Australians turning 50 are being urged to take action on their long-term brain health, with the Federal Government launching a new campaign aimed at reducing the risk of dementia.
Around 340,000 Australians who turned 50 between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026 will receive a letter outlining practical steps they can take to reduce their risk of developing dementia. The first letters began arriving in mid-July.
The campaign comes as dementia remains the leading cause of death in Australia, with almost 460,000 Australians currently estimated to be living with the condition. That number is expected to rise to around 1.1 million by 2065 as Australia’s population ages.
Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler said growing evidence around dementia risk factors meant there was an opportunity to intervene before people developed the condition.
“Dementia is a national health priority for our Government,” Mr Butler said.
“Growing evidence of risk factors for dementia show that the disease can be prevented or delayed in around 45 per cent of cases.”
The letter encourages Australians to consider a range of factors associated with dementia risk, including physical activity, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, heart health, diabetes risk and maintaining cognitive activity.
Recipients can also access a free personal dementia risk assessment and further information through the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
The campaign draws on research from the 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia, as well as advice from dementia experts.
A key message from the campaign is that dementia risk is not determined solely by age or genetics. A significant proportion of the factors associated with dementia risk are considered modifiable, meaning there are steps people can take throughout their lives that may reduce their chances of developing the condition or delay its onset.
Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae said turning 50 provided an opportunity for people to consider their health well before old age.
“Turning 50 is a great time to stop and think about your long-term health,” Mr Rae said.
“These letters are a simple prompt to start a conversation every Australian should be having with loved ones and their doctor.”
Mr Rae said evidence showed that choices made during mid-life could have implications for brain health later in life, particularly when it came to physical activity, diet and cardiovascular health.
The campaign is also being backed by dementia researchers and advocates, including 2026 Senior Australian of the Year Professor Henry Brodaty AO.
Professor Brodaty said Australia had previously demonstrated that public health campaigns could change behaviour and improve outcomes, pointing to campaigns around skin cancer, smoking and cardiovascular disease.
“Australia has successfully tackled some of our biggest health challenges, from skin cancer and smoking to deaths from heart attacks. Now is the time to tackle dementia,” Professor Brodaty said.
“We did ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’ for skin cancer. Now let’s do it for brain health.”
Dementia Australia CEO Professor Tanya Buchanan said it was important for Australians to understand that brain health was something they could influence throughout their lives.
“It is never too early or too late to focus on your brain health,” Professor Buchanan said.
While factors such as ageing, genetics and family history cannot be changed, she said research showed that addressing other risk factors could make a meaningful difference.
Some of those factors may be less obvious than diet and exercise. Professor Buchanan highlighted the importance of addressing hearing and vision loss, treating depression and maintaining social connections.
“Some of the modifiable risk factors for dementia surprise people, like taking action on hearing or vision loss, treating depression and staying socially connected,” she said.
The emphasis on prevention represents a broader shift in how dementia is discussed. While ageing remains the strongest known risk factor for dementia, the growing body of evidence around modifiable risk factors suggests that developing the condition is not simply an inevitable consequence of getting older.
The Government’s campaign forms part of the National Dementia Action Plan, which aims to improve dementia prevention, risk reduction, diagnosis, treatment, support and research across Australia.
For people receiving the new letter, the message is relatively straightforward: there are steps that can be taken now that may help protect brain health later in life.
The Government is encouraging Australians to use the campaign as a starting point for conversations with their GP and to consider their overall health, rather than waiting until concerns about memory or cognition emerge.
With dementia numbers projected to more than double over coming decades, the Government hopes that reaching people in mid-life will help shift the focus towards prevention before the condition becomes an issue.
As Professor Brodaty put it, the challenge is now to make brain health as familiar a part of preventive health as the public health messages Australians have already embraced.
