“Investing in Brain Health: The Bronx Model for Scalable Dementia Risk Reduction”
At Davos, CaringKind released its new white paper, Investing in Brain Health: The Bronx Model for Scalable Dementia Risk Reduction, which presents findings from its 2025 Bronx Blue Zones Challenge four-week pilot program focused on helping residents adopt healthier lifestyles that can support brain health and overall well-being. The paper presents the initiative as a scalable model for dementia risk reduction through lifestyle and community design, particularly in underserved communities where the burden of Alzheimer’s is disproportionately high.
“Our partnership with Blue Zones is helping Bronx residents make meaningful, sustainable lifestyle changes that support cognitive health while laying the groundwork for a scalable, citywide model,” said Eleonora Tornatore-Mikesh, President and CEO of CaringKind. “We’re proud to share our early learnings at The Brain House and collaborate with other leaders to advance our long-term goal: making New York City a Blue Zones Community® that helps reduce dementia risk at population scale.”
“Alzheimer’s risk reduction requires addressing the modifiable risk factors that drive cognitive decline,” said Dr. Anderson Torres, President and CEO of R.A.I.N. Total Care, Inc. “Early outcomes from the Bronx pilot demonstrates how community-based design and lifestyle interventions can translate into real-world impact, particularly in high-burden communities, and offers an important blueprint for how cities can support healthier aging while reducing the long-term human and economic costs of dementia.”
Ben Leedle, CEO of Blue Zones and Co-founder of Blue Zones Project, said: “We’re encouraged by the early engagement and energy coming out of the Blue Zones Challenge pilot in the Bronx. It offers meaningful signals about how supportive community environments and lifestyle shifts can support better brain health over time. CaringKind has been an exceptional partner, and we’re looking forward to more exploration on a scalable approach to reducing dementia risk in high burden communities.”
About Blue Zones
Blue Zones employs evidence-based ways to help people live better, longer. The company’s work is rooted in explorations and research done by founder and National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner in blue zones regions around the world, where people live extraordinarily long and/or happy lives. The original research and findings were released in Buettner’s bestselling books, The Blue Zones Solution, The Blue Zones of Happiness, The Blue Zones, Thrive, Blue Zones Kitchen, Blue Zones Challenge, and Blue Zones American Kitchen—all published by National Geographic books. An Emmy Award-winning docuseries, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, was released on Netflix in 2023. Using original Blue Zones research, Blue Zones works with cities and counties to make healthy choices easier through permanent and semi-permanent changes to our human-made surroundings. Participating communities have experienced double-digit drops in obesity and tobacco use and have saved millions of dollars in healthcare costs. For more information, visit bluezones.com.
Access & Download Our White Paper below
