Doctors at Mass General Hospital say they’ve made headway when it comes to figuring out a patient’s chances of developing dementia or a stroke, while promoting ways to reduce risk in general.
Recently highlighted in Frontiers in Neurology, researchers with the McCance Center for Brain Health at MGH as well as other collaborators developed a 21-point Brain Care Score system that, based on a questionnaire, can highlight what you can do to improve your brain health and reduce risk for brain diseases.
“Protect your brain and your body will be grateful,” said Dr. Jonathan Rosand, a neurologist at MGH.
According to officials, the system allows anyone to calculate their risk for developing dementia or a stroke via a series of questions that review your physical health and social life.
“The score is our way of translating decades of science into a simple tool that anybody can use to gauge how well they’re taking care of their brain and what steps they’re taking that can reduce their risk of someday developing dementia or stroke,” Rosand explained to 7NEWS.
The Brain Care Score is made up of three sections – Physical, Lifestyle, and Social Emotional. The more healthy habits you practice, the more points you get on the card, with a higher score indicating a lower risk for stroke or dementia.
The study’s senior author suggests people use the card as a menu or checklist, choosing which section to tackle first.
“So it’s a checklist, if you will – just go through it, find the areas that you want to start working on fire and off you go!” Rosand said.
The score card also gives health recommendations for people to follow, such as diet tips or how to stay connected with people. Doctors say the goal shouldn’t be to get a perfect store, but instead to focus on practicing healthy habits over time.
“All of these risk factors, if you manage them well, you’re going to reduce your risk of heart disease and heart attack, and you’re also going to reduce your risk of many common cancers,” Rosand said.
More information on the McCance Brain Care Score system can be found here.
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