A OnePoll survey of 2,000 Americans over the age of 57 found 56 percent of respondents say the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to be more independent and self-sufficient, reports StudyFinds . Seventy percent expect this self-sufficiency to continue past the crisis. Fifty-eight percent said technology enabled them to keep in touch with family and friends, while 55 percent said figuring out new tech allowed them to have essential items delivered. Sixty-three percent of respondents said tech helped curb 2020's adverse impact on their overall health and well-being, with 56 percent saying it stopped them from feeling lonely. Respondents think they will feel safe resuming their normal routine and pre-pandemic life within two months of receiving their COVID shot. For those planning to get vaccinated, 52 percent are most looking forward to caring for loved ones again, while 39 percent are eager to attend social gatherings and 37 percent are excited about seeing their relatives in person. Over half of respondents who plan to get inoculated said they intend to return to their health club or community center after, while 42 percent plan on going a few times a week.

A study published in Heliyon found older adults are resorting to social media when faced with a lack of in-person interactions, according to the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). This is the first research to employ a uses and gratifications framework to analyze Facebook and Instagram use among people 50 and older. The investigators discovered that older adults used Facebook about four times more than they did Instagram. UAH Professor Pavica Sheldon said most older users also tend to adopt social media platforms later than younger users. Study subjects were divided into baby boomers (age 50-74) and traditionalists (age 75 plus), and both groups tended to name diversion and entertainment as the reasons they used Facebook. Social activity, travel, and real-world leisure activities were positive predictors of using Instagram for relationship monitoring, documentation, and self-promotion. Higher life satisfaction scores led to less use of Facebook and Instagram to mitigate loneliness or fulfill the need for companionship among both boomers and traditionalists.

With a growing number of Americans encountering barriers to getting their second dose of Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, federal health officials are asking community pharmacies and grocery-based pharmacies to intervene, the New York Times reports. A new directive stipulates that these administrators should provide second doses to recipients who received their first dose elsewhere. Officials with some major pharmacies, including CVS Health and Walgreens, say they already were servicing people who were having trouble arranging for a second dose — even if the store did not provide the initial injection.

A mixed qualitative-quantitative study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases found psychosocial factors, like anxiety and depression, could be more valuable determinants of frailty than age, reports HCPLive . "We indeed found comparable rates of frailty (across age groups) when using the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI), a questionnaire that heavily relies on the psychosocial effects of frailty such as anxiety, loneliness, and depressive feelings," said Maastricht University Medical Center's Marloes van Onna. "It might be possible that the results for frailty measures that more rely on physical effects, such as muscle strength, reduced walking speed, and weight loss, do show an age-related effect." The authors conducted two cross-sectional surveys and qualitative follow-up with 90 patients with RA in three age groups (55-64, 65-74, and 75 and older). In comparing frail and non-frail patients via GFI, feelings of emptiness were reported in 63.2 percent versus 3.8% percent; missing the presence of people in 65.8 percent versus 7.7 percent; loneliness in 55.3 percent versus 0 percent; depression in 73.7 percent versus 11.5 percent; and anxiety in 57.9 percent versus 15.4 percent. In the second poll, frail patients exhibited signs of an anxiety disorder on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, while during interviews more frail patients voiced gloomy feelings.

A study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found the dual-dose Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are 94 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations among fully vaccinated adults ages 65 and older, reports CNBC . They were also 64 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations in seniors who received just one shot. The CDC evaluated 417 hospitalized adults across 14 states from January to March, and said the results were consistent with those in clinical trials. As of Tuesday, over 81 percent of U.S. adults 65 and older have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, while more than 67 percent of U.S. adults in that age group are fully vaccinated. "The results are promising for our communities and hospitals," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. "As our vaccination efforts continue to expand, COVID-19 patients will not overwhelm healthcare systems — leaving hospital staff, beds, and services available for people who need them for other medical conditions." White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci also said Americans should reach a turning point in the pandemic "within a few weeks."

WMTV-15 in Madison reports that the Corner Bar at the Morningside Assisted Living community in Lancaster, Wis., is receiving donations from individuals across the United States. Started by residents Ron Kjos, Dennis Stluka, Richard Hoffman, and Alvin Rolland, the Corner Bar has been a huge hit during the pandemic. Since it was first reported in February, Americans have donated t-shirts, wine and cheese curds, and other items to transform it into a full-blown operation. One donor sent a TV so residents can watch Milwaukee Brewers baseball games and other programs and remain social. "I can't believe the way this thing has 'bloomed' up," said Stluka. "Before we used to have to sit in our rooms all the time. Now we come down here and visit all the time, talk about everything." The bar's founders are planning an expansion, with Morningside Activity Director Chris Fiedler noting they are talking about "a door . . . and a sign on the outside that says Corner Bar."

New research published in Neuron suggests that sticky tangles of tau protein, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, consume small molecules of nucleic acid and other proteins that brain cells need to live, reports ScienceAlert . This could help explain certain cellular defects observed in the brain tissue of Alzheimer's sufferers, and it also suggests a common disease pathway linking multiple neurodegenerative disorders. The researchers demonstrated that tau tangles contain conglomerates of RNA that should normally help to produce proteins in the nucleus, not accumulate outside the cell. Tau tangles also interfere with nuclear speckles that help process freshly transcribed RNA before it exits the nucleus en route to becoming a working protein. The researchers saw part of the cell's splicing mechanism sucked out of nuclear speckles and into tau aggregates, which may constitute a deadly disruption for brain cells. "If we can understand what tau does and how it goes bad in disease, we can develop new therapies for conditions that now are largely untreatable," said the University of Colorado Boulder's Roy Parker.

A team of students at Marquette University have so far helped dozens of senior-age men and women in Wisconsin sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine, reports Spectrum News 1 . "I think the statistics are over 30 percent of seniors don't have access to technology and when vaccinations became available, it was predominantly through sign-ups on the Web," said Marquette Professor Kurt Gering, who organized the so-called Vaxx Squad. He conceived of the idea of having students help older adults book vaccine appointments as an assignment. One student had a connection at Wauwatosa Hart Park Senior Center, and Gering said, "we came up with a way for seniors to call into that center and pass along their information, which I pass along to the students." The Vaxx Squad started helping seniors at the center at the end of March. "We were noticing that seniors were reaching out to us having trouble scheduling vaccines for themselves," said senior center program coordinator Kristen Hecht.

Scientists in Ireland determined that people older than 65 should not have tea with their daily meals, reports StudyFinds . A study from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) examined the current diets of people over 65 in Ireland — more than 630,000 seniors, including those still living healthy, independent lives and others with chronic ailments and diseases. The FSAI learned that older people require a more protein-heavy diet to avoid frailty, and drinking strong tea was found to interfere with the absorption of iron and zinc. They recommend spacing out tea-drinking between meals rather than during, but still advise older adults to consume lots of fluids throughout the day. Older women are recommended to have 1.6 liters of fluid daily, while older men should aim for two liters.

The state of Florida has outlawed the abuse and financial exploitation of seniors, reports CBS12 News . Senior-targeting fraudsters have exploited the pandemic, with one Delray Beach man using the identity of seven residents of a senior living community as part of a scam to collect $1.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans. Criminals also are using deceptive tactics claiming they can get seniors prioritized on the vaccine list, in a bid to gain access to their personal and financial data. The new Senior Protection Law criminalizes any attempt to exploit seniors by extending the state Attorney General's jurisdiction to include authority over crimes against seniors and disabled adults. Law enforcement and prosecutors can intercede before irreversible financial and physical damage is committed. People convicted under the new statute immediately forfeit any inheritances. "If you move here, if you retire here, if you come to Florida because you want to live out your golden years, we will make sure you can do that free from fraud and abuse," pledged Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.