Professor Gill Livingston: Exploring modifiable risk factors for dementia

Cardiff University School of Medicine Science Seminar Series

Gill Livingston is Professor of Psychiatry of Older People at University College Londoin and a consultant old-age psychiatrist at North London NHS Foundation Trust. She leads the Lancet Standing Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care, whose reports in 2017, 2020 and 2024 have helped move dementia prevention, intervention and care into the centre of public health and clinical debate. Her work informs individual choices, healthcare practice and policy internationally, connecting evidence about dementia risk with practical approaches to diagnosis, care and support.

Gill’s research is collaborative and interdisciplinary, bringing together epidemiology, psychiatry and biopsychosocial approaches to understand dementia risk and improve care. She has developed and assessed evidence-based interventions for people living with dementia, their families and carers, with a focus on improving quality of life, reducing distress and supporting care in everyday settings. The 2024 Lancet Commission she led identified 14 modifiable risk factors and estimated that addressing them could prevent or delay nearly half of dementia cases worldwide, challenging the idea that dementia care begins only after diagnosis.

Exploring Modifiable Risk Factors for Dementia – Around 45% of dementia cases may be preventable or delayed by addressing known risk factors. This talk will discuss what prevention looks like in practice, why it remains essential alongside new treatments, and how targeted approaches can support those most at risk. It will also consider how reducing dementia risk can extend healthy life, delay symptoms, prevent some cases, and reduce wider costs for families, health services and society.