An international study in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A found wealthy men and women live longer and enjoy more years of good health after age 50 than the poorest individuals in the United States and Britain, reports the New York Times . In both countries, affluent women tended to live 33 disability-free years after 50, or eight to nine more than poor women. Meanwhile, rich men tended to live 31 disability-free years after 50 — eight to nine more than poor men. The researchers defined wealth as ownership of physical possessions like a home, jewels, and artworks, as well as other financial assets such as savings and investments that had been accumulated over a lifetime, excluding debts. The average wealth for Americans was $29,000 for the poorest group, $180,000 in the middle range, and $980,000 for the richest group. Neither education level nor social class was as significant a factor as wealth. "More wealth means it's easier to get to your appointments and access additional services that would not be available to people with less," declared Cornell University's Corinna Loeckenhoff.

The Kansas Alzheimer's Task Force is calling for more state resources to address the disease, reports WIBW.com . The task force's plan, which was presented on Jan. 10 to Lieutenant Governor Lynn Rogers, focuses on providing resources like funding and programs to the families that suffer with the disease, proposing legislature to stabilize those resources, and establishing an Advisory Council to monitor the progress they make. "It's the resources that they can tap into, that often times are missing," Rogers said. "We don't make it easy for those caregivers to do their job, and we need to figure out 'how do we make that better for them?'" The task force recommended the creation of an Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Council to monitor implementation of plans, as well as legislation to allow qualification for Senior Care Act services to those with the disease under the age of 60. It also called for the creation of a tax incentive for completing caregiver training courses, and the requirement of training for Adult Protective Service workers.

Bipartisan lawmakers in Connecticut are supporting a measure that targets age discrimination by barring employers from requiring prospective hires to list their age, birth date, or graduation year on applications, reports the CT Mirror . "It closes a very costly loophole that exists right now for older workers, because . . . employers in a job interview cannot ask the job applicant their age," said Sen. Derek Slap (D-Conn.). The bill is the latest legislative attempt to prohibit employers from using screening questions on applications. The 55-and-older employee segment has grown by a factor of two since 2000, and the AARP estimates that although about 10,000 baby boomers reach retirement age every day, only 5,900 will retire then. Slap said this trend is particularly profound in Connecticut, which has the sixth-oldest workforce in the United States. AARP Connecticut Director Nora Duncan said 35 percent of the U.S. workforce will be older than 50 by 2022, and the two fastest-growing workforce populations are those 65 to 74 and 75-plus. "They are also the folks who are telling us their experience in age discrimination," she noted.

Leading U.S. home care agency Home Instead Senior Care last year established a survey to gauge the benefits of pet ownership among older adults, reports Forbes . Seventy percent of respondents said their pet is a factor in making their decision of where to live in retirement, and 82 percent said they would not consider moving to a senior living community if no pets were allowed. Eighty-six percent said they would clearly feel lonely and decline in health without their pet. The most important benefit of pet ownership for senior respondents was "unconditional love," with 83 percent of those who live alone citing it as vital, while 73 percent of those who live with others also highlighted it. Seniors also saw benefits from interacting with pets at the homes of family, friends, and neighbors, and sometimes at a park. Dogs were the favorite pets for respondents, followed by cats.

Japanese retirees are taking over exercise venues in their home country, with gyms stepping up and looking to feature tai chi classes, hot baths, and more opportunities for socializing in the months to come, reports the Wall Street Journal . The 60-and-older clientele for the Renaissance fitness chain comprised only 3 percent of members 25 years ago. Now, one in three fill that category and, depending on the location and time of the day, customers are nearly all seniors. Renaissance gyms have programs like stretching classes to prevent back pain and brain exercises to keep minds sharp, while massage chairs and steps into the on-site swimming pool are being added to cater to retirees. Senior gym members have contributed to operators' revenue, with Japan's fitness industry posting a record $4.4 billion in 2018. Government statistics estimate that more than half of that revenue comes from people over 60, who tend to purchase full memberships. This coincides with a Japanese government push to encourage exercise as a way to rein in medical costs.

Former First Lady of California Maria Shriver's support of Alzheimer's disease research at the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) will continue with a second $100,000 grant to explore the roots of gender disparity, reports the Orange County Register . Alzheimer's affects twice as many women as men, and the latest infusion of seed grant money was facilitated through an alliance between Shriver's Women's Alzheimer's Movement and the UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders. The National Institutes of Health also announced a $1.9 million grant stemming from the first pilot study funded by the partnership between the two organizations. "I believe in the doctors that are here, the researchers that are here," Shriver declared. "I believe that investing in sex differences research is a part of how we get forward. Women are two-thirds of the caregivers and two-thirds of those impacted by the disease."

A study in Nature Medicine examined the aging process at the molecular level, which may yield insights that could affect the personal aging process via targeted medication or lifestyle modifications, reports NBC News . Stanford University researchers monitored 43 healthy adults over two years, analyzing blood and other biological samples for molecular changes. The team determined that people tend to fall into one of four biological aging pathways, or ageotypes: immune, kidney, liver, or metabolic. Metabolic agers, for example, may face a heightened risk for type 2 diabetes as they age while immune agers may generate more inflammation, and therefore be at a greater risk for immune-related disease. Meanwhile, liver and kidney ageotypes may be susceptible to liver or kidney diseases, respectively. Some participants fit multiple ageotypes, while others were aging in all four categories. Theoretically, if people can determine their personalized ageotype and how fast they are aging, they could actively attempt to influence it via pharmaceutical and other tailored interventions.

More than 30 older adults at risk of dementia are participating in a study on the beneficial effects of dancing at New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, reports CBS New York . For six months one group takes dance classes twice weekly while a second cohort walks on a treadmill, supplemented by cognitive tests and imaging. Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Helena Blumen noted there is evidence that exercise can positively impact the brain, while dancing could carry extra benefits. "So you dance. That's the aerobic part," she said. "But you also dance with other people so you socialize with them, which also has been shown to be effective. And you also learn new steps, which is cognitively demanding." Researchers think this study could eventually inspire senior communities to add dance classes.

Novavax announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track Designation to its NanoFlu recombinant quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine candidate, adjuvanted with Matrix-M, in adults 65 and older, reports Globe Newswire . "We believe that NanoFlu will offer an innovative improvement compared to traditional egg-based vaccines, which frequently result in mismatch and poor effectiveness," said Novavax CEO Stanley C. Erck. "We look forward to working closely with the FDA through the expedited review process, accelerating the access to this vaccine for the most vulnerable populations." The ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial seeks to assess NanoFlu's immunogenicity and safety versus the quadrivalent formulation of Fluzone. The trial's main goals are demonstrating non-inferior immunogenicity as quantified by hemagglutination inhibition titers of vaccine homologous flu strains compared to Fluzone, and describing its safety profile. Top-line clinical data from the trial is expected by the end of the first quarter of this year and could support a U.S. biologics license application and future licensure of NanoFlu using the FDA's accelerated approval pathway.

A forthcoming clinical trial in the Tampa Bay area aims to diagnose Alzheimer's disease sooner, reports ABC Action News . The procedure uses standard optometry and opthalmology equipment to scan the retinas for possible disease markers, which doctors hope will allow Alzheimer's to be detected up to 20 years before manifestation of symptoms. BayCare's Stuart Sinoff and doctors at Butler Hospital in Providence, RI, will soon launch the $5 million trial to study this method, which in addition to being faster than standard Alzheimer's diagnosis is much less expensive. The retina scan is calculated to only cost about $50, versus $4,500 for the average positron-emission tomography scan. Physicians are seeking 330 participants between the ages of 55 and 80, ranging from low-risk and very healthy to those with memory issues and people with mild Alzheimer's symptoms. Each participant will be examined at four intervals over a three-year period, and each study visit includes an eye exam, a medical history discussion, cognition and memory tests, and measures of mood, walking and balancing, and sleep patterns.