A study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that while adults 65 and older only account for 16 percent of the U.S. population, they constitute 80 percent of COVID-19 deaths, reports the International Business Times . Yet the death toll for this group varies by state. COVID-19 deaths for those 65 and older were highest in Idaho at 94 percent and lowest in Washington, D.C., at 70 percent, and the former also was higher for COVID-19 deaths than all causes of deaths combined for the age group. Virtually all states had similar numbers apart from Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, New Mexico, New York, and Texas, which had the same percentages for COVID-19 deaths and all death causes. States with the highest death rate from the virus had a disproportionate number of deaths in long-term care communities, including Idaho, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and Delaware. Persons 85 and older also showed a high death rate for COVID-19 at long-term care communities at 33 percent, versus 31 percent of deaths from all causes combined. The largest number of COVID-19 deaths in such communities was in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Kentucky, Delaware, and Ohio. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, California, and Michigan altogether comprise 61 percent of COVID-19 deaths among adults 65 and older.

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society calls for better strategies to protect the health of older adults with dementia, to avoid the need for hospitalized care, reports Medical Xpress . The researchers reviewed nationally representative de-hospitalization data from 2012 to 2016 relating to 1.8 million hospitalizations of older U.S. adults with dementia. Forty percent of hospitalizations of older adults with dementia were for potentially preventable ailments like pneumonia and heart failure, that can possibly be avoided with access to high-quality outpatient care. Although the national incidence of all hospitalizations for individuals with dementia fell between 2012 and 2016, hospitalizations for potentially preventable conditions rose. During that period, hospitalizations for any cause declined from 1.87 million to 1.85 million annually, while potentially preventable hospitalizations increased from 0.75 million to 0.87 million annually — due to more hospitalizations for sepsis, injuries, and dehydration of older adults with dementia living in the community. Among those with dementia who were hospitalized for potentially preventable conditions, inpatient deaths declined from 6.4 percent in 2012 to 6.1 percent in 2016, inflation-adjusted median costs climbed from $7,319 to $7,543, and total yearly costs increased from $7.4 billion to $9.3 billion. "These preventable hospitalizations have important effects that stretch beyond the hospital stay, both in terms of outcomes for the patients — as the majority are discharged to skilled nursing communities rather than returning home — and in terms of costs to the health system," said Harvard Medical School's Timothy Anderson.

Two studies presented Monday at the annual Alzheimer's Association International Conference offer evidence that flu and pneumonia vaccines may guard against Alzheimer's disease as well, reports National Public Radio . In one study, investigators from the University of Texas sifted through a national database of millions of medical records, seeking factors that affected the risk of getting certain diseases, including Alzheimer's. "One of the things that came back was flu shots," says Albert Amran with the University of Texas Health Science Center. People who received at least one flu shot had a 17 percent reduced risk, while those who were regularly vaccinated saw that risk drop another 13 percent. The second study considered the combined effect of flu and pneumonia vaccines. Researchers from Duke University and the University of North Carolina examined the medical records of more than 5,000 people who were at least 65 years old, and those receiving a pneumonia vaccine before age 75 were at least 25 percent less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. However, a flu vaccine in addition to the pneumonia vaccine did not further reduce risk. The studies suggest that the vaccines may be protective because diseases they are designed to prevent affect the brain, while another possibility is that they fortify the immune system.

A pilot study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology considered the effectiveness of low weight, high-speed weightlifting on muscle performance and function in older adults, reports Medical Xpress . The researchers compared vascular function in two groups of older adults before and after 16 weeks of weightlifting. One group completed high-speed power training with lighter weights while the other lifted heavier weights at slower speeds, and the first group improved vascular function compared to the second group. "When you train with lighter weights and higher speeds, you don't generate as much of a blood pressure response during exercise," said University of Missouri School of Health Professions Professor Stephen Sayers. "When you train with heavy weights, your blood pressure really rises, which can lead to stiffer blood vessels and restricted blood flow to your organs and tissues. Since the risk of cardiovascular disease increases for adults over 65, high-speed power training can help maintain heart and blood health as well as joint and limb health." The study also looked at whether high-speed power training can help older adults move their limbs and joints faster, which can potentially be life-saving by avoiding injury and hospitalization due to falls.

The launch date of the Smart Technology Mentors Program of Illinois, designed to pair seniors and teenagers to install smart devices, has been changed to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Energy News Network . The pilot program was planned to run from January to December of this year, but the pandemic necessitated the elimination of onsite visits, focus groups, and other person-to-person contact. The rescheduled target launch date is January 2021, contingent on sufficient containment of the virus and the securing of additional sponsorship and funding, according to Doug Newman with the Smart Self Reliance Initiative. Three communities will select a coordinator to recruit two school districts, with one or two high schools in each district. Between five and 10 students from each school will be chosen to participate and will be trained in customer engagement and interactions with senior adults and disabled individuals, along with the installation of smart devices.

An analysis of Danish national registry data presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference indicated that post-infection mortality was higher in older adults with dementia than those in the short- and long-term, reports MedPage Today . Among 1.5 million adults followed for a collective total of about 13 million years, people with dementia and infection-related hospital visits died at a rate 6.5 times higher than people with neither. Their mortality rate also was three times that of dementia-free older adults with infection-related hospital visits. Mortality rate ratios (MRRs) in all infection sites were higher in the dementia cohort than in the no-dementia cohort, and highest with sepsis and lowest with ear infections. MRRs in the dementia group were highest the first 30 days after onset of first infection, and continued to exceed MRRs in the no-dementia group until after 10 years post-first infection. "The study sheds light on the need for better clinical management and post-hospital care for people with dementia following infections," said the University of Copenhagen's Janet Janbek. "It encourages research to further our understanding into which risk factors can explain the increased mortality following infections in people with dementia."

The transition to virtual and telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic has created a technological rift between older adults who can and cannot participate, reports Kaiser Health News . Seniors barred from virtual interactions include those with dementia, hearing loss, and impaired vision. Moreover, seniors with limited financial resources may be unable to afford devices or the associated Internet service fees, while others lack both tech savvy and learning assistance. In this situation, the tech "have-nots" are more likely to face social isolation, skip medical care, and lack food or other necessities. When SCAN Health Plan, a Medicare Advantage plan with 215,000 members in California, polled its most vulnerable members after the pandemic struck, it learned that about one-third lacked access to the technology needed for telehealth appointments. Many enrollees also needed translation services that are often problematic for telehealth services to accommodate. Forward-thinking experts like Aging in Place Technology Watch blog founder Laurie Orlov say nursing, assisted living, and senior communities need to install community-wide Wi-Fi services to help give seniors more access to telehealth and virtual resources.

In New Mexico, Las Cruces-based Medicare insurance broker Heidi Moccia has started a virtual pen pal program to connect students and seniors around the state during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the Las Cruces Sun-News . She said the genesis of "Adopt-A-Resident" was inspired by her work and the experiences of friends not being able to communicate with loved ones face-to-face during the quarantine. Moccia got in touch with the Haciendas at Grace Village senior living community and the J. Paul Taylor Academy (JPTA). Five sixth-graders, including Moccia's daughter, volunteered for four weeks of pen pals via Zoom with 10 Haciendas residents participating in the pilot project. Moccia said plans are underway to expand the program to involve all 24 seventh-grade students at JPTA. She is collaborating with JPTA physical education and health teacher Jamie Sells to incorporate calls into the social and emotional learning component of the school's curriculum by stressing empathy and social and emotional learning.

President Trump on Friday announced four executive orders to lower drug prices, but health policy experts say they will likely provide only minimal relief and may take months to implement, if at all, reports National Public Radio . The most dramatic directive requires Medicare to pay the same price for drugs patients receive in the hospital as part of Medicare Part B that other countries pay — but the pharmaceutical industry has until Aug. 24 to make a deal with the Trump administration before implementation. Some of the orders could have catches that could stall them indefinitely. For example, one directive concerns passing on discounts negotiated by pharmacy benefit managers at the retail counter to Medicare beneficiaries — but one section states that before it can take effect, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services must confirm that the order will trigger increased federal spending, premiums, or patients' total out-of-pocket costs to increase. Since one condition is likely to arise as a result of this order, enactment is unlikely.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over the weekend warned that coronavirus symptoms can persist for weeks, even in healthy people who are not severely ill, reports PennLive . A recent CDC survey of 292 people who tested positive found 35 percent said they were not back to their usual good health even two or three weeks after testing. Older adults were most affected with prolonged symptoms, while young adults with underlying conditions also said their recovery was taking longer. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 24 authorized the first coronavirus test specifically designed to spot cases among asymptomatic individuals. The agency said LabCorp's diagnostic test, COVID-19 RT-PCR, has demonstrated this ability. The emergency use authorization from the FDA also allows LabCorp to conduct pool testing, with up to five samples simultaneously. "By authorizing another test for use with pooled samples, we also further help increase the possibility that patients may be able to receive results sooner, while also conserving vital testing supplies, which are under increased demand during the pandemic," said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn.