Dementia risk reduction : A personalized health and lifestyle approach

Nicole Anderson, Ph.D, University of Toronto
Professor, Departments of Psychology & Psychiatry, University of Toronto
Director, Ben & Hilda Katz Interprofessional Research Centre in Geriatric and Dementia Care Dementia prevalence in Canada is expected to nearly double from 2020 to 2030, affecting nearly one million Canadians, their care partners, and the healthcare system (Alzheimer Society of Canada, 2022). The 2020 Lancet Commission stated that 40% of dementia cases worldwide could be prevented from 12 modifiable lifestyle changes; that estimation omitted other lifestyle factors that have been linked to cognitive and brain health, such as diet. With this backdrop, I will present the evidence behind dementia risk factors, both non-modifiable and modifiable, and how we are leveraging that evidence in the Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health and Wellness at Baycrest, the world's first research-driven community centre providing personalized interventions to reduce individuals' (aged 50+) dementia risk and maintain their cognitive functioning.