What this checklist is, and what it is not
This page used to estimate survival after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. That kind of number cannot be honestly produced from four form fields, because outcomes vary enormously between individuals and depend on medical details no calculator can see. It has been replaced with something more useful and more honest: a checklist of the risk factors for dementia that are considered modifiable, so you can see which ones apply to you and what to discuss with a clinician.
This is not a diagnosis, a prognosis or a risk score. Ticking factors does not mean you will develop dementia, and ticking none does not mean you will not. Age, family history and genetics also matter and are not modifiable, so they are not counted here. If you or someone you care about is worried about memory or thinking, please see a doctor.
The 14 factors on the checklist
The list follows the 2024 report of the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care, which identified 14 potentially modifiable risk factors across life. They are grouped here to make the results easier to read:
- Senses: uncorrected hearing loss and untreated vision loss.
- Heart and metabolic health: high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and high LDL cholesterol.
- Lifestyle and social: physical inactivity, smoking, heavy alcohol use and social isolation.
- Mind and brain: depression, traumatic brain injury and limited early-life education.
- Environment: air pollution.
Traumatic brain injury history and early-life education cannot be changed now, so the calculator counts them toward the total but not toward the “still actionable” figure. The other 12 can still be addressed, for example through treatment, screening or lifestyle changes.
How the count works
- Factors that apply = the number of boxes you ticked, out of 14.
- Still actionable today = ticked factors excluding head injury history and early-life education, out of 12.
- Areas covered = how many of the five groups above contain at least one ticked factor.
Worked example
Someone ticks high blood pressure, physical inactivity and uncorrected hearing loss. That is 3 factors out of 14. All three can still be addressed, so 3 of 12 are actionable. They fall in three groups (heart and metabolic, lifestyle, senses), so 3 of 5 areas are covered. The suggested next step is to bring the list to a primary care clinician, who can check blood pressure, arrange a hearing test and discuss activity.
Where to get reliable information
For guidance and support, look to established organisations such as the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org), Alzheimer’s Disease International, or your national health service. They explain symptoms, how a diagnosis is made, treatment options and support for families. Your own doctor can arrange cognitive assessment if there are concerns. This site does not provide statistics on survival after diagnosis, because they cannot be applied fairly to any one person.
Common mistakes
- Reading the count as a probability. It is not. A higher count means more discussion points, not a certain outcome.
- Feeling that nothing can be done. Several factors, such as blood pressure, hearing and activity, are treatable or improvable at many ages. Speak to a clinician before changing medications or starting a demanding exercise plan.
- Using it for someone else’s prognosis. It cannot say anything about how a diagnosed person’s condition will progress. Ask their care team.