MyGoals Healthy Aging program
Official title: The MyGoals for Healthy Aging Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11379415 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program offers extended employment supports and coaching to help low-income older adults slow aging and lower their risk of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $90,360 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG073402-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11379415 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults living in low-income households who are eligible for employment supports and willing to take part in coaching and follow-up visits.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not low-income, are much younger, or cannot participate in in-person coaching and follow-up visits are unlikely to benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you join, you would be randomly assigned to receive extra employment incentives plus a proven coaching program aimed at improving planning, focus, and daily functioning. The study follows people over additional months and years to see whether those economic and coaching supports change health outcomes tied to aging and dementia. The work links financial support with brain-health coaching and collects health and cognitive measures over time. The trial runs at Columbia and other partnering sites so you would need to attend in-person visits and follow-up assessments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could slow age-related decline and lower Alzheimer’s risk for low-income older adults.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier trials of employment incentives and coaching improved economic outcomes and executive function, but applying those gains to slow aging and reduce dementia risk is a new step.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Belsky, Daniel Walker — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Belsky, Daniel Walker
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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MyGoals for Healthy Aging among people at risk for Alzheimer’s dementia
A multi-center trial tests whether a combined program addressing poverty-related stress and executive function can slow aging and reduce risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease in adults.
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MyGoals for Healthy Aging: A Multi-Center Trial to Help Older Adults
A multi-center study tests ways to slow aging and help people with Alzheimer’s-related dementia by reducing poverty-related stress and improving daily functioning.
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MyGoals for Healthy Aging
This project tests whether giving low-income adults employment incentives plus coaching to improve thinking skills can slow age-related health problems linked to Alzheimer's disease.
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MyGoals for Healthy Aging
This project tests whether combining employment incentives with coaching for low-income adults can slow age-related health decline and lower risk for Alzheimer's disease.
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Healthy aging in Black adults and its links to dementia risk
This grant follows a large group of Black adults to understand how aging, brain health, and life experiences influence Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
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How early-life spending shape aging and dementia risk later in life
A Stanford-led study looks at how state and county spending in childhood may influence midlife thinking skills and the risk of dementia in later life.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.