As a disruptive 2020 comes to a close, and on behalf of The ISLAND Project team, I would like to wish you and your family a safe holiday period and a prosperous new year.

The ISLAND Project was not immune from the disruption caused by COVID-19 and our team needed to change the way it engaged with participants and the community, as we all did!  We were no longer able to attend events or meetings of community groups (there were not any to attend!) to promote this project and raise awareness of dementia and dementia prevention more broadly in communities across Tasmania.  In 2021, our project team and researchers will be out in communities, eager to speak to any Tasmanian about The ISLAND Project to help reach our target of 20,000 ISLAND members.  If you are involved in a community group, organisation or friendship group that might like to learn more about our project, send us an email and we can arrange to either come visit you or host an online presentation.

The data you have provided us this past year gives us a strong base for our research going forward.  Thank you for the time you have given to this project, and your commitment to our shared vision of reducing the incidence of dementia in our community.  The ISLAND Project is leading the world in dementia prevention research and this could not be achieved without each one of the nearly 13,000 Tasmanians signed up to the project. The impact of your contributions will benefit generations to come, not just in Tasmania, but in populations around the world.

In 2021, The ISLAND Project will offer you more opportunities to continue to make valuable contributions to dementia prevention research.  Our researchers are working on a range of sub-projects for you to participate in and they will be out in the field collecting blood samples from ISLAND members who indicated in the recent annual assessments their willingness to provide one.  ISLAND Campus participants will continue their studies, and some will start studying early next year and we wish them all the best with their academic endeavours.  We will be making a very exciting announcement in the new year, so watch this space!

Again, thank you for your valuable contributions to dementia prevention research and your continued support.  The project team will be taking some well-deserved leave over the Christmas/New Year period and will be back on deck from January 4th.  

Smoking Increases Risk of Developing Dementia

We all know smoking is not good for our health and it's certainly not good for your brain.  Smoking significantly impacts vascular function and is toxic to the brain.  As a result, smoking is one of the major risk factors for dementia and has been associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, Alzheimer's Disease and vascular dementia.

Researchers have investigated how smoking interacts with risk for dementia. Studies have looked at how risk for dementia might change depending on your smoking status (never smoked, past smoker, and current smoker). Unsurprisingly, the researchers found that current smoking increased the risk of dementia (from any cause) by a significant amount (34% for every 20 cigarettes consumed per day).

However, former smokers were found to have a similar risk profile to those who had never smoked. This suggests that by giving up smoking, individuals can potentially reduce their dementia risk to that of someone who has never smoked. Now, that's great news!

Want to give up? Click here to contact QUIT Tasmania

Will exercise be your new year's resolution?

Physical activity is one of those things that many of us know we should be doing more of!  Did you know that regular physical activity is associated with lower risk of cognitive decline and dementia as we get older?  

To get you motivated, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently released  a video "Every Move Counts".  WHO states up to 5 million deaths a year could be averted if the global population is more active.  New guidelines recommend at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise per week for adults, including people living with chronic conditions or disability. For additional health benefits, on at least two days a week, integrate some muscle strengthening activities.

Physical activity of any type, for any duration helps our bodies, brain and our wellbeing. Get your heart pumping a little bit faster for at least 30 minutes a day and you're on your way to improved health.

And as always, consult your doctor if you intend to start a new exercise program.

WHO- Every Move Counts

The ISLAND Project team will be taking a break between December 24 and returning on January 4, 2021. 

We would like to send our very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to all our ISLAND members.

We look forward to engaging with you throughout next year.  Thank you for working with us in 2020.

The University of Tasmania received funding from the Australian Government. Views and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of its authors, and may not be the same as those held by the Department of Health.

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