In a landmark public health initiative targeting one of Australia’s fastest growing chronic neurological conditions, the federal government is set to mail personalized dementia risk awareness letters to nearly 350,000 Australians turning 50 over the coming 12 months, backed by leading dementia researchers and aged care officials calling for urgent national action on prevention.
Starting July 1, the outreach campaign will reach all citizens hitting the 50-year milestone between July 2025 and June 2026. Crafted in consultation with leading dementia clinical and research experts, the letters outline evidence-based steps people can take to cut their dementia risk, from reducing alcohol consumption and adopting nutrient-dense eating patterns to quitting tobacco use. Recipients are also encouraged to schedule regular screenings for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, two conditions linked to elevated dementia risk, and to prioritize ongoing cognitive stimulation through lifelong learning and mentally engaging activities. To help people understand their individual risk profile, all recipients will also gain access to a complimentary personalized dementia risk assessment.
The campaign comes as 2026 Senior Australian of the Year Professor Henry Brodaty AO, a world-leading dementia researcher, throws his weight behind national prevention efforts, drawing a parallel to Australia’s successful public health campaigns that cut rates of skin cancer, smoking-related illness and heart attack deaths. “We are now ready to tackle dementia prevention,” Brodaty said. “Many trials internationally, including our own Maintain Your Brain trial, have shown that addressing modifiable risk factors for dementia can improve cognitive abilities and delay cognitive decline. Let’s do the ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’ of brain health” — a reference to Australia’s iconic sun safety campaign that became a model for public health outreach globally.
Current data paints a stark picture of dementia’s growing impact on Australia’s aging population: around 469,000 Australians are currently living with the condition, and that number is projected to surge to more than 1.1 million by 2058 as life expectancies rise and population aging accelerates. However, peer-reviewed research consistently shows that as much as 45 percent of all dementia cases could be delayed entirely, or prevented outright, by addressing known modifiable risk factors — a statistic that has underscored the urgency of the government’s new midlife outreach campaign.
Aged Care Minister Sam Rae explained that the initiative is designed to be more than just a warning: it is intended to spark critical conversations about brain health that many people delay until it is too late. “These letters are a simple prompt to start a conversation every Australian should be having with loved ones and their doctor,” Rae said. “The science is clear that the choices we make in midlife matter. Staying active, eating well and keeping on top of your heart health can help reduce your risk of developing dementia. Together we can bring dementia numbers down and give more older Australians longer, healthier lives.”
Dementia Australia chief executive Professor Tanya Buchanan echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that it is never too early or too late to prioritize brain health. “While we cannot change getting older, our genetics or family history, scientific research shows that looking after our brain health can make a big difference to reducing the risk of developing dementia,” Buchanan said. She also noted that many lesser-known modifiable risk factors often surprise the public: addressing hearing and vision loss, treating clinical depression, and maintaining consistent social connection all contribute to lower dementia risk. “Making sure there are services and support to help people address risk factors is vitally important,” she added.
The national letter campaign aligns with a string of recent advancements in dementia care in Australia, including the recent launch of the nation’s first locally accessible Alzheimer’s blood test, a breakthrough tool that enables far earlier detection of the disease than traditional diagnostic methods.