From time to time, something pops up in my newsfeeds or newsletters or something - about brain health, and dementia, and related issues.

It's still not being spoken about much in public, but once I started talking about dementia to friends and other people around me, I realised that it's much more common than I had thought, as almost everybody had been in more or less close contact to someone suffering at some point. (And about everyone agrees that it's an asshole illness.)

There's still no real cure for dementia, and while there's research being done about the causes (with the result, unsurprisingly, that both genetics and lifestyle will play a role), a lot is still unknown. One of the confirmed things is that loss of hearing does play a rather big role, as do social connections (one negative, the other positive for keeping it off or at bay).

The UK Alzheimer's Research has now launched a "brain wellness check" that you can do. It's on their website - some of the hints refer to the NHS, but it's not strictly geared towards UK.

(Spoiler alert: Having what is considered a generally healthy lifestyle is also good for your brain.)