Phyllis Ferrell, DrPH, MBA, expert in Alzheimer’s, on why business leaders should care about their brains.

Business leaders, we have a problem.

I have just returned from two weeks of travel. The first trip was to Washington, DC, where I met with healthcare leaders and key government stakeholders for a summit on brain health to discuss the impact of “neurotrition” on our productive lives. Over 200 organizations signed up, and we had five senators join us to endorse the effort. And yep, they are from both sides of the aisle. Alzheimer’s does not discriminate based on political party affiliation.

The second trip was to New Orleans, home of the 2025 Super Bowl and host of a health conference, where I spoke to a group of motivated clinicians, NFL alumni and researchers to discuss how we can take better care of our brains, not just to live longer, but also to live healthier and happier lives. I also met with biotech investors and incubators to discuss the amazing innovations that are ready to be tested and deployed, but just awaiting capital.

Herein lies the problem.

Our government spent $360B last year on Alzheimer’s and dementia care, and yet the standard of care for Alzheimer’s disease is an unpaid family caregiver. Our female employees are dropping out of the workforce in droves, rolling back decades of progress on gender diversity, and the impact is even more detrimental to health equity in our underserved communities with lower social determinants.

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most feared diagnoses in our country and the fifth-leading cause of death in America. Why? Because we have rapidly aging populations, not just in the U.S., but around the world. People refer to the “silver tsunami” as if it is a bad thing, but as the head of Policy at AARP said at the podium in Washington, DC, “It’s our greatest accomplishment of this century!” Progress in health and medicine is giving us all the opportunity to live longer.

But I believe we have an irreconcilable social problem. We don’t think about our brains until something goes wrong. And yet there are things that we can, and should, be doing to take care of our brains in our 30s, 40s and 50s that, according to an article in the Lancet, can reduce our risk of all-cause dementia by 40%. When was the last time you went to the doctor and were asked about your brain? When was the last time you went to the grocery store, or ordered from a menu, and thought about your choices not just in terms of calories, but also as to how they fueled your brain? Do you know what those brain-healthy behaviors are? I’ll give you a hint: They are the same things that reduce your risk for cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as inflammatory disorders. Sound like a good idea? Yes, it does.

But the government can’t do it alone. Celebrity influencers and healthcare workers can’t do it alone. Philanthropy can’t do it alone. We know that the private sector must play a role—a very important role. We know that industry can bring innovation, influence, investment and impact. This isn’t just about good corporate social practices, this is good business. The “gray vote” is growing in power, the “gray consumer” is growing in power and your “gray employees” are your sources of wisdom and high productivity. Fifty is the new 40, 60 is the new 50, 70 is no longer considered old. And brain capital drives our P&L. Pro-aging is a concept we all need to embrace. We have an aging population–let’s celebrate!

So, what can we do about it?

As business leaders, change can start with us. When was the last time you encouraged your employees to get a good night’s sleep? Does your company’s culture view short nights as a badge of honor? Well, they aren’t. We may be damaging ourselves and those we aim to serve daily.

So, what should I do, you ask? Here is what I suggest leaders do to encourage brain-healthy habits in the workplace:

• Take care of your team. Talk about brain health and mental wellness within your team. Model the behaviors yourself. Find out if your teammates are dealing with caregiving issues that you can help support. Your employee brain capital is your organization’s most valuable asset.

• Use your voice. You are sitting in a position of influence. This could be in a healthcare setting, in a policy setting or in a corporate setting where you can advocate. Put cognitive wellness on your business agenda.

• Invest. Whether personally or professionally, if you are motivated to help ensure that our global economies survive and thrive, look for opportunities to deploy capital in a productive way that generates health and wealth.

These steps may not be simple, but they are manageable. And if we model the behaviors, our teams and companies will follow. Let’s make a change and let’s get to it.

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