New Friendships and Cognitive Functions in a Dementia Prevention Program for Community-Dwelling Older Japanese Adults

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between cognitive changes and new friendship formation among older adults in a multidomain dementia prevention program. METHODS: A 1-year multidomain intervention was conducted for 34 community-dwelling older adults (18 females, 16 males, mean age 78.3 y, SD=4.3) meeting the operational criteria for mild cognitive impairment. Cognitive changes were evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-J). Participants reported new friendships based on social support functions (eg, emotional and instrumental support). A 2-way repeated-measures ANCOVA (time×group), adjusted for education, examined the main effects and interactions on the total MoCA-J and subscale scores. RESULTS: The total MoCA-J scores showed no significant main effects or interaction. However, subscale analysis revealed a significant main effect of time on visuospatial/executive function and a significant main effect of friend-presence group on orientation. Specifically, the friend-presence group consistently exhibited higher orientation scores than the absence group at both time points. CONCLUSION: Overall, cognitive function was maintained throughout the program. Exploratory findings suggest that visuospatial/executive functions showed potential improvement, and preserved orientation was associated with successful friendship formation. Thus, facilitating social connections alongside standard activities may enhance future dementia prevention programs.