The memory clinic Bru-BRAIN of the UZ Brussel in Jette is included in the ‘European Alzheimer’s Disease Consortium’, thanks to their good patient care and scientific research.
This recognition comes one year after the opening of the clinic and that is important according to department head Sebastiaan Engelborghs: “It is a nice recognition, but it also gives us access to other research.”
The memory clinic is an interdisciplinary center where you will find neurologists, geriatricians and psychiatrists, among others. The aim of the clinic is to be able to give people advice at short notice from various experts and to allow those experts to discuss the matter together.
For example, depression is one of the first symptoms of someone who suffers from young-onset dementia, so it is important to make a diagnosis using various scientific avenues.
There is a long waiting list at the center, but according to Engelborghs that is logical: “The population is aging, so it is logical that more and more people come to us.”
There are also some bright spots, says the head of department: “The disease is incurable, but not untreatable. We can try to keep the disease stable for as long as possible and with recent scientific research we are also focusing on slowing the disease.”
According to Engelborghs, Bru-BRAIN’s international recognition means that they meet international standards in terms of patient care, but also scientific research, which is a nice compliment.
Finally, he gives some tips to limit your dementia risk: eat healthy, exercise enough and keep risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption under control.