Sandy's Note: What Does It Mean to Live Well?

What do we mean when we say, “Living well”?

Much has been written in the media and discussed in interviews on the news recently about living well as we age. The details often come from well-defined research that isn’t always clearly identified.

Two studies have opened a flood of information, from network TV to AARP, and into far too many internet sites trying to sell us on “things” that promote living well. Here is a basic entry into the discussion.

The FINGER study (Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Disability), published in 2015, was a 2-year study of participants ranging in age from 60–77. Between September 2009 and November 2011, 1,260 individuals were randomly divided into two groups.

The study looked at diet, exercise, cognitive training, and cardiovascular risk. The main hypothesis was that making changes across several risk factors, even small ones, could have a protective effect on cognition.

The control group received regular health advice and check-ups at 6, 12, and 24 months, along with guidance on diet, physical activity, cognitive and social engagement, and vascular risk.

The intervention group received more structured support, including regular visits, stronger dietary recommendations, group exercise programs, lifestyle changes, cognitive training, social activities, and cardiac management.

The US POINTER study (Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk) was conducted across five clinical sites: Wake Forest University School of Medicine, University of California Davis, Baylor College of Medicine, Rush Medical Center, and Brown University Hospital. It was designed as a 2-year study to confirm and expand on the results of the FINGER study and was funded and conceptualized by the Alzheimer’s Association.

In this study, 2,000 adults, ages 60–79, were guided through lifestyle and behavioral changes that can impact cognitive risk. Participants were divided into a self-guided group and a structured intervention group.

The study focused on physical exercise, nutritional counseling, cognitive exercise, and cardiac health monitoring.

“Past work has suggested that up to 45% of dementia cases globally are attributable to modifiable lifestyle and vascular/metabolic risk factors… Modeling studies suggest that reducing these risk factors by just 10% to 20% per decade could lead to an 8% to 15% decline in global AD prevalence by 2050.”

(Alzheimer’s Association, 2025)

Over the next few “Notes,” I hope to share some goals to implement which, according to these studies, may support a stronger and healthier Living Well lifestyle.

Much more to come…