University of North Florida and Humana expand Meals on Wings program to address food insecurity among older adults
"The University of North Florida (UNF) and Humana Inc., a leading health and well-being company, have collaborated to expand the University’s Meals on Wings program into two new communities to help increase the number of older adults who receive meal assistance. The Meals on Wings program addresses food and nutrition insecurity among older adults and provides a solution to the ongoing hunger problem."
Older adults may achieve same cognition as undergrads
"A set of recent studies demonstrates for the first time that learning multiple new tasks carries benefits for cognition long after the learning has been completed."
Keys to women’s resilience after 80: more education, less stress
Active Aging Leading, connecting and defining the active aging industry since 2001. ICAA provides world class information, education, resources and tools to help health and wellness professionals be more successful with their clients age 50 plus
Study suggests strong sense of purpose in life promotes cognitive resilience among middle-aged adults
"Recent studies indicate that middle-aged individuals with a more profound sense of purpose in life (PiL) might enhance their cognitive resilience. Cognitive resilience pertains to the brain's ability to handle stressors, injuries, and pathologies, and withstand the emergence of symptoms or disabilities. Moreover, leading a purposeful life involves alterations in the brain's configuration, as evidenced by the dorsal Default Mode Network displaying heightened functional associations among its constituents and other brain regions. This could signify a neuroprotective mechanism that ultimately guarantees improved cognitive abilities throughout the aging process."
Adults with accelerated biological aging are more likely to experience depression and anxiety
"A study just released by Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and Peking University School of Public Health provides some of the first, large-scale evidence that processes of biological aging may contribute to risk of depression and anxiety. Until now nearly all work to date had focused on poor mental health as a risk factor for accelerated aging. A complementary, but less-studied hypothesis is that the reverse process may also occur and accelerated processes of biological aging may, themselves, pose risks to depression/anxiety disorders of older adults. The results are published online in Nature Communications."
Osteoarthritis sufferers swing their way to better health
"Golf is acknowledged as a sport allowing players to blow off steam and enjoy the outdoors, but a new study led by the University of South Australia shows it may have serious benefits for people with chronic disease osteoarthritis."
California launches initiative to improve quality of life for people living with Dementia
"Primary care providers in California have a new dementia screening tool, the cognitive health assessment, available to help identify cognitive decline in their patients (age 65 and older) and determine next steps. Dementia Care Aware, a statewide initiative led by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), provides training on this new assessment and support through a warmline to help primary care providers successfully screen for dementia in older adults."
Awareness vital to improving Parkinson’s patients’ quality of life, UTSW neurologist says
"About 1 million people in the United States have Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder that ranks second to Alzheimer’s among the most common neurodegenerative diseases. While many tend to associate Parkinson’s with hand tremors, it can cause a broad range of symptoms, affecting both motor and nonmotor functions."
Nymbl Science and Accident Compensation Corporation partner to bring app-based mobility program to New Zealand’s older adults
"Digital health provider Nymbl Science has focused their development on creating the first scalable mobility program for older adults, deployed via a mobile app. The Colorado-based company is now excited to announce a significant expansion of its partnership with New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), making Nymbl’s award-winning balance training program available to all older adult residents of New Zealand."
Depressed, and aging fast
"Older adults with depression are actually aging faster than their peers, UConn Center on Aging researchers report."
Machine learning models rank predictive risks for Alzheimer’s disease
"Once adults reach age 65, the threshold age for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, the extent of their genetic risk may outweigh age as a predictor of whether they will develop the fatal brain disorder, a new study suggests. "
Modified Mediterranean ketogenic diet may benefit adults at risk for Alzheimer's Disease
"Following a Mediterranean-based ketogenic diet may decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study from scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine."
[COOL DOWN] Certain exercises may curb inflammation tied to MCI, dementia
"Which exercises might reduce pro-inflammatory and enhance anti-inflammatory substances in brains and bodies of older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD)? To answer that question, researchers searched the literature for relevant studies in both animal models and humans who had AD, MCI or dementia."
[OPENING UP] AI app interprets emotions of those who can't speak
"seamlessCARE, an Irish digital health start-up, recently launched Empathic, an app that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to interpret the emotions being expressed by non-verbal individuals. The startup is headquartered at NovaUCD, and is a spinout of the University College Dublin School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering."
[HEAVY BURDEN] 51% of people globally expected to be overweight or obese by 2035
"If current trends continue, 51% of the world's population will be overweight or obese by 2035, costing the world $4.32 trillion annually. The cost would equate to almost 3% of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and is comparable with the impact of COVID-19 in 2020, according to The World Obesity Atlas 2023, a report released March 4 (World Obesity Day) by the World Obesity Federation."
[DON'T PAY UP] Medicare Savings Programs underutilized
"Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs), which help individuals with limited incomes pay Medicare premiums, copays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket expenses, could save eligible people a minimum of $165 each month in healthcare costs, according to a blog posted recently by AARP. However, many people who are eligible for these programs haven't signed up for them; they may not be aware of the programs or are put off by the unwieldy application process. The result: Only about half the people eligible for MSPs have actually take advantage of them."
[YOU FEEL ME?] iMetaWeaR turns metaverse, VR into haptic experiences
"The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan, introduced various sports and fitness technologies in January at CES 2023. Among the highlights: iMetaWeaR, a smart clothing technology enabling haptic feedback via multi-position electrical stimulation to create an enhanced metaverse experience for users playing virtual sports such as boxing and fencing. "
Patients with family history of age-related macular degeneration should be screened by 55
"Patients with a family history of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of permanent vision loss in those older than 60, should visit an ophthalmologist by age 55 to be screened for signs of the disease, advises an expert at UT Southwestern Medical Center."
Does discrimination accelerate aging in African American cancer survivors?
Active Aging Leading, connecting and defining the active aging industry since 2001. ICAA provides world class information, education, resources and tools to help health and wellness professionals be more successful with their clients age 50 plus
Women working rotating shifts especially likely to be frail, York study finds
"A new study led by researchers at York University has found a link between shift work and frailty among middle-aged and older workers in Canada, especially for women on rotating shifts. "
Spotting early signs of dementia
"Most people with dementia first experience symptoms around age 65 or older. However, some people develop symptoms earlier in life - sometimes as young as their 30s. Many symptoms of early- versus later- onset dementia are the same, except that someone with early-onset dementia is more likely to have notable changes in their mood, personality, behavior, or communication abilities early in the course of their condition."
New in-home AI tool monitors the health of elderly residents
"Engineers are harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) and wireless technology to unobtrusively monitor elderly people in their living spaces and provide early detection of emerging health problems."
Dual-task walking performance may be an early indicator of accelerated brain aging
"Boston, MA -- Walking is a complex task that is most commonly performed while completing other tasks like talking, reading signs, or making decisions. For most, after the age of 65, such “dual tasking” worsens walking performance and may even cause unsteadiness. Intriguingly, older adults that are more affected by dual tasking are at higher risk of suffering adverse health outcomes, including both falls and dementia."
On pandemic’s third anniversary, loneliness and isolation are down, but still high, among older adults
"After three years of pandemic living, loneliness, isolation and lack of social contact have finally started to decline among older adults, a new poll shows."
Reducing trip hazards and decluttering can prevent falls among older people living at home
"The review did not find any compelling evidence for other measures to reduce falls, such as making sure older people have the correct prescription glasses, special footwear, or education on avoiding falls."
Risk of death for people with dementia increases after a hurricane exposure
"The risk of death rises among older adults with Alzheimer's or other dementias in the months following exposure to a hurricane, a new University of Michigan study shows."
Men over 65 are at greater risk than women of skull fractures from falls
"Each year, more than 3 million people ages 65 and older are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries. Head trauma is the leading cause of serious injury with skull fractures being reported as a serious outcome. According to the 2016 National Trauma Database annual report, females account for 58 percent of these falls."
Group exercise program for older adults led to more independent exercise despite pandemic restrictions
"Sticking with an exercise program can be tough, even during the best of times. But what about during a pandemic?"
Physical exercise helps to improve symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
"Physical exercise can help to improve the severity of movement-related symptoms and the quality of life in people with Parkinson’s Disease. Findings from the first Cochrane review of the available evidence found that any type of structured exercise is better than none."
