DEMENTIA IN SOCIETY
Brain Health Scotland initiative is launched Developed in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland, and funded by the Scottish Government, Brain Health Scotland (BHS) is a new initiative launched on 14 September 2020. It aims to inspire and empower people to protect their brain health and reduce their risk of diseases, including dementia. Executive Lead, Anna Borthwick tells us more. Anna Borthwick
Brain Health Scotland
concept of brain health. We are developing a the best assessments, treatments and care suite of partnerships to embed positive brain of anywhere in the world. Your brain is who you are. It is your thoughts health behaviours in all walks of life – includand feelings, your knowledge and memories. ing in nutrition, fitness, stress management Keeping your brain healthy It is curious and creative, and without it you and lifelong learning. are lost. We now understand a great deal more about One of our first activities is to design edu- what impacts our brain health than we did At Brain Health Scotland (BHS) our mission is cational resources for a variety of audiences even ten years ago. For example, it is widely to inspire and empower everyone in Scotland from primary schools through to health care known that the diseases that lead to demento protect their brain health and reduce their professionals so everyone can join the effort tia start in midlife. The onset of these disease risk of diseases including dementia. to better understand brain health and disease. is driven by many factors – some of which we can’t change, such as family history and We work with all ages, across the whole of We are also working with supermarket and genetics, but many of which we can, such Scotland, to provide all you need to protect food producers to explore ways of provid- as lifestyle. your brain and to join the effort to under- ing clear advice about which foods keep our stand more about this amazing part of who brains healthy. And we will shortly launch If we eat, exercise and sleep well we keep you are. a nationwide survey to understand more our brains healthy. Clean, unpolluted air is about how people in Scotland think about important too, so that our brains have a What we do their brain health. good supply of oxygen. Nothing stimulates the brain more than being with people we Developed in partnership with Alzheimer Our other main strand of work will be to col- care about, having fun and being as calm as Scotland, and funded by the Scottish Gov- laborate with healthcare partners. We are we can be at home and work. ernment, Brain Health Scotland provides: actively developing Scotland’s first brain health clinics, at which patients will be able BHS is working to ensure this growing eviy Expert advice about brain health research, to access the information and interventions dence base is applied in healthcare and public policy and healthcare they need to protect their brain, as well as the health campaigns. y Promotion of positive brain health in col- Scottish Brain Health Register – a national laboration with Public Health Scotland register of people keen to join research pro- Meet the team and other partners grammes and trials of new treatments. y Support to ensure health professionals in I joined as Executive Lead of BHS in July. HavBrain Health Services can provide person- These Brain Health Services will help to detect ing begun my professional life as a journalist alised protection plans and manage the most common brain health with the Sunday Times and the Scotsman, I y Opportunities to join brain health research problem we face – namely Alzheimer’s dis- have spent most of my career working to programmes in Scotland. ease. Through all our activities, we expect engage the public and media with medical that in future fewer people in Scotland will research and expertise at the University of Our work falls into two main strands. The first develop Alzheimer’s disease, but for those Edinburgh. I led communications and fundis focused on engaging the public with the who do, we will work to ensure they access raising at the Centre for Dementia Prevention,
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