledge and a poster campaign.

Dementia prevention workshops were offered to all clinicians in Poole Central locality. Participants were asked to rate their confidence in discussing the question “How can I reduce my risk of developing dementia” with patients. Prior to the workshop the average confidence only 3.7/9 and increased to 7.4/9 after the workshop. “We gained new insights into risk factors … will try to incorporate into my consultations”. Training for clinicians undertaking NHS Health checks has also being adapted to incorporate a clear dementia prevention message: ‘What’s good for your heart is good for your head’.

During Dementia Awareness week 2015, we asked local residents about their knowledge on modifiable risk factors for dementia. Knowledge was poor and only 14% reported that a health professional had ever spoken to them about dementia being a preventable illness - despite the fact that many had risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension.

 In view of the general population’s poor knowledge about dementia prevention, we designed and piloted a poster campaign for our GP surgeries. The campaign is being launched in autumn 2015 and we look forward to assessing its impact.

For more information about this project, please email eforde@bournemouth.ac.uk or J.Wilson@dorsetcc.gov.uk

References

Norton, S., Matthews., F., Barnes., D et al (2014). Potential for primary prevention of Alzheimer’s disease: an analysis of population-based data. Lancet Neurology, 13(8), 788-794.