A study to be presented at an upcoming meeting of the American Academy of Neurology suggests physical activity may keep the brain four years younger and slow or prevent dementias like Alzheimer's disease, reports United Press International . The researchers utilized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of more than 1,550 people, average age 75, without dementia. Close to 300 had mildly impaired thinking and 28 percent carried the APOE gene, which appears to elevate the risk of Alzheimer's. The most physically active subjects had larger brains than those who were inactive, with the most active logging either seven hours of low-intensity physical activity, four hours of moderate activity, or two hours of high-intensity physical exercise per week. The average brain size of the most active participants was 883 cubic centimeters versus 871 cubic centimeters for inactive participants. That 12 cubic centimeter difference is equivalent to about four years of brain aging. The researchers caution that this does not prove that exercise preserves brain size, but simply appears to have a connection to this phenomenon.

A study of the medical records of nearly 416,000 older British adults published in Age and Aging found an association between low blood pressure and elevated mortality, which may require a review of international guidelines, reports Nursing Times . The researchers determined that people 75 or older with low blood pressure had higher mortality rates compared with those who had normal blood pressure. This was particularly apparent in "frail" individuals who had a 62 percent increased risk of dying during the 10-year follow-up. Meanwhile, high blood pressure boosted the risk of cardiovascular events, but was not connected to higher death rates in frail adults older than 75. People 85 and older with raised blood pressure exhibited lower mortality rates versus those with lower blood pressure, regardless of how frail they were. "Internationally, guidelines are moving towards tight blood pressure targets, but our findings indicate that this may not be appropriate in frail older adults," said University of Exeter geriatrician Jane Masoli. "We need more research to ascertain whether aggressive blood pressure control is safe in older adults, and then for which patient groups there may be benefit, so we can move towards more personalized blood pressure management in older adults."

Congress enacted the National Senior Nutrition programs in March of 1972. To honor that milestone, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) is celebrating all month long. Between now and March 31, photos, videos, audio clips, and testimonials from seniors about a given meal site, program, or nutrition education program can be sent to healthpromotion at acl.hhs.gov. ACL will feature one photo, video, or audio clip a week on its website and Facebook page. An ACL statement read: "We want to highlight how you make your mark, one bite at a time through the Congregate Nutrition Program."

According to Politico Pro , CMS has released information detailing how federal government health programs and certain plans will cover coronavirus-related services. Additionally, the agency developed an additional code that labs can use to bill for coronavirus diagnostic tests not made by CDC, which CMS officials are hopeful will help boost testing and tracking of new cases. Medicare will cover diagnostic tests on or after Feb. 4 for the coronavirus test, and the health program for seniors also covers medically necessary hospitalizations, virtual "check-ins," and more. Under Medicaid, coverage standards vary by state although they tend to be covered. CMS reiterates in the new guidance that Obamacare plans will generally have to cover lab tests. The one caveat is that states don't all require the same standard of benefits. Some people may see cost-sharing if the insurers have yet to waive co-pays for the tests. CMS notes that large employer plans are not required to follow Obamacare's rules. Consequently, patients with those plans may not be covered or may be on the hook for a co-pay. The agency hasn't decided whether a vaccine would be free under Obamacare's rules for covering preventive treatment. New guidance will be offered if and when such a vaccine hits the market.

Angie's Babies is requesting baby doll donations to make sure people with Alzheimer's in Texas still receive affection this Mother's Day, reports NewsWest 9 . Angie's Babies is an effort started by Alzheimer's Association volunteer Mary McCourt and Walk to End Alzheimer's & Community Development Manager Julie Gray. "Julie and I came up with this idea after we both lost our loved ones to Alzheimer's," McCourt recalled. "I lost my dad in October, she lost her grandmother in January and they were in the same nursing home." Angie's Babies was named after Julie's grandmother, and McCourt said "she always had a baby doll." Julie added that the doll "really reminded her that even though she couldn't articulate anything because the disease had taken that from her, that love was still there of her babies." Angie's Babies volunteers will spend Mother's Day delivering dolls to Midland, Odessa, and San Angelo residents with Alzheimer's.

The United States may not be able to meet public demand for coronavirus testing for weeks because U.S. doctors, hospitals, and public health laboratories say they lack adequate resources, reports Politico Pro . Testing has been limited by problems with a diagnostic assessment developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — problems that have since been corrected. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has permitted some local laboratories and hospitals to develop their own tests, but many labs are not quite ready to analyze samples. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn stated on Monday that U.S. labs would have sufficient materials to perform nearly 1 million tests by the end of this week. Public health experts countered that this number far exceeds the total samples that can be processed in labs in coming weeks. The Association of Public Health Laboratories said Hahn's projection depends on additional CDC tests being developed by Integrated DNA Technologies. The association added that public health labs using CDC's latest diagnostic test can conduct 100 tests daily under normal circumstances — but just 54 labs have verified the test for use as of Tuesday, and testing one person requires at least two samples.

Seniors taking multiple medications can potentially exhibit dementia-like symptoms or experience a worsening of symptoms if they have dementia, reports the Associated Press . Approximately 91 percent of people over 65 take at least one prescription medicine and 41 percent use five or more, and the risk of side effects is compounded the more medications taken. "It's very easy to miss medication side effects because they masquerade as all these other symptoms," said University of California, San Francisco geriatrician Michael Steinman. Medicines suspected of causing such problems include certain types of muscle relaxants, antihistamines, allergy medicines, stomach acid remedies, antidepressants, anti-anxiety medicines, pain relievers, and sleep aids. Many drugs have anticholinergic effects that reduce or disrupt a chemical messenger that plays an essential role in healthy nerve function — resulting in drowsiness, confusion, blurred vision, dizziness, and other symptoms that impair thinking skills. "Once someone is having even the tiniest difficulty with thinking and memory, then the effects of these drugs are just huge," noted Andrew Budson with Boston University's Alzheimer's disease center. Doctors suggest such problems could be avoided if people know all the drugs someone is taking; maintain a running list with the date each drug is started and discontinued, and any notable symptoms; review the full medication list with a doctor, geriatrics specialist, or pharmacist; and raise any perceived issues once suspected.

The former owner of a Cleveland Southern comfort food eatery has started a program that allows seniors to participate in a cooking community to benefit both their culinary skills and social life, reports Cleveland Magazine . Onetime Town Fryer proprietor Susan Porter's network operates out of the Cedar Extension High Rise in Cleveland, a public housing high rise for seniors. Porter has gathered residents at the building for her Recipe Remix program twice a month for 18 months, in partnership with the DigitalC nonprofit and the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. Porter repurposes familiar comfort foods into healthier alternatives, posts them online for future use, and livestreams cooking routines, in the hope of fostering stronger connections between building residents and the wider community. "Every session highlights a different barrier that needs to be addressed," she said. "Affordability of healthy ingredients, transportation out of food deserts, digital literacy — I want to help find solutions for it all."

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bipartisan emergency spending package of about $8.3 billion to fight the coronavirus epidemic, sending the legislation to the Senate in a race to respond to the outbreak, reports the Wall Street Journal . More than $3 billion would be allocated to development of treatments, while $2.2 billion would go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to contain the outbreak. More than $1 billion will be funneled overseas, and $20 million will fund administrative expenses for loans to small American businesses. The Senate is expected to approve the legislation, while President Trump has said he would sign whatever bill Congress passes. The final deal includes $300 million for federal purchasing of the vaccine and other therapeutics and availing them to the public. It also urges Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to apply his authority to ensure that the price of the vaccine is "affordable in the commercial market" and to fast-track its development without any delays. Also in the measure is a provision allowing Medicare providers to supply telemedical services, which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said would cost about $500 million.

An Independence Blue Cross study found that the number of Americans being diagnosed with early-onset dementia and Alzheimer's disease at younger ages is spiking, reports Philly Voice . Such diagnoses rose 83 percent between 2013 and 2017 among commercially insured Americans 30 to 44 years old, including the oldest millennials. Generally, early-onset diagnoses grew 200 percent among commercially insured Americans between 30 to 64, including a 50 percent jump among those 45 to 54 and 40 percent for those 55 to 64. "Those who develop dementia or Alzheimer's at an early age will likely require caregiving, either from family members or healthcare providers," said Independence Blue Cross Chief Medical Officer Richard Snyder. "The time, cost, and impact on families can be significant and can require additional support as these diseases progress." The East, South, and Midwestern regions of the United States had higher diagnosis rates, with women constituting 58 percent of the diagnoses.