LIFES­TY­LE MANA­GE­MENT BASED ON THE FIN­GER MODE

Impres­si­ve Results from FIN­GER Group Acti­vi­ties in Nort­hern Finland

The lifes­ty­le gui­dance based on the FIN­GER model, coor­di­na­ted by the Memo­ry­Health Nort­hern Fin­land 2023–2025 pro­ject, was launc­hed in 2024 at six pilot loca­tions across Nort­hern Fin­land. The group acti­vi­ties were car­ried out in col­la­bo­ra­tion with pro­fes­sio­nals and volun­teers from well­being ser­vices coun­ties and munici­pa­li­ties. The groups met over the cour­se of a year, tota­ling 37–38 ses­sions. The pro­gram inclu­ded ini­tial and final con­sul­ta­tions with a healthca­re pro­fes­sio­nal, health and well­ness assess­ments, five nut­ri­tion group ses­sions, 20 phy­sical acti­vi­ty ses­sions, and 10 cog­ni­ti­ve trai­ning sessions.

Tar­get Group

A total of 52 indi­vi­duals par­tici­pa­ted, with an ave­ra­ge age of 70, all belon­ging to a risk group for deve­lo­ping memo­ry disor­ders. One quar­ter of the par­tici­pants were men. Three par­tici­pants drop­ped out.

Met­hods

Stan­dar­dized tests and self-assess­ment ques­tion­nai­res were used at the begin­ning and end of the acti­vi­ties, inclu­ding the par­tici­pa­tion indica­tor, SPPB test, and various questionnaires.

Results

Res­pon­ses were recei­ved from 49 par­tici­pants. Impro­ve­ments in phy­sical func­tio­ning were main­ly obser­ved in chair rise and balance. The ave­ra­ge sco­re of the par­tici­pa­tion indica­tor inc­rea­sed from 81 to 90. The pro­por­tion of par­tici­pants expe­riencing lone­li­ness dec­rea­sed from 17% to 8%.
92% of par­tici­pants made at least one per­ma­nent lifes­ty­le chan­ge. The pro­por­tion of tho­se who rated their health as fair or poor dec­rea­sed from 70% to 26%.
93% felt that group sup­port hel­ped them make lifes­ty­le chan­ges, and 85% felt that the group acti­vi­ties pro­mo­ted social well­being. The Net Pro­mo­ter Sco­re (NPS) was 95.
Eight months after the group acti­vi­ties ended, 69% of tho­se who comple­ted the pro­gram res­pon­ded to a fol­low-up sur­vey. Of the­se, 94% repor­ted having made a per­ma­nent lifes­ty­le chan­ge, most com­mon­ly in nut­ri­tion, phy­sical acti­vi­ty, and men­tal wellbeing.

Conclusions

Group-based lifes­ty­le gui­dance sup­por­ted par­tici­pants in making lifes­ty­le chan­ges, impro­ving their sen­se of par­tici­pa­tion, and reducing fee­lings of lone­li­ness. Res­pon­ses to the fol­low-up sur­vey sug­gest that the inter­ven­tions had a posi­ti­ve and poten­tial­ly long-las­ting impact on the sus­tai­na­bi­li­ty of lifes­ty­le chan­ges and percei­ved loneliness.