Alzheimer Europe has published the 34th edition of its “Dementia in Europe” policy magazine in an electronic format. The third section of the magazine, Dementia in Society, includes a commentary piece with Professor Gill Livingston, the lead author of “Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission”, who outlines how best to prevent dementia and support those living with the condition, while four other experts in the field gave the European research project perspective (EU-FINGERS, PRIME, RECOGNISED and ADAIR).
Professor Miia Kivipelto, Scientific Coordinator of EU-FINGERS Consortium and Scientific Founder and Leader of the World-Wide FINGERS Network, provided a comment from the EU-FINGERS and World-Wide FINGERS perspective:
These results [12 modifiable risk factors account for about 40% of worldwide dementias, which consequently could theoretically be prevented or delayed] mean we can be more optimistic, as preventive strategies can have a wider impact than previously thought. Next steps towards the successful risk reduction of dementia on a global scale include the definition of effective and feasible preventive approaches tailored to specific risk groups in different settings: Precision Prevention. To reach this goal we need to work together, and international initiatives such as EU-FINGERS and World-Wide FINGERS are expected to advance and scale-up multidomain prevention models, where lifestyle and vascular care have a main role in promoting brain health and reducing the risk of AD and dementia in older adults.
-Miia Kivipelto