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World Alzheimer’s Month: Stories and Reflections on Brain Health

September 21, 2025

21 September 2025 marks World Alzheimer’s Day, the highlight of World Alzheimer’s Month. This is a global effort that aims to raise awareness and challenge the stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.

This year, we want to highlight brain health and dementia prevention. On this important day, we are pleased to share reflections from several Public Advisory Groups in AD-RIDDLE, the European consortium that REAL AD is part of. These groups are made up of people from the public, including people living with dementia or at risk of dementia, as well as family members, caregivers and supporters. Their role is to provide advice and recommendations on the activities within the project so that their voices are heard and taken into account. We asked members of Public Advisory Groups around Europe to share their thoughts on brain health and dementia prevention.

🌍📢From Finland
One of our Finnish Advisory Board members shared how personal experience and lifestyle changes motivate them to focus on brain health:

“I am a 71-year-old retiree from Finland. My wife and I live in Helsinki, but we also spend much time at our summer place in Björköby, an island village near Vaasa on the west coast of Finland. Part of the year, we also travel by camper van in Finland and various parts of Europe, particular favorites are France and Italy, not forgetting Lapland!

I am interested in brain health because I want to spend many active years with my grandchildren, traveling and enjoying life. With my father, I saw concretely how much dementia changed his and also his loved ones’ lives during his last years. This experience has motivated me to do my best to avoid dementia as I age. Even though the pace slows down with age, I believe the most important thing is to maintain the ability to think clearly.

In recent years, I have had the pleasure of being part of the advisory group in a couple of research projects aiming to prevent dementia such as AD-RIDDLE and LETHE. The knowledge gained from these has helped me understand that it is indeed possible to reduce the risk of cognitive decline or dementia, and it can be done quite easily! For me, this has meant changes in my diet, being more physically active with gym workouts, outdoor activities in nature, long bike rides, skiing trips, and enjoying good books, concerts and theatre. I also consider traveling a very healthy part of life: new experiences, exercise, and meeting people and other cultures. Even though being retired is my main occupation, I still continue part-time work, partly to keep my brain active.”

🌍📢From Sweden
Two members of the Swedish Advisory Board, and participants in REAL AD, reflected together on what brain health means in their everyday lives:

“Brain health is important for us because we want to continue being healthy also when we get older. For us, it is very important to get the latest knowledge about brain health and to do all that we can to stay healthy. Being a member of AD-RIDDLE has helped us to achieve our goals.

We keep our brains active by reading, taking part in some short courses, and even working part-time. We are physically active by swimming, paddling a kayak, kettlebell, and walking in the woods. I read a lot, watch only 30 minutes of the news on TV per day, and sleep and wake up very early. My husband watches more TV. I have been a vegetarian for the last 36 years, but my husband likes to eat meat. Socializing is also a very important part of our lives. We keep good and frequent contact with our family and friends. We love to travel, are positive-minded, and cheer each other up. We have been married for 45 years.

On top of that, I think I have good genes since my mother is over 100 years old. But it is not only genes; it is important to work for good health.”

🌍📢From Italy
A member of the Italian Advisory Board highlighted the importance of awareness and prevention:

“As a member of the Italian Advisory Board, I am deeply committed to supporting initiatives that promote brain health awareness. With life expectancy steadily increasing, Alzheimer’s disease is no longer a distant possibility. Dementia is becoming an urgent reality, affecting families across Europe and taking away memories, independence, and moments of true connection. Since our first Public Involvement consultation in the AD-RIDDLE project, when the researchers of the Gerontology and Geriatrics Section of the Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, presented the digital engagement portal, I have come to appreciate how prevention and early detection can shape a healthier, more independent future for all of us. For me, caring for my brain means staying active, continuing to learn, and maintaining meaningful relationships. “Our brain’s future begins today!””

🌍📢From the Netherlands
One Dutch Advisory Board member and advocate spoke about living with a diagnosis and staying active:

“I am a member and vice-chair of the European Working Group of People With Dementia of Alzheimer Europe. I was diagnosed with Vascular Cognitive Impairment in 2017. I live independently in the Netherlands with my three dogs. I am very active in advocating for dementia and I am co-researcher in Brain Power, a research group of the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht.

I have many hobbies, among which playing tennis, soccer, boxing, cooking, singing in a choir, and playing percussion. I am active on social media, follow all information about dementia. I read the paper and follow actual worldwide situations. Every day I solve all kinds of puzzles, I listen to audio books, and I always have a lot of fun.

I still want to stay active for as long as possible. All activities you continue give opportunities to practice skills, and what you practice you keep longer good. For me, until now this approach works already for several years, and I hope for a lot more fun years.”

Through a caregiver’s eyes: Brain health and hope

Finally, we are deeply grateful to Trevor for sharing his personal story.

We met Trevor Salomon at the AD RIDDLE General Assembly Meeting in London in June, where he gave a presentation titled “Dementia Through A Carer’s Eyes.” Trevor is a husband, caregiver and advocate who generously shares his experiences of caring for his wife Yvonne, following her diagnosis with young-onset Alzheimer’s dementia. We are deeply grateful that Trevor has chosen to share his journey with us.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?  
My name is Trevor Salomon. I live in North West London and I am the current Chairperson of the European Dementia Carers Working Group (EDCWG). Following a career as an international marketing director in business software, I chose to step away from my role in 2011 when it became evident that I needed to devote time to my wife, Yvonne, and her emerging memory problems, which were diagnosed as young-onset Alzheimer’s disease when she was 57 years old. 

 Why is taking care of your brain health important to you?  
I have to confess that when I was younger, I never really thought about brain health; in fact, it was a term I probably wasn’t even aware of. I was fit, ate a balanced diet, socialized, worked, and was interested in the world around me, from global politics to international economics. 

Thinking back, I guess the first time I ever really stopped to think about the workings of the brain, and therefore its health as a complex organ controlling our thoughts, movement, and bodily functions, was when my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in his seventies. I realized just how much cognition and physical capability he lost over a relatively short space of tim,e and that it would never return. 

When my wife succumbed to young-onset Alzheimer’s dementia at the age of 53, I asked myself how this could happen to someone who was extremely active, didn’t smoke or drink alcohol, and had a challenging role as a bookkeeper where she spent her working day looking at numbers and creating spreadsheets. 

It dawned on me then, and especially after I retired in 2015 to look after her, that whilst nothing could probably prevent dementia, maintaining an ‘active lifestyle’ should be an imperative to supporting a healthy brain enabling it to function optimally to regulate the body. So, I continue to challenge my approach to brain health by always having a thirst for knowledge, keeping fit (even doing housework, which I hate, is a form of exercise!), and being forever the mentally positive optimist. I can’t prove it, but I believe this helps me to think clearly and make decisions, retain information, and learn new skills, all to keep stress at bay. 

It is, of course, an imperative that carers look after their brain health and everything this encompasses – both mental and physical – otherwise they will not have the strength of mind or energy to perform one of the most demanding roles, taking care of someone regressing with dementia.  

What were your thoughts on joining the ADRIDDLE General Assembly meeting in London? How was the atmosphere? What did you enjoy most about meeting the researchers and discussing your story? 
Recently, I was asked to present ‘Dementia Through A Carer’s Eyes’ to the AD-RIDDLE General Assembly Meeting in London. The AD-RIDDLE platform is aiming to transform the detection of dementia and how it is treated and managed across different patient demographics. I have presented to researchers on several occasions, and whilst I am in awe of their knowledge and determination, I am not in awe of them as an audience because I find their interest is genuine. What they learn helps them to dig deep to find the ongoing resolve to ultimately achieve their research goals and objectives. What I really enjoyed were the informal, side conversations that followed my presentation and their expressions of gratitude in hearing from a carer with lived experience. 

Would you like to read more personal stories?

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