Preventing Dementia

I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the course. I enjoyed all the modules and meeting international specialists and researchers. Personally I found the explanation of hereditary factors and risk of developing dementia enlightening and hugely reassuring.
I have a mother with moderate typical later onset Alzheimers and it seems from my understanding of risk factors and brain protective factors my individual risk factors for Alzheimers are not as large and inevitable as I had thought.
It was wonderful to read of all the positive life style modifications we can make to increase our chances of healthy cognition in older age.
I was also struck by the astounding evidence showing even alzheimer's pathology in a brain does not necessarily equate with the expression of this pathology in daily life. A cognitively stimulated and cheerful engaged brain fares better. This seems intuitive and also wonderfully encouraging.
Dementia reduction as well as assessment and management are fantastic and deeply important areas of research and I am left feeling so pleased I undertook this first class MOOC. It had great quality information in a very user friendly format which was accessible to so many.
Thank you

Having previously completed the Understanding Dementia Course in 2017, I have just completed the 2018 Preventing Dementia MOOC Course.
I can now see why this Course is rated to be in the top 50 Worldwide Online Courses, and rated also as the top medical/lay education ever, of its kind... (Please see the quoted review of this outstanding MOOC course.).
For myself I have so much enjoyed the content, made eminently understandable for both lay and Health professionals by the brilliant team of contributors. Thank you so much.
At the completion of this Preventing Dementia MOOC, the desire is to go over it all again, to really soak up the breadth and depth of all the information presented by the ongoing research and achievements to date.
Clearly it has been a privilege to gain a wider understanding of the impact of Dementia, both now and into the future worldwide, and to be aware of much promising research in both understanding Dementia and the newest emphasis on Prevention.
I have been inspired by the dedication of so many Scientists and Health Professionals at the Wicking Centre and beyond - all gaining further insights to provide better tools for helping people in light of the needs of this burgeoning world field of the Dementias.
Thanks to you all,
Lorna Durrant - (in my 80th year)..

I have recently completed the "Preventing Dementia" course "MOOC" with the university of Tasmania.
It has been an enjoyable, informal way of learning about the subject within my own time. Having the course presented on line with the many videos and articles, has been invaluable. Being a very busy person, having this course so easily accessible, I was able to dedicate time to it when I was able to.... ie: in the early hours of the morning!!!
I found the course engaging and interesting with great resources provided.
I would love these type of informative courses being accessible to the wider community as a valuable prevention tool. If this type of information was given out to the many people who have experienced a loved one deteriorating with the condition of Dementia, it could help them make informed choices about their own lifestyle choices which in turn may turn the tide on this ever increasing challenge to our health.

Unbelievably good... & free! This course puts dementia in its place: it is a fatal disease affecting the body & brain together; it cannot be prevented or cured; the risk of succumbing to it CAN be significantly reduced by simple measures that also reduce other serious risk factors like heart disease & stroke.
This course is accessible to almost anyone. It is not above your head; neither is it condescending. Material is clearly presented by credible professionals referring to current research, careful to make no claims beyond what it supports.
Material is ideally paced. There are no onerous assignments but progress is meaningfully assessed.
If for no other reason, take the course to see how on-line material should be presented.

Interesting information, well presented and easy to access. It was also easy to dip in and out, spending as much or as little time as I had available on any one day, and then to pick up where I left off. The content is very easy to understand, with links to further reading for those who want it. It does at times come across as a bit proselytising, ie as a vehicle for putting out a public health message, and so it made me wonder to what extent the content has been selected to present a message that fits with the research aims of the University or the particular academics who compiled it. I was disappointed that there was no information about research on drugs to prevent or delay dementia. Overall though, I'm pleased to have done this course, and it has given me pointers to further information. It has encouraged me to register for another MOOC.

At the very outset I wish to thank the University of Tasmania and each and every one of you,who made the course possible.I am glad to have been able to take the course and complete it.
I learnt a lot during the course of this study.It also helped me sift the irrelevant information which I may have gained earlier. I do hope the eager beavers out there do take this opportunity to increase their knowledge and share it with others ,which will help those who do not know about these courses which are offered.
Normally to gain all this information ,one would need to read several books and periodicals and browse through countless sites and topics and meet several Doctors in this field.In India sadly there are not many that I know of who would educate the unwary on this scale.
Each of them : Understanding Dementia and Preventing Dementia are the need of today and extremely relevant topics.
Thank you once again.
Vanita Kumta

I just completed this class and loved it. There is a lot to learn and apply in our life as we age. The most important thing we need to learn is there is no time too early or late to work towards improving our cognitive health through lifestyle changes and preventing dementia in later life. How much do diet and exercise help in preventing dementia in later life?

This class talks about the variety of clinical trials. One that is very interesting to me is how the effect of education in later life can help to reduce our dementia risk.

Toward the end of this class, they recommended a class on FutureLearn, that also I have joined now, and can't wait to begin learning there too.

It is never too late to learn. Learning can contribute well towards reducing our risk of dementia. So, happy learning and living a healthy life with a lower risk of dementia.

As I am 67yrs and my mother at 92 is in the initial stages of dementia, so I found the course most relevant and very informative. The areas covered were presented in a sequential format by experts in the field, starting with Module 1 - Identifying Dementia. This module made me aware of the lengthy list of diseases that can be associated with dementia as well as the 4 major causes of dementia. This was then followed by Module 2 - Dementia Risk, which provided clear ways in which one can identify possible risks and the impacts. What also was made clear, is that how one lives during younger life and particularly midlife, can make a difference to the onset of dementia. Module 3 - A Healthy and Active Mind, identified that education and how we use our brains during our lifespan can significantly affect our ongoing cognition, and I loved the terms like 'cognitive reserve' and 'cognitive lifestyle' as they seem to sum up the fact that more we engage in learning to develop our cognition, the more we have in reserve when we need it! As I am a great believer in 'lifetime learning' and have always involved myself in learning and teaching others how to learn, I hope I have placed myself in good position in regards to my onset of dementia. Module 4 - How and when to Intervene, provided great information then about the modifiable risk factors i.e. those things that we can control and modify that might assist with delaying the onset of dementia.

What I have mentioned above does not do justice to the amount of detailed and useful content the course provided and the expert presenters who were involved. Their expertise and the studies they addressed that are being done across the world in the field of dementia was surprising to me as I was not aware that so much was going on in this field. What I also recognised is that it is an area that needs much more ongoing research and work as much of the work is inconclusive at this time, because many of the studies have to be run over time to provide conclusive evidence and so definite outcomes.

The course was well worth doing regardless of age as the content is relevant to all in regards to prevention from a young age and lifestyle, as well as midlife to old age life style considerations in regards to the development of dementia.

Thank you for MOOC and all this course lecturers. I am very enjoy learning. I have got a lot of new knowledge and important information, Is it possible ? Can Dementia prevented? But studies we understand that dementia , particularly in the oldest people , is a mixture of classical Alzheimer's type. such as low educational attainment, midlife obesity, hypertension, diabetes and then depression. so we can have evidence from early life, from midlife and later life.
The US Alzheimer's Association" 10 ways to love your brain"
1. Break a sweat : Engage in regular cardiovascular exercise that your heart and increases blood flow
to the brain and body.
2.Hit the books: Take a class at a local college, it will help reduce your risk of cognitive decline and
dementia.
3. Butt out : Evidence shows that smoking increases risk of cognitive decline.
4.Follow your heart: Evidence shows that risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Take care of your heart and your brain just might follow.
5. Heads up! Brain injury can raise of cognitive decline and dementia.
6.Fuel up right: Eat a healthy and balanced diet, lower fat, more vegetable and fruit to help reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
7.Catch some Zzz's : Not getting enough sleep. Insomnia or sleep apnea may result in problems with memory and thinking.
8. Take care of your mental health: So seek medical treatment if you have symptoms of depression, anxiety or other mental health concerns.
9.Buddy up: Staying socially engaged may support brain health.
10. Stump yourself : Challenge and activate your mind. Build a piece of furniture. Do something artistic. May have short and long- term benefit for your brain.
***Until there is a cure, risk reduction is the best approach to address the growing numbers of people affected by dementia.