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Currently, an estimated 500,000 people in the Nordic countries live with dementia, and the numbers are steadily rising. Globally, more than 50 million people have the condition.

On 4 September 2024, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs in Sweden organised, in collaboration with the Nordic Welfare Centre, a conference in Stockholm on dementia prevention to showcase many promising research results and methods aimed at preventing or delaying the onset of the disease.

The conference was inaugurated by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, who has long been an advocate for dementia research. In 1996, she launched the Silviahemmet Foundation to enhance the education and training of staff working with dementia patients.

In her inaugural speech, Her Majesty the Queen identified dementia as one of the biggest, most complex, and challenging health issues facing humanity today.

– In Sweden alone, between 20,000 and 25,000 people are diagnosed with a dementia disorder each year. This means that every day, at least 55 men and women are affected by an incurable disease. The knowledge of having a serious illness turns life upside down and can come as a shock, not only for the person diagnosed but also for their relatives and loved ones.

Her Majesty The Queen also highlighted recent developments in dementia research, emphasising the preventive measures that have proven effective in preventing or delaying the onset of the disease. She noted that it is never too late or too early to start reviewing one’s lifestyle habits to help prevent dementia.

– For a long time, dementia was perceived as something that could not be influenced. However, recent research reveals that certain lifestyle habits have a significant impact on cognitive functions and can even provide some protection against dementia, Her Majesty the Queen stated.