Archives
Blog: Internet use is now a vital part of daily life for many older adults
25 November 2024
Terry Quinn is a Professor of Cardiovascular Ageing at the University of Glasgow. He recently led a study, working with volunteers in the Join Dementia Research community. The aim was to investigate what activities of daily living are important to older adults. They found that the existing tools and methods often used to measure […]
New dementia drug – an update
22 August 2024
News of the approval of the new Alzheimer’s drug has hit the headlines this week. Lecanemab has been approved by the MHRA, the UK’s regulator, but has been rejected by NICE so it will not be available on the NHS. Lecanemab is part of a new class of drugs that is emerging. It slows the […]
Significant breakthroughs in dementia research
26 February 2024
As Join Dementia Research celebrates 9 years of matching volunteers to dementia studies, it is timely to reflect on the progress dementia research has made both with our help and more broadly in recent years. It is encouraging to know that at any one time, there are around 150 dementia research studies underway in the […]
Navigating social media use for people living with dementia
31 January 2024
With social media platforms offering an easy way of finding out what is happening locally, it is easy to see the appeal for people living with dementia. In order for these platforms to be even more effective, new research supported by Join Dementia Research highlights the need for social media guidance specifically for carers of […]
Brain health in over 50s deteriorated during pandemic, research finds
13 November 2023
New NIHR supported research shows that brain health in people over 50 deteriorated more rapidly during the pandemic. This was true regardless of whether they had COVID-19. Researchers analysed brain function tests completed by more than 3,000 UK people aged 50 to 90, many of which were recruited through Join Dementia Research. The results The […]
Drug donanemab hailed as breakthrough in treating Alzheimer’s disease following trial
19 July 2023
A new drug has been hailed as a scientific breakthrough in treating Alzheimer’s disease, following the publication of final trial results in the medical journal, JAMA. The findings show donanemab can successfully slow down decline in memory and thinking by 35 per cent among people with early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease. The drug’s ability to slow down […]
Join Dementia Research volunteers help discover Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab
1 December 2022
The findings of a research study that discovered a treatment for early stage Alzheimer’s disease have been hailed as “momentous” by Alzheimer’s Research UK. The new treatment, lecanemab, is the first drug to slow cognitive decline in people with early signs of the condition. The CLARITY-AD study enrolled 1,795 patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s globally, including Join […]
Global Brain Health Survey Findings
9 June 2022
Although the causes of dementia are not yet known, we do know which lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise and smoking can affect brain health and the chances of developing dementia. Until now, there has been little insight into the perceptions of brain health around the world. In June 2019 an anonymous online survey ‘The […]
Dementia fears for former footballers
25 October 2019
A recent study has found that the risk of dying from neurodegenerative disease is almost 3.5 times higher for footballers. However research is at an early stage and there’s currently no suggestion that anyone should stop playing football. Regular physical activity – including football – is a good way to reduce the risk of dementia and conditions such as heart disease.
Healthy lifestyle reduces dementia risk even in those with genetic risk factors
22 July 2019
A new study suggests that regular exercise, not smoking, drinking sensibly, and eating a healthy diet have been found to reduce risk of getting dementia even if a person has a higher genetic risk of developing the condition. There are some limitations to the study, but overall the findings are good news. We cannot change our genetics, but this study suggests that regardless of this, changing our lifestyles could help everyone reduce their dementia risk.