World Alzheimer’s Day: 5 Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Brain

Why World Alzheimer’s Day Matters

World Alzheimer’s Day is observed each year on September 21 as the central event of World Alzheimer’s Month. Coordinated by Alzheimer’s Disease International, this global campaign raises awareness, combats stigma, and supports people living with dementia, as well as their families and caregivers.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and may account for 60% to 70% of cases worldwide. An estimated 7.4 million Americans age 65 and older are living with clinical Alzheimer’s dementia in 2026. Without medical advances that can prevent or cure the disease, that number could reach 13.8 million by 2060.

Behind every statistic is a family. Caregivers often assume significant emotional, physical, and financial responsibilities. The World Health Organization estimated that dementia cost the global economy $1.3 trillion in 2019 and that approximately half of that cost was attributable to care provided by family members and other informal caregivers.

More Than Awareness

World Alzheimer’s Day represents more than recognizing a diagnosis. It is a time to reduce stigma, listen to people experiencing changes in memory and thinking, and support the family members and caregivers walking beside them.

For many families, awareness begins with difficult questions: Is this a normal part of aging? How can I express my concern without creating conflict? What should we do now? Learning about risk factors, paying attention to meaningful changes, and starting a respectful conversation can help you decide when it may be time to seek a professional evaluation.

Although no action can guarantee the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, evidence supports addressing modifiable risk factors and seeking an evaluation when meaningful changes in memory or thinking appear. There are practical steps you can take to support brain health and make informed decisions about your care.

At MaxWell Clinic in Nashville, we emphasize proactive care and early evaluation. If you are concerned about memory or cognitive decline, a Foundational Cognitive Health Evaluation can help establish a baseline and guide appropriate next steps.

Here are five steps you can begin taking today to support your brain health.

1. Know Your Risk

Family History and Genetics

Having a parent, brother, or sister with Alzheimer’s increases your own risk. Part of this risk is related to genetics, specifically the APOE-ε4 gene. Having one copy increases the risk, and having two copies makes the development of Alzheimer’s more likely. However, having APOE-ε4 does not guarantee that you will develop the disease.

Age and Sex

• The risk of Alzheimer’s approximately doubles every five years after age 65.
• Almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s are women.

Lifestyle and Health Conditions

High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to a higher risk of dementia.

What You Can Do

• Review your history: Talk with a qualified clinician about your family history, health conditions, and any changes you or your family have observed.
• Ask whether genetic testing is appropriate: APOE testing can provide information about genetic risk, but it cannot diagnose Alzheimer’s disease or predict with certainty whether you will develop it. Professional guidance can help you understand what the results do and do not mean.
• Establish a cognitive baseline: An initial evaluation creates a point of comparison that can help clinicians monitor changes over time.

At MaxWell Clinic, the Foundational Cognitive Health Evaluation assesses areas such as memory, focus, processing speed, and executive function. The results can help establish a baseline and guide appropriate monitoring or next steps.

What a Cognitive Health Evaluation Can Tell You

A cognitive health evaluation cannot predict with certainty whether someone will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Changes in memory or thinking can also have many possible causes. The evaluation establishes a point of comparison and can help determine whether changes warrant closer monitoring, additional testing, or a personalized plan to support cognitive health.

2. Support Your Brain Through Lifestyle

Evidence suggests that as much as 45% of dementia risk may be preventable or delayable by addressing modifiable risk factors. No lifestyle change can guarantee prevention, but habits that support cardiovascular, metabolic, and overall health can also support brain health.

Nutrition

• Follow a balanced eating pattern, such as the Mediterranean, DASH, or MIND diet.
• Prioritize leafy greens, berries, nuts, olive oil, fish, whole grains, and other minimally processed foods.
• Limit highly processed foods, added sugars, and excessive saturated fat.

Exercise

Regular physical activity supports cardiovascular and metabolic health and is associated with better cognitive health.

• Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking or cycling.
• Include muscle-strengthening activities at least twice per week.
• Choose activities that are appropriate for your health and physical abilities.

Sleep

Sleep and cognitive health are closely connected. Persistent sleep problems, including possible sleep apnea, deserve medical attention.

• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule and get enough sleep to feel rested and function well during the day.
• Keep the bedroom dark and quiet, and reduce screen use close to bedtime.
• Talk with a healthcare professional if sleep problems continue or affect your daily functioning.

Stress Management

Ongoing stress can affect sleep, mood, cardiovascular health, and cognitive function.

• Consider meditation, breathing exercises, journaling, prayer, time outdoors, or another practice that helps you manage stress.
• Seek professional support when stress, anxiety, or depression is persistent or difficult to manage.

3. Stay Mentally and Socially Active

Activities that challenge the mind and maintain social connection may support cognitive health and help build cognitive reserve. Choose activities that are enjoyable and sustainable rather than treating any particular game, puzzle, or exercise as a way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Mental Stimulation

• Learn a new skill, language, instrument, or creative hobby.
• Read, play strategy games, make music, or participate in other activities that require attention and learning.
• Vary your activities and choose challenges that remain interesting without becoming discouraging.

Social Engagement

• Maintain regular contact with friends, family members, and community groups.
• Consider volunteering, joining a club, attending classes, or participating in a faith or neighborhood community.
• Address barriers to connection, such as untreated hearing loss, mobility limitations, depression, or lack of transportation.

4. Learn About Emerging and Advanced Treatments

Lifestyle and appropriate medical care remain important foundations for supporting cognitive health. Some patients and family members may also want to learn about emerging or advanced treatments. These options require careful evaluation of the available evidence, potential risks, and individual candidacy with a qualified clinician.

MaxWell Clinic offers H.O.P.E. (Habitat Optimizing Plasma Exchange®), its therapeutic plasma exchange protocol. During therapeutic plasma exchange, a patient’s plasma is removed and replaced with prescribed replacement fluid. This process changes components circulating in the plasma, but determining whether the procedure is appropriate for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive decline requires an individualized clinical evaluation. As David Haase, MD, often explains, “When you clean the blood, the body and brain work better.”

Why Plasma Exchange?

In the AMBAR study, patients who received plasma exchange with albumin replacement experienced less functional decline than the placebo group, although results varied according to the outcome measured and the severity of the disease. Review the peer-reviewed study presenting AMBAR’s primary results.

Researchers have proposed several ways plasma exchange with albumin replacement might affect biological processes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. However, the AMBAR study did not determine a specific mechanism of action. For an explanation of the clinical rationale, watch Dr. Haase’s AMBAR presentation on YouTube.

What This Evidence Shows and Does Not Show

The AMBAR findings apply to the participants and plasma exchange protocol studied in that trial. They do not establish plasma exchange as a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, nor do they independently demonstrate the outcomes of MaxWell Clinic’s H.O.P.E. protocol. Therapeutic plasma exchange is not appropriate for everyone. Considering this treatment requires an individual clinical evaluation that examines patient candidacy, potential benefits, risks, and alternatives.

The MaxWell Difference

H.O.P.E. is MaxWell Clinic’s approach to therapeutic plasma exchange, combining the procedure with a clinician-guided systems-medicine approach. It should not be assumed to be identical to the protocol evaluated in the AMBAR study.

Next step: Schedule a consultation with one of our clinicians to learn whether H.O.P.E. may be appropriate for you or a loved one. Call or text one of our New Patient Coordinators at 615-370-0091.

“The future of Alzheimer’s care is not resignation, but regeneration. At MaxWell, our Habitat Optimizing Plasma Exchange® and PolyPrecision™ therapies take a comprehensive approach that goes beyond managing symptoms. They work to restore the brain’s capacity for healing and resilience, offering patients and their families the possibility of slowing, stabilizing, and even reversing cognitive decline.”

David Haase, MD

5. Take Action Early

Changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease may begin a decade or more before symptoms appear. However, not everyone with early brain changes develops dementia, and changes in memory or thinking can have many possible causes.

An evaluation can help determine whether additional testing is needed and may uncover other factors affecting cognitive function. An early and accurate diagnosis can also provide more time to consider treatment, support, care planning, and participation in decisions.

Practical Steps

• Talk with a healthcare professional when you or someone close to you notices meaningful changes in memory, judgment, language, behavior, or the ability to complete familiar tasks.
• Write down specific examples and when they began. This can make the conversation with a clinician more useful.
• Review medications, sleep, mood, hearing, medical conditions, and other factors that could affect thinking or memory.
• If you have significant risk factors but no noticeable symptoms, ask a qualified clinician whether establishing a cognitive baseline would be appropriate for you.

Taking action early can provide information, options, and time to plan. For more guidance about the signs to watch for, read Early Signs of Cognitive Decline: When to Seek Help.

If You’re Concerned About Someone You Love

Changes in memory, judgment, or behavior can be difficult to discuss, especially when the person you care about does not recognize the changes or becomes defensive. Begin with specific observations, choose a calm and private moment, and express your concern without trying to diagnose the problem yourself.

Listen to their perspective and focus on taking the next step together. If the changes persist or begin to interfere with everyday life, encourage a professional evaluation. For more guidance, read How to Talk to a Loved One About Cognitive Decline Without Creating Conflict.

Protect Your Brain with MaxWell Clinic

World Alzheimer’s Day is more than an observance. It is a call to pay attention, ask questions, and take thoughtful action.

At MaxWell Clinic in Nashville, we offer:

• Foundational Cognitive Health Evaluations that assess memory, focus, processing speed, and executive function.
• Personalized clinical guidance based on each person’s history, evaluation results, concerns, and goals.
• Consultations for people who want to learn whether H.O.P.E. therapeutic plasma exchange may be appropriate for them.

EVANTHEA: Supporting Research into Cognitive Decline

World Alzheimer’s Day draws attention not only to the people and families affected by cognitive decline, but also to the continuing search for better ways to identify and address it. MaxWell Clinic contributed to that research as one of six clinical sites in the United States that participated in the completed EVANTHEA trial.

The randomized controlled study enrolled 73 adults with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage dementia and compared a nine-month personalized precision-medicine program with standard care. The study has concluded and is no longer enrolling participants. Its preliminary findings were published in a preprint that has not yet undergone peer review, so the results should be interpreted cautiously. Learn more about MaxWell Clinic’s participation in the EVANTHEA clinical trial or review the official study record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Take the first step today. If you are concerned about changes in memory or thinking, call or text 615-370-0091 to ask whether a Cognitive Health Evaluation or consultation may be the appropriate next step.

World Alzheimer’s Day reminds us that paying attention to cognitive health can help individuals and families make informed decisions about the future.