Texas-based grocer H-E-B this past week announced a pilot program to help seniors get the groceries they need during the coronavirus outbreak, reports Fox San Antonio . Under the new Senior Support Line delivery program, people 60 years and older can order certain supplies and groceries from a curated list over the phone or online through the Favor delivery website and app. "The line will be staffed with volunteers to accept/process home delivery orders via phone daily 9 a.m.-1 p.m.," H-E-B stated. "All fees will be waived for the first 30 days, with a $10 tip included in the order for the Favor Runner."

A study in Neurology suggests that taking low-dose aspirin daily may not prevent dementia, according to U.S. News & World Report . The anti-inflammatory effects of aspirin have been hyped as protection against cognitive problems from Alzheimer's and other dementias, but the large randomized trial implies that the drug will not decelerate mental decline. "The findings are very relevant to the care of older people and indicate that aspirin should not be prescribed solely on the basis of potential cognitive benefits," said Joanne Ryan of Monash University. Since aspirin benefits people with heart disease, it has been thought that it may also reduce dementia risk by lowering the risk of inflammation and small clots or by preventing blood vessel constriction in the brain. Ryan's team gathered data on more than 19,000 seniors without dementia or heart disease, who were mostly 70 or older. Half took low-dose aspirin and the rest were given an inactive placebo, and 575 participants developed dementia. The researchers observed no difference in the risk for mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer's between those who took aspirin and those who did not — and neither was any difference perceived between the two groups in rate of mental decline. "These findings were consistent across men and women, different ethnic groups, and regardless of the health status of the individual when they first entered the study," Ryan said.

Assisted living communities in Virginia and elsewhere are taking creative measures to ensure that residents stay engaged and connected despite isolation during the COVID-19 lockdown, reports Blue Ridge Now . At The Landings of Mills River, for instance, residents have "window visits" with family. They are also learning how to use FaceTime and Skype, write white-board messages to loved ones, and engage in more solitary pursuits like gardening. Birthdays are still celebrated, too. Technology, particularly FaceTime chats, is significant in maintaining social connections. "The residents are so funny. They will scream when they see their loved one comes up on the screen," said The Landings Executive Director Joy Elliot. "It is super sweet to see their reactions to things those in their 80s and 90s aren't used to." Staff also perform regular check-ins with families to let them know how their resident is faring. The Landings is a part of Affinity Living Group, a network of assisted living communities, and Elliott said all group members are keeping in touch about different ideas they have tried out with residents.

New York City's young Samaritans are helping older New Yorkers cope with the coronavirus lockdown by delivering supplies directly to their homes, reports the New York Post . Freelance journalist Melanie Bavaria and Park Slope resident Lily Pollack have contributed by using the Nextdoor app to recruit Brooklynites for errand running. This effort has so far drawn 116 volunteers, who purchase groceries and medical supplies, as well as converse with the isolated seniors and other immuno-compromised individuals. "It's really a community effort," says Bavaria. She adds that she was inspired to help by a March 11 tweet concerning an older couple who had quarantined themselves inside their car for fear of contracting the virus. Meanwhile, Yale University undergraduate Liam Elkind has helped launch the citywide delivery service Invisible Hands. "Someone submits a request, and they can either call ahead to the store, or we can do the shopping for them and they can reimburse us for the groceries," he explains. Elkind also notes that delivery is free.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) yesterday announced $250 million in grants from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to help communities provide meals for seniors. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, signed into law by President Trump on March 18, provided the additional funding for the nutrition services programs authorized by the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965. These programs provide meals to over 2.4 million older men and women each year, both via home delivery and in such places as community centers. The need for these services has mushroomed as community measures to slow transmission of the coronavirus have shuttered meal sites and left many caregivers unable to assist their senior loved ones.

A study by Fudan University in China published in Cancer found global liver cancer rates are growing among older adults, reports the Deccan Herald . Worldwide, liver cancer cases diagnosed before age 30 decreased from 17,381 in 1990 to 14,661 in 2017 — but these rates increased in people 30 to 59 and 60 years old from 216,561 and 241,189 in 1990 to 359,770 and 578,344 in 2017, respectively. Cases of liver cancer diagnosed before the age of 30 and from 30 to 59 years declined in both sexes, whereas in older adults rates rose in males and held steady in females. Men had a more dramatic increase in liver cancer diagnosed at age 60 and older and a milder decrease in cases diagnosed at 30 to 59 years than women. "Our findings suggest the lack of attention for older people in current liver cancer prevention efforts and highlight the emerging concern of obesity as a risk factor for liver cancer," said Fudan University's Xingdong Chen. "Liver cancer prevention strategies in both developing and developed countries should be tailored and updated."

The National Poll on Healthy Aging found almost all older Americans support adding a dental benefit to Medicare, reports News-Medical . According to the survey, 93 percent of people between the ages of 65 and 80 favor including dental coverage in traditional Medicare, although this figure slipped to 59 percent when asked if they would support such coverage even if they had to pay more for their Medicare benefits. Fifty-three percent noted that they currently have dental coverage, with 50 percent of this segment covered as employees or retirees, or spouses of employees. Another 25 percent said they have dental coverage because they have opted to receive Medicare coverage through a Medicare Advantage plan offered by a commercial insurance company. One in five respondents said they had delayed getting dental care — or gone without — in the past two years due to cost or insurance problems. "These results suggest that healthcare providers and policymakers should seek solutions to better identify and address how cost and other factors act as barriers to dental care among older adults," said University of Michigan School of Dentistry Professor Domenica Sweier.

A study in Neurology found that a simple small vessel disease (SVD) score based on routine clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans may help identify persons with SVD who are susceptible to cognitive decline and dementia, reports Neurology Advisor . The researchers looked at three prospective longitudinal cohorts of people with SVD ranging from mild and asymptomatic to severe and symptomatic. MRI was conducted at baseline, cognitive tests repeated during follow-up, and progression to dementia prospectively documented. Adding the simple SVD score to a model that covered age, sex, and education years enhanced the prediction of dementia as area under the curve from 0.76 to 0.81 and to 0.83 with a revised score in which there were a number of categories for both the number of lacunar infarcts and the severity of white matter hyperintensities. The researchers also sought to ascertain whether using the SVD score to select a group of individuals with more severe disease would reduce sample sizes for clinical intervention trials, and by using dementia onset as the outcome measure, the preselection of subjects with higher SVD score lowered sample size by 57 percent.

Research from the University of Birmingham in the FASEB Journal has identified a key mechanism that drives the purging of damaged mitochondria, which could lead to new drug therapies to help older adults maintain their skeletal muscle mass and physical function for longer, reports EurekAlert . A tool that uses fluorescent tags to study mitochondria in muscle cells was used to determine that activating a master energy sensor molecule, called AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), helps stimulate mitochondrial breakdown. This implies that other established AMPK activators, such as exercise, may stimulate the clearance of damaged mitochondria, thus keeping mitochondria in muscle healthy and extending older people's physical capabilities. "Many studies . . . demonstrate that AMPK activation in muscle elicits many beneficial effects for treating type 2 diabetes," said Birmingham's Yu-Chiang Lai. "As a consequence, many pharmaceutical companies are currently working to develop pre-clinical compounds that activate AMPK. We hope that our new discovery will accelerate targeted drug development to help identify new and safe compounds to activate this key molecule in muscle."

A U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) news release warns of cons that take advantage of the coronavirus to exploit older adults, reports the Virginia Gazette . DOJ said scammers have set up websites, called and e-mailed targets, and posted false information on social media websites. The scams include fake treatments for COVID-19; stealing money from people for household essentials or face masks through fake online stores; calling and demanding money for treating friends and family for the virus; calling/e-mailing to solicit donations as part of fraudulent relief schemes; sending phishing e-mails to download malware or obtain a person's financial data; persuading people to download smartphone apps that download malware to steal personal information; and offering investment advice and so-called research on the effects of COVID-19 on the economy and the stock market. Scammers will frequently try to create false urgency and push people into making irrational decisions. DOJ recommends that if something sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Consumers who do not know who they are talking to should hang up, and are advised not to click on links in e-mails. They also should conduct research on whatever service or product is being offered to ensure its legitimacy. DOJ also is adamant that no company or government agency will ever ask consumers to pay for a service with gift cards.