On 24th January, HSE Healthy Ireland and HSE National Dementia Office hosted a webinar titled ‘Think Brain Health: Discover how healthy behaviours support your incredible brain’. There was huge interest in this topic with large numbers joining on the day and also watching the recording. During this webinar, Sarah Mc Cormack, HSE Healthy Ireland Lead, Health & Wellbeing was joined by experts in this area to discuss our brain and the healthy behaviours we can adopt to look after it. These healthy behaviours include physical activity, healthy eating, good sleep, social connectivity, avoiding harmful use of alcohol, and not smoking.
The key messages from the experts relating to adopting healthy behaviours:
- It is never too late and never too early’ to start, all have positive impacts on our brain health.
- Decline in our brain health is not inevitable and adopting healthy behaviours will help to keep our brains healthy as we age.
Experts included: Dr Seán O’Dowd, Consultant Neurologist, Tallaght University Hospital; Professor Brian Lawlor, Professor of Old Age Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin; Catherine Blake, Dean and Head of the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin; and Cathy McHale, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Institute of Memory & Cognition, Tallaght University Hospital.
There was great engagement and very positive feedback from those who attended. If you missed the Think Brain Health Webinar you can click to listen. Also, if there is other information you would like in relation to brain health and reducing the risk of dementia, please contact HSE National Dementia Office [email protected].
