When most people think about dementia, they think of memory problems or brain scans.
But according to Dr. Suraj Samtani, a clinical psychologist and researcher at UNSW Sydney’s Center for Healthy Brain Aging (CHeBA), one of the most important clues might be how socially connected someone is.
Dr. Samtani is helping change the way we understand and treat dementia.
Instead of starting with tests about memory, he looks at how often a person sees friends, joins group activities, or feels they have someone to talk to.
He studies something called “social frailty”—when people are at risk of losing the social connections that help them feel supported and stay mentally sharp.
Social frailty is not just about feeling lonely. It can lead to serious health problems, including faster mental decline, more disability, and even earlier death.
In later life, Dr. Samtani says, social isolation becomes the biggest risk factor for dementia—more important than other known risks like diabetes or high blood pressure.
To address this, his team created a screening tool that helps doctors and general practitioners ask questions about a person’s social life—how connected they feel, and whether they have someone to confide in.
This is especially important because there is currently no treatment that focuses on social skills or connections, even though we know they are crucial for brain health.
Their research is based on the long-running Sydney Memory and Aging Study, which tracked more than 1,000 older adults, with over 850 followed for up to 12 years.
They found that people who were socially frail were up to 50% more likely to develop dementia, even if their memory was fine when the study began. This means social frailty is not only a warning sign, but also something that could potentially be changed early.
But the research isn’t finished yet. Dr. Samtani says we need more diverse data to make sure these findings apply to all Australians, not just those in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
That’s why UNSW has started a new lab to study brain health across different communities—including rural and regional areas—and to explore how things like discrimination or distance from health services affect dementia risk.
Globally, data from over 40,000 people show that being socially isolated doubles a person’s risk of getting dementia. This is true even when other risk factors, like drinking alcohol or not getting enough exercise, are taken into account.
To turn research into real help, Dr. Samtani is now leading a clinical trial focused on improving social confidence in people with memory issues or dementia. The program teaches useful skills like reading body language, holding conversations, and managing stress in social settings. So far, early results show participants are getting better at connecting with others.
This trial involves 57 people aged 50 and older and is being run with Silverchain, a major aged care provider in Australia. Participants either take part in the full program or join an online social group as a comparison. They are followed up after the program and again three months later to see the long-term impact.
Dr. Samtani’s work is already influencing health policy. He submitted research to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry on Loneliness, showing that strong social connections are just as important for health as avoiding smoking or other well-known risks.
The final report included recommendations for regular social contact and meaningful activities, which can be part of community programs or used by caregivers to support brain health.
While researchers continue to study social frailty, Dr. Samtani says people can take action now. Joining a club, volunteering, dancing, or even starting a hobby that involves others can protect the brain. What matters most is doing something meaningful that involves real connection with other people.
At CHeBA, the goal is to promote healthy aging for everyone—not just through medicine, but also by supporting the everyday importance of staying socially engaged.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about dietary strategies to ward off dementia, and how omega-3 fatty acids fuel your mind.
For more health information, please see recent studies about Choline deficiency linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and what to eat (and avoid) for dementia prevention.
The study is published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B.
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