The FINGER Model - Preventing Cognitive Decline and Promoting Health of Older People.

Cognitive impairment and dementia can cause considerable suffering, both for the person affected and for next of kin. They also pose major challenges for health and social care. At the same time, research shows that many risk factors for cognitive decline can, in fact, be influenced. This is particularly the case when several areas are addressed simultaneously, such as physical activity, healthy eating habits, mental stimulation, social connectedness, and good cardiovascular health. A well-known model for such a multidomain preventive intervention is the FINGER model: the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability. In the randomized controlled FINGER study, the results showed that a two-year programme comprising diet, exercise, cognitive training, social activity, and structured monitoring of vascular risk factors could improve and maintain cognitive function among older people at increased risk of cognitive decline. However, the research evidence is not unequivocal. Other randomized studies found no effect on cognitive outcomes over three years in the studied population, and in a cluster-randomized study reported no clear effects on the incidence of dementia in the older population. In addition, studies are needed that follow changes when the model is implemented in clinical practice. In recent years, the FINGER model has also been adapted and tested in several countries through the FINGER network, with the aim of developing and evaluating interventions that work in different contexts, while also strengthening knowledge and enabling comparisons of results between countries. A recently published qualitative study showed that participants were often motivated by an expectation of personal benefit, both for brain health and physical health, but also by concerns about cognitive decline. Social aspects also played an important role, as did the need for the interventions to feel understandable and for lifestyle changes to be perce