Staff at St. Luke's Elmore's long-term care community in Boise, Idaho, are wearing photos of themselves smiling on the outside of their personal protective equipment (PPE) to help residents with dementia, reports CBS2 IdahoNews . Wearing PPE like masks at all times is a requirement during the COVID-19 pandemic, but this can be hard on persons with dementia. The smiling photos are intended to help residents better recognize the person and know they are friendly.

A study in eLife explored why some older adults have better memory recall than others, reports ScienceDaily . The team used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure activity from the whole brain at high resolution, delving not just into magnitude of activity but also into memory information contained in patterns of brain activity. One hundred participants between 60 and 82 years old had their brains scanned as they studied words paired with pictures of famous people and places. They were then prompted during a scanned memory test with words they had seen and asked to remember the associated image. The researchers learned that memory recall processes in the brains of older adults can bear a strong similarity to those previously seen in young adults, although evidence for these processes was significantly lessened in seniors who had more recall difficulties. However, more pronounced hippocampal activity and replay in the cortex was associated with better memory recall. "We're beginning to ask whether individual differences in the ability to mentally travel back in time can be explained by asymptomatic disease that impacts the brain and predicts future clinical diagnosis," said Stanford University Professor Anthony Wagner.

Stanford University students and affiliates have rolled out a volunteer-based program that connects community members with nursing home and assisted-living residents for video calls to combat the isolation of COVID-19 on seniors in long-term care communities, reports the Stanford Daily . Virtual Park Bench was created by Stanford alumnus Dan Guo, with the goal of replicating park benches, which often function as spontaneous social hubs for seniors, through scheduled video calls. "The Centers for Disease Control put a lot of restrictions on these communities in response to the outbreak, such as no more visitations, in-person volunteering, or community dining," Guo noted. "These residents were left lonely in their communities, where there is already an epidemic of loneliness." Guo, medical students, and undergraduates collaborated on the program, which matches volunteers to residents based on their linguistic preference, time commitment, and interests or backgrounds. "We strive for long-term relationships between residents and volunteers," Guo said. Virtual Park Bench tailors its communication platform to each individual community, sometimes using Skype or FaceTime on tablets. Since its March inception, Virtual Park Bench has teamed with about 10 long-term care communities in California to provide companionship and conversation to 50 seniors.

A Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies survey found that 23 percent of workers who are employed or recently unemployed are no longer certain they can retire comfortably following the coronavirus pandemic, reports CNBC News . That confidence varies generationally, with baby boomers likely to feel the least secure. Meanwhile, more employees are raiding their retirement savings to cover their financial needs now. Millennials have a median nest egg of $23,000 in all household retirement accounts, Gen Xers have a median of $64,000, and boomers have $144,000. Moreover, millennials had a median of $3,000 set aside for emergencies, compared to $5,000 among Gen Xers and $15,000 among boomers. About 22 percent of respondents said they have or plan to take a loan or withdrawal from a 401(k) or other workplace retirement savings plan, with millennials most likely to do this at 33 percent compared to Gen Xers (15 percent) and boomers (10 percent). Transamerica's recommendations include avoiding seeking loans or withdrawals from retirement accounts, and to keep saving toward retirement when possible.

Bernalillo County in New Mexico has partnered with the Teeniors organization to offer local seniors up to 30 free one-on-one technology lessons covering topics that include texting, calling, Zoom, and social media, reports KRQE . Teeniors includes tech-savvy teenagers and young adults that offer help so older adults and others can learn technology via personalized coaching. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Teeniors has migrated from in-person coaching to total virtual coaching. "Now during coronavirus, seniors are more isolated than ever and need help to stay connected with their loved ones and their community," says Community Program Specialist Veronica Cordova on the Bernalillo County website. "We see this as a perfect union to help our most vulnerable populations receive the help they need to navigate a digital world."

A study in Scientific Reports details a new imaging technique to detect signs of incipient Alzheimer's disease in the retina at the back of the eye, according to Medical News Today . Duke University researchers have explored the method in a mouse model of Alzheimer's, and if it is applicable to humans, it could lead to a relatively inexpensive, compact, and easy-to-use screening device. The researchers integrated optical coherence tomography with angle-resolved low-coherence interferometry, which analyzes how the retina scatters light to measure its morphology. Their mouse model revealed that the topmost layer of the retina is rougher and more disordered than in mice without Alzheimer's. Other studies determined that the plaques that characterize Alzheimer's in the brain also are evident in this layer of the retina. "Our hope is that we can use this insight to create an easy and cheap screening device that wouldn't only be available at your doctor's office but at places like your local pharmacy, as well," said Duke Professor Adam Wax.

Researchers at Harvard University's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have invented pop-up shoe grips, inspired by snake skin, that boost friction between the shoe and the ground to reduce the risk of falling among older adults, reports News-Medical . A study in Nature Biomedical Engineering details the shoe grips' development, which tapped the Japanese art of paper cutting known as kirigami to emulate the snake scales. The team fabricated the gripper from a thin, flexible steel sheet with dozens of scale-like cuts. The cuts pop out into spikes when the sheet stretches, digging into the ground and creating friction. The spikes fold back in when the foot flattens, and MIT's Sahab Babaee said "we designed these assistive grippers to pop out when weight shifts from the heel to the toe and the shoe bends and stretches along the soles." SEAS' Ahmad Rafsanjani added that the cuts were made at precise points to ensure stiffness and pop-out "at the best possible angle of attack to maximize the grip of the kirigami with the contacting surface."

A study in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicates that older adults with certain chronic conditions are significantly more likely to suffer severe tooth loss compared to adults who do not have such ailments, reports Healio . Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Oral Health analyzed data from adults aged 50 or older twice collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The first sample, from 1999 to 2004, had 6,283 adults, while the second sample, from 2011 to 2016, included 7,443. From 2011 to 2016, among adults who had a dental exam, the respective prevalence of edentulism, severe tooth loss, and absent functional dentition was 10.8 percent, 16.9 percent, and 31.8 percent. The prevalence of edentulism and severe tooth loss was higher among older adults with each chronic condition, apart from obesity, versus subjects without chronic conditions. Results implied that the prevalence of edentulism was at least twice as high among those with fair or poor general health, emphysema, heart disease, or stroke history. Prevalence of severe tooth loss also was at least 50 percent higher among adults with fair or poor general health, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, diabetes, uncontrolled diabetes, emphysema, heart disease, liver condition, or stroke, versus those without the condition. Moreover, lack of functional dentition was at least 50 percent more prevalent among those reporting fair or poor general health, rheumatoid arthritis, emphysema, or heart disease than those not reporting the condition.

Forbes columnist and career coach Tammy Homegardner writes that the COVID-19 pandemic is provoking concerns among Americans in their 40s, 50s, and 60s that ageism in the workplace will get worse. "The main reason age discrimination goes undetected is regardless of how many age discrimination reports are filed, age discrimination is difficult to prove in court," she notes. "As such, most individuals choose to forgo filing a claim altogether, simply accepting or remaining in positions that are less desirable so that they can continue to be a part of the workforce." However, Homegardner contends that although the virus disproportionately affects older adults, it potentially affects every American, prompting some employers to implement generous paid time off arrangements for workers with, or who have immediate family with, COVID-19 — in addition to flexible work-from-home policies to shield employees and customers, regardless of age or background. She also recommends that older workers approach their job or potential job knowing they possess the expertise to push an organization through to the next level. Finally, Homegardner suggests the crisis is an opportunity for older workers to demonstrate their savvy with the latest technology and up-to-date skills sets.

The Vitality Society online platform offers activities for people 60 and older, including fitness/wellness classes, in order to widen participants' social circle, reports WPVI-TV . "We focus on fostering camaraderie, providing community, and offering coaching," said Vitality Society founder Meredith Oppenheim. The platform is guided by eight principles, one of which is Be, according to Oppenheim. "We want our members to 'be' the best versions of themselves," she explained. The platform offers 13 weekly classes hosted on Zoom, with dance classes the most popular. Oppenheim moderates classes, holding group chats before and after sessions. "My passion is for helping people live longer, healthier lives," she said. "I'm excited to ignite this movement and be a leader in supporting people 60 and older who are young at heart that want to remain that way."