“While many people in this age range expressed concerns about losing memory, and say they take active steps to prevent it, most haven’t sought advice from medical professionals, who could help them understand which steps actually have scientific evidence behind them,” says Donovan Maust, M.D., M.S., a U-M geriatric psychiatrist who helped design the poll and analyze the results.“Many people may not realize they could help preserve brain health by managing their blood pressure and blood sugar, getting more physical activity and better sleep, and stopping smoking,” he says.

More about Maust (Michigan) on survey results from the National Poll on Healthy Aging >