Australia is leading the world with the first publicly funded program aimed at reducing the risk of developing dementia.

A new brain health program, Your Brain Matters, will be launched by Alzheimer’s Australia this week.

It was funded by the federal government in the 2012 budget, the first prevention program for dementia in the world to receive public funding, said Alzheimer’s Australia chief executive Glenn Rees.

He said this showed the condition was being treated as a chronic disease, rather than a normal part of ageing.

Mr Rees said the program was a guide to keeping the brain healthy by exercising the mind and body and eating a nutritious diet.

“It’s important to understand that while there is, as yet, no cure for dementia there are things we can all do now – like keeping your brain active, being fit and healthy and looking after your heart – which may help to reduce our risk of developing dementia, or slow cognitive decline in those already diagnosed with dementia,” Mr Rees said in a statement.

He said there was evidence to suggest that if physical inactivity could be reduced in Australia by five per cent every five years, this could cut dementia prevalence by 11 per cent by 2051.

This would equate to about 100,000 fewer Australians living with dementia by addressing just one risk factor, he said.

International Alzheimer’s expert Dr Serge Gauthier, of McGill University in Canada, who is visiting Australia as part of Dementia Awareness Week, said prevention programs were vital to try to stem the incidence of dementia.

About 280,000 Australians have dementia, with this figure set to soar to almost one million by 2050.

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National push to prevent dementia

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