A study in Alzheimer's & Dementia found people who slept for nine hours or more every night had deteriorated memory and language skills that signal early dementia, reports MetroUK . These problems also were found in persons who got less than six hours of nightly sleep, while seven to eight hours is still considered the ideal sleeptime. Excessive sleep has been associated with white matter hyperintensities thought to originate from decreased blood flow to the brain, and such lesions elevate the risk of cognitive decline, dementia, and stroke. The researchers studied 5,247 Hispanic participants, between 45 and 75 years old. Only 15 percent slept an average of nine hours each night, and this group saw their cognitive performance decline across the board by the end of the seven years, while their memory worsened by 13 percent and their word fluency fell by 20 percent. "We observed that prolonged periods of sleep and chronic insomnia symptoms led to declines in memory, executive function, and processing speed," said University of Miami Miller School Professor Alberto R. Ramos. "Those measures can precede the development of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. We may also be able to identify at-risk persons who may benefit from early intervention to prevent or reduce the risk of dementia."

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests a connection between social isolation and osteoarthritis, reports EurekAlert . The condition could drive other issues that can elevate the risk of isolation, such as anxiety and depression, fear of moving around because of joint pain, physical inactivity, and being unable to take care of oneself. The researchers analyzed 1,973 participants about 73 years old from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Britain. Half were women, and nearly 30 percent had arthritis with roughly 20 percent socially isolated at the beginning of the study. Non-isolated subjects were usually younger, had higher incomes and level of education, were more likely to be physically active, in less physical pain, and walked faster and were in better health overall. Thirteen percent of the 1,585 non-isolated participants had become socially isolated 12 to 18 months later. They also were in poorer health and had worse osteoarthritis, less physical activity, slower walking times, depression, and thinking/decision-making difficulties.

A study in the British Journal of Psychiatry found the population of people 65 or older who take antidepressants has more than doubled in the past 20 years, while the number of seniors diagnosed with depression has hardly changed, reports Medscape . Researchers interviewed more than 15,000 adults 65 or older in Britain and Wales, between 1991 and 1993 and between 2008 and 2011. Only a slight decline in depression prevalence was observed, from 7.9 percent in the earlier period to 6.8 percent. Nevertheless, the percentage of adults on antidepressants soared from 4.2 percent in the early period to 10.7 percent 20 years later. The researchers expressed uncertainty that the increase in treatment indicated overdiagnosis or the prescribing of antidepressants for ailments other than depression. "Sometimes treatment is given for mild depression which falls outside of our definition of depression — much of the evidence for the effectiveness of antidepressants is for people with moderate or severe depression," acknowledged the University of East Anglia's Antony Arthur.

A study published in Circulation demonstrates that more aggressive daily blood pressure control improves brain health in older adults, reports Medical Xpress . The researchers tracked 199 seniors with hypertension who were 75 years and older over three years. The team monitored the potential benefits of an intensive anti-hypertensive medication regime to obtain a 24-hour systolic blood pressure target of less than 130 mmHg compared to the standard measure of about 145 mmHg. A significant reduction in the accrual of brain white matter disease in the intensive treatment cohort was observed. Three years later, this accumulation was reduced by up to 40 percent in the those receiving intensive blood pressure therapy compared to those on standard therapy. Moreover, the intensive treatment cohort had fewer cardiovascular events including heart attack, stroke, and hospitalization from heart failure than the standard cohort. "The results . . . demonstrate that a lower ambulatory blood pressure goal for older adults is likely to conserve future brain function and health," concluded University of Connecticut School of Medicine Professor Leslie Wolfson.

With the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicting 41 percent of the American workforce will be older than 55 and 33 percent older than 65 by 2024, the Department of Labor expects baby boomers to be entirely unemployed within a decade, reports Forbes . Erosion of corporate leadership is likely, as the Korn Ferry Institute in 2017 found the average age of a CEO, across all industries, is 58. The oldest CEOs are 60 while the youngest are 55. The absence of a formalized leadership development process is endemic to most enterprises, and business leaders should prepare for their industries to change dramatically in the next several decades. Among the factors impacting leaders is the stunting of leadership development and opportunities in Generation X employees, who also are a much smaller demographic than boomers. Meanwhile, the cultivation of millennial leaders through experience is still a work a progress. Strategies for remedying this situation include leaders contacting industry professional associations to see if they've developed or are developing a process to strengthen younger generations' leadership skills.

An increasing non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) incidence rate in seniors requires providers to employ shared decision-making techniques with older adults and caregivers to help them make informed treatment decisions, reports Dermatology Times . Forefront Dermatology surgeon Molly Moye in Kentucky says NMSCs are often detected in seniors as an incidental finding when they are being seen for a different reason. A biopsy of all suspicious lesions is often supported as the only way to avoid overlooking a more serious tumor, and Moye suggests this risk should be limited by educating seniors and their families to monitor for troubling changes and the value of returning for regular follow-up. "There is reason to intervene if a lesion is symptomatic, such that it is bleeding, itching, or painful, or if it is reported to be growing rapidly," she says. "In the case of a lesion that is likely to be an indolent basal cell carcinoma and not bothersome . . . however, I consider . . . overall health status, life expectancy, and the likely consequences of treatment versus no treatment, and I have a conversation with the senior and his or her family to achieve shared decision making." In certain instances of high-risk or advanced NMSC, surgery may be refused or contraindicated for reasons that include comorbidity or the probability of significant disfigurement or functional impairment.

Australia's Men's Shed movement, which brought groups of men together to work on projects, has been imported to Minnesota to make life more interesting for retirees, according to Minnesota Public Radio . "Men's Shed . . . sounded great, terrific, Boy Scouts for old guys and just a lot of fun," said Hopkins, Minn., retiree Phil Johnson. "Then I found out that there weren't any in the United States, so I wanted to get the organization going." Johnson organized the first meetings at the Hopkins Activity Center, and then Center staff put members to work with tasks around the building. The group has since collaboratively hosted shelving, gardening, and painting events. "We do programming for older adults and we were just enthused to be able to bring this group here, give these guys a place to hold their meetings, give resources and ideas on projects, and keep them busy," said the Center's Debbie Vold. The group meets on Thursdays, ranging in age from early 60s to mid-90s. It has grown to work on projects in and around the community, including bench building and park clean-ups.

Rep. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.) recently proposed legislation to limit how much U.S. seniors must pay for life-saving medication, reports KFOR . Horn's Capping Out-of-Pocket Costs for Seniors Act aims to reduce prescription drug costs for the 46 million Medicare Part D enrollees by setting a cap of $2,000. "The high cost of prescription drugs forces too many seniors to choose between putting food on the table and lifesaving medication," Horn stated. "I've heard from Oklahomans who are spending thousands of dollars a month on prescription drugs alone. We have to take action to address this crisis." The measure also seeks to modernize the incentive structure for Part D plans by slashing the government's portion of catastrophic coverage from 80 percent to 20 percent over four years. "Medicare beneficiaries across the country are facing high out-of-pocket costs for many medications . . . even with Part D coverage," said Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.)

Devoted Health of Massachusetts has signed a contract with Apple, in which customers enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans will be offered up to $150 for the purchase of an Apple Watch, which also can be used to cover exercise and nutrition classes, reports MetroWest Daily News . The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved the contract, with Devoted saying its goal is to give seniors as many tools as they need to stay healthy even outside of the doctor's office. Gemphire Therapeutics CEO Steve Gullans said this program challenges the traditional healthcare paradigm. He noted access to large amounts of beneficiary data is required from providers, which means more tools will be commercialized and the healthcare system can change from an emphasis on disease treatment to prevention. However, Gullans noted providers may be unwilling to share this information. Meanwhile, Framingham State University's Stephen Lemire questions whether Medicare will reimburse the Apple Watch's costs fully or partly.

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has selected Emory University to receive a federal five-year grant of more than $73 million to underwrite international research into Alzheimer's prevention drugs, reports the Emory Wheel . Through the grant, the Georgia-based school will set up the Open Drug Discovery Center for Alzheimer's under the direction of Professor Allan Levey, with Sage Bionetworks and the Structural Genomics Consortium filling out the research team. Levey said the center seeks to widen the search for therapeutic possibilities beyond amyloid proteins and neurofibrillary tangles. The goal is to generate chemical and biological tools for identifying and treating other proteins that may contribute to the disorder in animal models and later in human clinical trials. Researchers will share results through regular communication, to ultimately develop drugs that decelerate the neural changes that lead to Alzheimer's. Prevention will be prioritized via development of biomarkers for risk factors and offering treatment to those at risk. "Those early changes that we're finding in the brain are beginning 15-20 years before symptoms begin," Levey said. "Since most of those people are older when they get symptoms, if we can delay the onset of the symptoms for even five or 10 years, we can prevent the disease in many people."