There’s the personal trainer for fitness, the life coach for finding purpose, and the menopause coach for managing the onset of symptoms. Now, research suggests older adults may benefit from another personalized motivator: A brain-boosting coach.
A new study found older adults with a personalized health coach improved their cognitive function 74% more after two years compared to those who did not have a coach. The study, published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, collected data from 172 participants between 2018 and 2022, all of whom had at least two of eight risk factors for dementia—such as high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, or physical inactivity. Half of the cohort met with a coach every few months to examine their risk factors and change their habits accordingly. Researchers distributed a standard informational packet on dementia risk and reduction to the other half.
Dr. Kristine Yaffe, lead author on the study, vice chair of research in psychiatry at UCSF, and professor at UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, says Alzheimer’s and related dementia interventions should not be one-size-fits-all.
“For the first time, we assessed what risk factors people had and then asked what they wanted to focus on and how,” Yaffe tells Fortune. “Our idea was that that would be more motivating to produce behavior change.” New interventions tackling dementias like Alzheimer’s are welcomed as more than 6 million Americans live with the degenerative disease—a number estimated to approach 13 million by 2050.
Participants in the trial initially discussed their risk factors with a health coach, who helped recommend goals, such as walking more steps or altering diet. After reaching the goal, the coach helped the individual strive toward the next, says Yaffe. Even during the pandemic, virtual coaching served older adults compared to the control group.
“We know that isolation from social distancing took a heavy toll on cognition, social lives, and mental and physical health in some older adults,” Dr. Eric Larson, co-author on the study and former vice president for research and health care intervention at Kaiser Permanente Washington, said in a press release. “But participants in the intervention group fared better cognitively and had fewer risk factors after the trial, during the pandemic, than they did before.”
This research comes on the heels of new developments in Alzheimer’s drugs. This summer, the FDA approved the first drug shown to moderately slow cognitive decline for early Alzheimer's.
Whether or not you develop dementia is not entirely in your hands, but lifestyle factors and encouragement to adhere to a routine can strengthen the brain and reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
Lifestyle, routine, and brain strength
The coach helps people put previous research about the brain benefits of lifestyle adjustments into action, from diet and exercise to stress management.
- Many studies found the Mediterranean diet—rich in whole, plant-based foods, fruits, and vegetables—is associated with better cognitive function as people age; Certain nutrient deficiencies correlate to a risk for Alzheimer’s.
- Loneliness, a factor often catalyzed by isolation, puts people at risk for chronic conditions: Social isolation puts people at a 50% increased risk of dementia, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- And regular physical activity—especially focused on strength training and grip strength—keeps the brain strong into old age.
Without widely accessible treatments for Alzheimer’s and dementia, Yaffe hopes this research incentivizes programs to implement personalized lifestyle plans for people as they age.
“Hopefully this is a next step and we will need policy makers, insurers and clinicians to recommend this approach and make it accessible,” Yaffe says.
