You may not realise that women are twice as likely to develop Dementia than men, and that the changes in the brain start during menopause. Dr Lisa Mosconi, the world’s leading researcher and expert in women’s brains, estimates up to 75% of all dementia cases are preventable with lifestyle changes.

In this session, we explore what we can do, within scope as personal trainers, to prevent, mitigate, or slow the onset of these brain changes in our female clients.

63% of people living with dementia in Australia are women. Early menopause, including surgical menopause (especially if they remove the ovaries) is associated with a higher risk of developing any kind of dementia¹, whereas higher income groups and people with a large number of leisure activities are at a lower risk. Women are also affected by dementia differently to men, with more severe symptoms with head injuries like concussions as well as all-cause dementia². Dementia is the number one cause of death for women in Australia, overtaking heart disease³⁴.

This mini course will explore brain health in women, as well as training women to reduce their risk of dementia and cognitive decline, and how to train someone who is already diagnosed.

Learning Outcomes:

• To understand women’s unique risks and challenges for Dementia.
• Identify women’s specific symptoms and triggers for brain changes in their life.
• Learn how to apply exercise to garner the full brain health benefits for your female clients.
• Understand what diet guidence is appropriate in dementia prevention.
• Get some tips on integrating cognitive training in to your movement prescription.

This course is for trainers who:

• Believe that their training can change the course of their female client’s future
• Want to ensure that all lifestyle steps have been taking to reduce their female client’s risk of cognitive decline
• Wish to train their client’s brains as effectively as their bodies
• Want to see those 75% of preventable dementia cases prevented!
• Want to understand the holistic aspects of brain health and cognitive decline, including social connections, stress and different kinds of stress, eating habits, education, and more.