Using Your Head: What is the Future of Brain Health? (Interview Part 1)

Much of healthcare delivery has traditionally been set-up to deal with a ‘brainless body’; yet we consistently complain that we cannot change patient and consumer behaviours and maintain adherence to treatment programmes. Healthcare systems are now recognising the limits of this model and that there are major benefits to better comprehending and engaging cognitive function: to better understand how we operate, why and how we make decisions, improve cognition so that people can better self-regulate, self-manage and take control, and finally that we need to do more to protect and maintain cognition in an increasingly ageing population. It was whilst exploring such trends in Alzheimer’s Disease that we first engaged the SharpBrains organisation and its founder, Alvaro Fernandez. SharpBrains is an independent market research firm and think tank, in the emerging field of brain fitness and applied neuroscience. My recent discussions with him, summarized in a 2-part interview, have focused on the societal and medical shift of brain health into mainstream healthcare. What we are observing is an evolution where cognitive health moves to a lifelong focus as part of holistic health and wellbeing. So what is driving this change and what might this mean for us all? Regional differences Interestingly, the drivers of change differ significantly regionally. In the US for example, change is being driven by consumer awareness and demand; many are paying more attention to and adopting li...
Source: SharpBrains - Category: Neurologists Authors: Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness Technology bio-medical Brain-Fitness Brain-health Brain-Training cognition cognitive-decline cognitive-function cognitive-performance Cognitive-Training dementia healthcare improve-cogni Source Type: blogs