Retirement expert Elizabeth White writes in "55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal," that the gig economy is a major opportunity for older Americans, especially during the pandemic, reports Business Insider . She expects freelancing to become routine for baby boomers, as it would offer them not only purpose in retirement, but also bypass ageism in the workplace and supplement often meager retirement savings. "It's definitely not the answer to all of our financial woes," White admits. "But in this environment, where many of us will have to cobble together multiple income streams to make a living, are we being too quick to dismiss 'side-gigging' as only for millennials?" White further posits that self-employment could help older workers return to work, despite voids in resumes or other setbacks, by offering a "path around the rampant age discrimination that many of us experience when looking for traditional work."

AARP Michigan will host virtual events for the remainder of the year to ensure its members can enjoy education and social events without exposing themselves to the coronavirus, reports WHMI 93.5 Local News . "While of course we're hearing they sort of miss being in person and the social opportunities that being in person afford us, we're able to offer more in a virtual environment and make that available to more individuals," said AARP Michigan's Careena Eggleston. She explained that modern technology is helping residents comply with social distancing, even as they keep in touch with others, avail themselves of resources, or learn something new. "We're using our social media platforms for programs like how can you engage with your friends and family using Zoom; or how to prepare your garden for the fall season," Eggleston noted. "We have an upcoming webinar on how to navigate the current job market." AARP Michigan provides programming through its Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages, and at aarp.org/mi .

In a collaborative study published in Brain , British academics and clinicians devised a diagnostic definition of Functional Cognitive Disorder (FCD), reports ScienceDaily . "While FCD involves impairment of thinking processes, unlike dementia, it is not expected to progress," explained the University of Bristol's Harriet Ball. "From a patient's point of view, that is a very different prognosis and one that requires different management." Ball added that "having clear diagnostic criteria for FCD will enable us to better characterize the condition and better explain it — and its prognosis — to patients and their families." The first clinical definition of FCD arrived at by academic and medical consensus will facilitate a new phase of FCD investigation as researchers can now consistently identify subjects for studies. The next stage for this work, already in progress, is to evaluate clinical markers and understand the epidemiology, in order to build treatment studies. "With a clear operational definition, we'll be better at picking the right people for trials against, for example, Alzheimer's proteins — because if lots of people with FCD are in those trials, it is much harder to show any treatment effect against Alzheimer's," Ball concluded.

According to the Administration for Community living , on Aug. 18, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is set to host a webinar that will explore how people who depend on battery- and electricity-dependent assistive technology and durable medical equipment can prepare for emergencies. During the one-hour session, subject matter experts will offer emergency preparedness tips and resources, including checklists, to assist in planning for a power outage. In addition, they will provide guidance on how people with disabilities can prepare for extreme heat events. Register here for the webinar, which will start at Noon EST. Part of FEMA's mission is to ensure equitable access for all to any services and programs that it provides.

Leaders in Santa Clara County, Calif., have moved forward on an action plan to connect older adults to technology, amid growing concerns about social isolation's effect in conjunction with the online transition of senior services, reports San Jose Spotlight News . A study presented to the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors recommended a three-year Age Friendly Action Plan whose highlights include incorporating low-income adults into all countywide digital inclusion projects, and cultivating alliances with private organizations to help provide resources. "As the county continues with shelter-in-place orders and transitions into a new normal, known connectivity inequities in Santa Clara County are reinforced," the study noted. "This has opened opportunities for correcting these inequities at a time where Internet connectivity is a lifeline to many families, children, and youth and older adults." The plan recommends establishing a Digital Inclusion Workgroup through Santa Clara's Seniors' Agenda, which worked to make the county the first in the United States to attain age-friendly designation for its cities by the World Health Organization. Also urged is a partnership with an organization that can recycle county staff computers, tablets, and smartphones for use by low-income seniors. "This is good policy, and it makes good sense, particularly at this time, to do everything we can to connect our older adults," said Cupertino Councilmember Rod Sinks.

STAT News is reporting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the weekend granted emergency use authorization to Yale School of Public Health for its COVID-19 saliva test, called SalivaDirect. The inexpensive test has the capacity to run roughly 90 samples in fewer than three hours in a lab. That number will likely be higher in larger, automated labs. Yale intends to offer its "open source" testing protocol to laboratories nationwide to enable them to implement the method using commercially available testing components. The reagents needed for the test cost less than $5, so the Yale researchers estimate that labs should charge about $10 per sample. The testing method is available immediately, but the researchers added it can be rapidly scaled up for use in the coming weeks. Yale researcher Nathan Grubaugh says: "If cheap alternatives like SalivaDirect can be implemented across the country, we may finally get a handle on this pandemic even before a vaccine." To validate the test, researchers relied in part on NBA players, coaches, and staff. Yale says the test is now being studied in asymptomatic people through its program with the NBA and its players union.

According to The Hill , the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday created its first list of medical supplies that are facing a shortage just hours after the White House touted the Trump administration's production of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other devices. In an attempt to prevent stockpiling or hoarding of supplies, the new list does not reveal the product manufacturers. But it does list that masks, surgical gowns, ventilators, respirators, gloves, and sterile swabs are in short supply. PPE supply shortages were commonly reported at the start of the pandemic, but lockdown efforts and President Trump's use of the Defense Production Act led to a slowdown of hospitalizations and an increase in crucial supplies. Nevertheless, some rural hospitals and other health care groups have struggled to keep key supplies in stock. Last month, National Nurses United cautioned that new outbreaks could mean more shortages like the ones seen at the beginning of the pandemic.

A study published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology suggests that African American teenagers may be at a higher risk of dementias and other types of cognitive decline later in life than whites, reports Being Patient . This is because they are more likely to be exposed to various risk factors, including cardiovascular disease like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. African American teens also are more disproportionately affected by social factors such as access to quality education. These findings suggest that practicing heart- and brain-healthy activities is critical not only for middle-aged adults, but also for young adults and adolescents who are more vulnerable to deficient vascular brain health later. "Research like this is important in addressing health inequities and providing resources that could make a positive impact on a person's life," said Alzheimer's Association Chief Science Officer Maria C. Carrillo.

A report from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) said COVID-19 cases are rising at nursing communities due to spiking cases in the general population, according to CNN . The report cites figures from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicating that coronavirus cases rose to 8,628 for the week of July 19 from a low of 5,468 for the week of June 21. The increase in nursing community cases aligns with the ballooning number of infections among the general populace in late June and July, with Florida, Arizona, Texas, and California topping the list of states with the highest growth in infections in recent weeks. "Long-term care is . . . an indicator of what's happening in your community at large — meaning that as much as you try to bubble them from the virus in the community, it's a very vulnerable location, because you have people who work there going in and out, as well as family and friends of those who live there," said the University of Minnesota's Michael Osterholm. AHCA/NCAL is asking federal and state public health officials to take immediate action to protect nursing communities, especially in regions with significant spikes in new COVID-19 cases.

A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä and published in Frontiers of Public Health found that physical activity destinations more than 500 meters from home may encourage older adults to become more physically engaged, reports EurekAlert . Almost 200 men and women from Central Finland between 79 and 94 years old participated, noting on an online map any outdoor mobility-facilitating destinations they saw. Outdoor mobility-facilitating parks, walking trails, and public services at greater distances boosted physical activity. "Older people reporting attractive destinations more than 500 meters away were more physically active than those who did not report any destination or reported such destinations only closer to home," said Jyväskylä's Erja Portegijs. She noted that the team provided technical assistance to participants whose information technology skills were limited. "These results support the idea that diversity and quality aspects of neighborhood destinations are important to support older adults' physical activity," Portegijs concluded.