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.

Prosecutions of fraud against U.S. seniors have reached a new high, with more than 400 people around the world accused of scamming older Americans out of more than $1 billion in the largest crackdown of its kind in history, reports Voice of America . This year saw a 55 percent spike over last year, when more than 260 people were charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with defrauding more than 2 million Americans out of about $750 million in total. "What makes these crimes particularly heinous is not only the vulnerability of the victims, not only the breach of trust involved, but also the victims' stage in life — the victims usually do not have the opportunity to recover from the financial loss," stated Attorney General William Barr. He added that more than 25 percent of all the perpetrators have been prosecuted, and Justice has been combating senior fraud in multiple areas. In February, the department secured restraining orders against five companies and three individuals who facilitated hundreds of millions of robocalls — and in December, Justice reported that it had stopped more than 600 money mules hired by criminals to move stolen money worldwide.

A bill proposed in Minnesota would fund law enforcement training to help improve police officers' interactions with people who have dementia and Alzheimer's disease, reports KIMT 3 News . State Education and Program Coordinator Aaron Saterdalen says if passed the bill would have a positive effect. "I think it's very important for officers to be trained in dementia and understand what's going on there so they can kind of interact with community members that have dementia and look for those signs," he explained. The measure would establish training for officers on communication, and cover issues such as wandering, driving, abuse, and neglect. The bill also would set up crime alert categories that include dementia and Alzheimer's.

A commentary in Mayo Clinic Proceedings said pain management in older adults can be safely realized with a plan that balances risk and benefit, including drug- and non-drug-based treatment strategies, according to United Press International . "Chronic pain is very common in older adults, and is often associated with other issues, such as depression, insomnia, social isolation, and poor quality of life," said Mayo Clinic geriatrician and co-author Brandon Verdoorn. "While it's generally not curable, it can be managed with a systematic approach that begins with a thorough, function-based pain assessment followed by recognition and treatment of contributing conditions." Verdoorn advised that pain management should emphasize initial low-risk approaches, usually involving non-invasive, non-drug options like exercise, stretching, or physical therapy. The process should start with rigorous assessment looking at function and concurrently addressing associated conditions like depression and insomnia. The authors recommend caution when transitioning to higher-risk treatment strategies, watching patients routinely and discontinuing ineffective options.

A study in Age and Aging found that helping older people manage their prescribed medications after they leave the hospital lowers the risk of a repeat visit, according to U.S. News & World Report . U.K. researchers reviewed 24 studies that included more than 17,500 hospitalized seniors, and subjects were less likely to be rehospitalized if they had help with their medication for three months after leaving the hospital. Another strategy involved a health professional, like a pharmacist, reviewing previous prescriptions from a person's doctor and drugs prescribed at the hospital in order to identify any omissions or conflicts. The University of Bradford's Justine Tomlinson said patients or caregivers should be involved in the process. "The medicine-related harm that older patients are exposed to on discharge is serious and avoidable, yet they often feel they have to accept these problems as a fact of life as they get older," she explained. "Our research shows that it doesn't have to be that way."

Researchers are focusing more on the tau protein that accumulates in the brain as attempts to treat neurodegenerative diseases through the beta-amyloid protein have come up short, reports Scientific American . Research has determined that people can continue to function well cognitively with amyloid in their brain. Normally, tau helps cohere and maintain the molecular framework of brain cells, but various molecular factors can make the protein toxic and destructive. A study in Science Translational Medicine found that the areas where tau accrues in a living brain predicts which regions will degenerate, suggesting that tracking the protein over time is feasible and helpful. Professor Anthony Fitzpatrick at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute discovered that tau filaments form a unique shape that remains consistent within a single person, and also varies in each of the several diseases it can induce. Recent studies have suggested that tau may turn toxic in response to an inflammatory trigger like gum disease or an infection — or different conditions, such as when microbes and other particles leak into the nervous system from the digestive system. The potential benefits and drawbacks of treating tau tangles are still being explored, and some researchers think attacking tau alone may be less effective than a combined approach that targets tau and amyloid at the same time.

Aging baby boomers are expected to drive up the number of Americans with low vision from 2.9 million in 2010 to 5 million in 2030, reports the Denver Channel . Often the most difficult problems to come to terms with when struck with vision impairments is the loss of mobility, as driving and other activities become impossible. Public health officials advise boomers to reach out for aid early to organizations like the Hadley nonprofit. Hadley provides online resources, support, and in-person consultation at no charge. "Maybe it's something as simple as contrast. Maybe it's something as simple as using their smartphone to magnify what they're reading," said Hadley Executive Director Julie Tye.

A study by University of Pennsylvania researchers on seismic demographic trends in New York City's shelter system determined that an epidemic of senior homelessness is unfolding, reports Health Affairs . Shelter residents 50 and older exceeded 17,000 in 2017, an almost threefold increase from 2004 — and the study forecast that nearly 25,000 aged New Yorkers will be homeless by 2030. More worrying still are projections that this growth will be focused in those 65 and older. Parallel studies in Boston and Los Angeles confirmed similar age trends among those cities' homeless populations, while a Health Affairs study determined that 33 percent to 50 percent of shelter residents are entering homelessness for the first time. Some have worked low-wage manual jobs and cannot afford ever-mounting rents, or handle the lifting and bending required by their occupations. Moreover, the New York City study found that costs for shelter and healthcare for the senior homeless are high and likely to rise quickly. However, various housing and social service interventions are in development. The researchers expect a range of short- or long-term rental assistance programs will emerge in conjunction with social services to help homeless seniors reconnect with relatives, move in with a partner or roommate, or rent an apartment of their own.

A study to be presented at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology's 72nd Annual Meeting suggests older adults who experience daytime sleepiness may be at risk of developing new medical conditions, including diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure, reports ScienceDaily . The study involved 10,930 participants, of whom 34 percent were 65 or older. Those who reported sleepiness in the first of two phone interviews had a 2.3 times greater risk of developing diabetes or high blood pressure three years later than those who did not experience sleepiness — and twice as likely to develop cancer. Of the 840 people who reported sleepiness at the first interview, 6.2 percent developed diabetes compared to 2.9 percent of those who were never sleepy during the day. Some 2.4 percent developed cancer, versus 0.8 percent of those who were never sleepy during the day. Participants who reported daytime sleepiness during both interviews had a 2.5 times greater risk of developing heart disease. Those reporting sleepiness only in the second interview were half as likely to also have diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue than those who did not have daytime sleepiness.

Businesses are boosting their efforts to retain their employees as a tight labor market raises job prospects elsewhere, the Wall Street Journal states. Employee turnover remains near historic highs, and replacing workers cost employers $617 billion in 2018 versus $331 billion in 2010, according to a report by consulting company Work Institute. Even if the economy sharply slows this year, workforce experts say retaining key staffers will remain critical to keeping a restraint on those costs. More pay often is what entices employees to change jobs, but it isn't necessarily what keeps them where they are, observes Work Institute President Danny Nelms. Fewer than one in 10 workers mentioned salary and benefits as the leading reason for leaving a job, according to 37,000 employee exit interviews conducted by Work Institute. Rather, more workers cited career development, work-life balance, and their bosses as factors.