Reminder: Register for Upcoming Webinar on Public Health and Cognitive Aging

Join us next Thursday, June 4 from 1:00-1:45 p.m. EDT for a webinar on Cognitive Aging: Progress in Understanding and Opportunities for Action, which was recently released by the Institute of Medicine. Members of the IOM committee will provide an overview of the report’s findings and recommendations as well as implications for state and local public health. Please register online.

The IOM report examines the public health implications of “cognitive aging,” the gradual and variable changes in mental functions that occur with age. It concludes that three key behaviors – being physically active, managing certain cardiovascular risk factors, and regularly talking with a health care provider about issues that might affect cognitive health, including medications – can reduce the risk of cognitive decline, protect cognitive functioning, and promote healthy aging in older adults.

Dr. Kristine Yaffe – Vice Chair of the Committee on the Public Health Dimensions of Cognitive Aging – will review the report’s findings and recommendations. Committee member Dr. Jason Karlawish will discuss the public health implications.

We hope you will join us to learn more. Register online, mark your calendars, and forward this message to any interested colleagues.

ABAM Offers Opportunity to Raise Public Awareness

June is Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month (ABAM), an opportunity to raise awareness about the brain and Alzheimer's and other dementias. This year, special attention will be paid to healthy aging and brain health. The IOM's Cognitive Aging report provides public health officials with an evidence-based foundation to inform the public on ways to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.

Here are two ways the public health community can promote brain health during ABAM:

Partner with your local Alzheimer’s Association chapter to deliver Healthy Habits for a Healthier You . This program, led by Alzheimer’s Association chapter staff, provides research-based recommendations to help the general public protect cognition and age as well as possible.

. This program, led by Alzheimer’s Association chapter staff, provides research-based recommendations to help the general public protect cognition and age as well as possible. Deliver the Brain Health As You Age: You Can Make A Difference! program. Health officials around the country can download and deliver this free, evidence-based program developed by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Brain Health As You Age educates the general public on normal changes in the aging brain, threats to brain health, and healthy aging for the body and brain.



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For subscription services or to view previous issues of Alzheimer’s Public Health News, please visit http://alz.org/publichealth/public-health-news.asp or contact John Shean (jshean@alz.org).





