The 2019 update of the NICE quality standard for dementia says that middle-aged people should be advised that lifestyle changes to modify unhealthy behaviours can reduce the risk of developing dementia in later life.
People aged 40–64 years (and those aged 39 or under from disadvantaged populations) should be made aware that smoking, lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, alcohol consumption, being overweight or obese – and even loneliness – can be changed to reduce the risk of developing dementia.
The goals of the quality standard are to improve prevention of dementia, as well as diagnosis rates, time from referral to diagnosis, hospital admission rates, prescriptions for the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, and health related quality of life for both patients and carers.
The standard also covers care home admissions, length of hospital stay and preferred place of death, and it states that people with dementia should have a single named practitioner to coordinate their care. Individuals should also have a structured assessment before pharmacological or non-pharmacological therapy for distress is initiated.
NICE QS184. Dementia, June 2019. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs184
