Making Every Contact Count (MECC) is an all-Wales approach to behaviour change, utilising day-to-day interactions, to support people to make positive changes that improve their physical and mental health and well-being.
Consider encouraging practice staff to acquire MECC skills. For MECC e-learning (to level 1), see here [ESR or other login/ registration required]. For MECC training contacts by health board, see here [intranet].
Brief intervention by staff in regular contact with people who could use some support to make informed choices is promoted by NICE guidance (PH49)(Saesneg yn unig).
Utilise opportunities to discuss and address modifiable behavioural risk factors for dementia including smoking (BRF-001), physical inactivity (BRF-003) and excess alcohol consumption (BRF-004), and to promote mental well-being (MWB-001).
The Dementia action plan for Wales (WG 2018) promotes smoking cessation and reducing alcohol consumption; it also notes that the behaviours of mental stimulation and socialising may be protective.