Miia Kivipelto's interest in dementia started at a young age.
When she was a teenager, her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia. Kivipelto witnessed firsthand the devastating impacts of the neurodegenerative disease on her grandmother but also the entire family.
"Her attitude started to change, probably because she did not know what was going on, from a very calm and loving person to someone who was going around trying to find things and asking, 'Where is that?' 'Who is that?','" said Kivipelto, who is now the Rodman Family Gerontology at Yale School of Nursing (YSN).
She would go on to research dementia, specifically ways to reduce risk. Little was known about dementia prevention when she started her career, but in the years since, a growing field of research has expanded our understanding of dementia prevention globally. Kivipelto herself was the principal investigator of the renowned Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) study - the first randomized controlled study to show that lifestyle interventions, including diet, exercise, cognitive training, social stimulation, and vascular risk management, can improve brain health and prevent cognitive decline.
Now Kivipelto is bringing that expertise to YSN's new Center for Aging Well. As its inaugural director, she aims to make the university a global leader for research on cognitive health. The center will bring together the brightest minds in interdisciplinary research - from nursing to biology, psychology to genetics, AI to public health - to promote the prevention of disease and physical and psychological wellness across the lifespan.
The center will also work closely with organizations in New Haven and surrounding communities to bring knowledge about prevention to those living with and at risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
YSN will celebrate the launch of the Center for Aging Well during an event today (Wednesday, Oct. 29). Watch the event via livestream beginning at 2 p.m.
In an interview, Kivipelto explains the goals of the new center, what it means to age well today, and the difficulty of finding a cure for dementia.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What are you hoping to do through the new Center for Aging Well?
Miia Kivipelto: Our vision is bold: to maximize health at every age and expand health span and make it not only achievable but inevitable. It's not only about living longer but having a good quality of life for as long as possible. The center aims to have a leading role in scientific discovery in aging and to scale up and expand upon the research I and others have been doing.
