Federal officials have charged 35 people with Medicare fraud, reports KVEO News Center 23 . These false recruiters are scamming seniors across the United States to submit DNA samples for a "free" genetic cancer risk test, then charging their Medicare accounts for thousands of dollars. Frequent targets include senior centers, senior housing, health fairs, and even parking lots, where fraudsters try to persuade people to get a mouth swab for the free screening and then get their Medicare data. Texas Senior Medicare Patrol Director Jennifer Salazar says the scam also is perpetrated over the phone. "You'll get a call out of the blue and it'll be someone saying they're from Medicare and they need to update your information and they ask for your Medicare number," she says, adding that Medicare will never contact beneficiaries by phone. Under federal regulations, genetic testing can only be ordered by someone's doctor.

City College of San Francisco's (CCSF) recent announcement to end its Older Adults program in spring 2020 has provoked anger and distress, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . The program serves more than 2,000 students, many in their 70s and 80s, with more than four dozen free, non-credit classes. Many are held in senior communities, and topics include tai chi, music, figure drawing, theater, literature, writing, and computer skills. The classes are especially valued for relieving seniors' loneliness. CCSF had an operating budget of approximately $267 million in fiscal 2018, and the elimination of non-credit classes, mostly geared toward older adults, saves the college less than $1 million, according to officials. Writing instructor Audrey Ferber expressed outrage at the decision, saying "lifelong learning keeps seniors living and thinking longer, and it keeps them out of doctors' offices." Ferber also questioned officials' claim that the cuts are part of a long-term plan. "Shouldn't they have helped steer us in the direction of finding alternative funding before leaving us out in the cold?" she argued.

Ohio Reps. Phil Plummer (R) and Thomas West (D) have proposed state legislation to improve care requirements for people with dementia from police officers and medical service personnel, reports WDTN-TV Channel 2 . Under the bill, such professionals would receive training on how to identify and interact with those with dementia. Training would include at least two hours of instruction with satisfactory completion of basic training at an approved center. This training would concentrate on: identifying people with dementia, including psychiatric and behavioral signs; respectful and effective communication with individuals with dementia and caregivers; methods to address the behavioral symptoms of dementia, including substitutes for physical restraint; identifying and reporting abuse, neglect, and exploitation of persons with dementia to the office of attorney general; procedures for contacting caregivers when someone with dementia is found wandering or during an emergency or crisis; local resources available for people with dementia; and local and national agencies that assist police with finding missing and wandering individuals with dementia and returning them to caregivers. The Alzheimer's Association in Dayton praises the bill.

Louise Aronson, author of "Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life," argues against considering old age as a stigma perpetuated by society and compounded in the United States by a lack of geriatricians, reports MarketWatch . She blames a vicious cycle "where we create places that cater to seniors and then we say older people are socially isolated and we don't see them." Aronson also warns that "older people are the ones who are most likely to be harmed by medical care because the bodies are different, the risks and procedures are felt differently" compared to younger people. She says one example of caretakers is often mistaking delirium in older adults as a sign of dementia, noting "in the medical field, you can get care for the wrong need." Aronson adds that progress and improvement hinges on acknowledging the older population's unique needs, which can include geriatric emergency departments and geriatric sections in hospitals. "We need to think of older adults of all ages more," she concludes.

Two studies in Psychology and Aging found seniors feel no more lonely than those from earlier generations despite media-promulgated suggestions of a "loneliness epidemic," reports U.S. News & World Report . The U.S.- and Netherlands-based studies acknowledged that loneliness tends to be more profound after age 75 or so, yet modern older adults are no more likely to feel isolated or lacking in companionship than previous generations. The Dutch study found seniors may actually be less lonely now, because they tend to have more self-confidence and a sense of control over their lives. Assumptions of a loneliness epidemic among seniors are based on societal shifts like contracting family sizes, divorce, and less participation in religious and civic organizations. However, Louise Hawkley with the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center said these changes do not necessarily translate to more feelings of loneliness. According to the U.S. study , baby boomers' feelings of loneliness seems to be similar to the previous generation. George Mason University's James Maddux found the Dutch study especially interesting by citing the variables of self-efficacy and mastery over one's life, which together may cushion older adults against loneliness.

Hospice of the Valley Medical Director Gillian Hamilton is using virtual reality to make young people more empathetic of persons living with dementia, reports KJZZ News . "The main people involved in dementia care are 50 and older," Hamilton notes. "We're not getting young people saying, 'I love dementia.'" Students in Hamilton's course at Arizona State University use safety goggles, thick gloves, and headphones to immerse themselves in a virtual simulation, performing tasks like buttoning shirts while being barraged by distracting visual and audio input. The gloves also hinder fine movements. Hamilton says this training is designed to break down the stigma of dementia once a person learns more about the condition.

A long-shot bid to expand health care benefits for seniors is beginning to gain attention as part of Democrats' signature health care bill, which the House is expected to vote on Thursday, Roll Call reports. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and committee leaders are aiming to use savings from the drug bill to add dental, hearing and vision benefits to Medicare. Democrats say the legislation could result in $500 billion in savings over a decade, based on guidance they received from the Congressional Budget Office. Despite increasing evidence that dental, vision and hearing care are critical to long-term health, House Democrats hoping for enactment would have to overcome reservations from some Republicans, as well as high-powered provider and health insurance groups wary of increasing the federal government's influence. If Democrats are successful, the bills would plug critical holes in the federal health program for seniors. Groups such as the American Council of Life Insurers, the National Association of Dental Plans, the National Association of Vision Care Plans, the International Hearing Society, and the American Optometric Association endorse the idea.

On Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. ET, UsAgainstAlzheimer's is set to hold an informational webinar on regional efforts to foster dementia-capable communities, with a focus on underrepresented and under-resourced populations. Attendees who register at the link above will learn about projects supported by the Administration for Community Living to promote dementia capability via such innovative models as community health workers.

GlamourGals is a program founded by Rachel Doyle in which teenagers visit assisted living communities to offer seniors companionship and fun with makeup sessions, reports the Epoch Times . Since its establishment in 1999, GlamourGals has expanded into a national movement, organizing more than 1,300 teen volunteers in 18 states to provide makeovers to women in senior communities. The 501c3 GlamourGals Foundation also raises funds through the #dough4good campaign to support its teen leadership program, where high school students are trained on working with seniors and becoming entrepreneurs in their own right. "Teens have found compassion in their lives through this program," Doyle said. "Being a GlamourGals volunteer is being a good listener."

The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology have stopped recommending aspirin to prevent heart disease or stroke for healthy older Americans, reports KLFY . A review of past studies of more than 130,000 people aged 42 to 74 showed the drug can cause severe bleeding inside the skull. Subjects given a placebo had a 0.46 percent risk of having bleeding inside their skulls, versus a 0.63 percent risk for takers of low-dose aspirin. People of Asian backgrounds and those with a body mass index of less than 25 had the greatest brain bleed risk, according to the research.