A pilot study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests mindfulness meditation may help older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), reports Psych Central . Mindfulness entails maintaining a moment-by-moment, non-judgmental cognizance of thoughts, feelings, sensations, and surroundings. "Our study showed promising evidence that adults with MCI can learn to practice mindfulness meditation, and by doing so may boost their cognitive reserve," said Wake Forest School of Medicine's Professor Rebecca Erwin Wells. She added that practical application of mindfulness meditation "requires complex cognitive processes, discipline, and commitment." The team enlisted 14 men and women between 55 and 90 diagnosed with MCI, and randomized them to either an eight-week course involving mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR) plus yoga, or a control group on a waiting list. The nine subjects who completed the MBSR program exhibited improved measures of cognition and well-being, and signs of positive effects on the hippocampus. "Most participants were able to learn the key tenets of mindfulness, demonstrating that the memory impairment of MCI does not preclude learning such skills," Wells noted.

Hurricane Dorian is a test case of Florida's senior evacuation efforts, reports the New York Times . The AARP estimates that retirees comprise 20 percent of the Sunshine State's population, and a new Florida law mandates nursing and assisted living communities have backup generators and sufficient fuel to maintain comfortable temperatures. Approximately 190,000 people live in such communities, mainly in the state's southeastern tip. On Monday, Patrick Manderfield with Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration said all but 42 of the state's 3,062 licensed assisted living communities had an on-site generator, while five communities had emergency plans to evacuate "if needed." According to Reuters , on Friday some nursing communities were still awaiting temporary generators, although a state website suggested they might have all been supplied by Monday afternoon. Last week, the Miami Herald disclosed that close to 60 percent of the state's 687 nursing communities lacked enough backup power. Large communities for seniors requiring constant care have implemented complex emergency plans, ranging from mass evacuations to other centers elsewhere in the state to specialty vehicle transportation for frailer residents. "If you're taking an older adult from their normal room to transport them to another community where they're maybe on a mattress, you just try to make it the best atmosphere," said Amy Dickens with the Orlando Lutheran Towers community.

A study published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscle detailed how researchers at McGill University Health Center authored new criteria for better diagnosing sarcopenia, which causes loss of muscle mass in older adults, reports the Montreal Gazette . "Healthy lifestyle could definitely contribute to delaying the effects of the disease," says McGill's Stéphanie Chevalier. "We are working to determine the best preventive approaches." The scientists learned about 22 percent of Canadian Caucasians who are at least 65 years old have sarcopenia, while about a quarter have dynapenia, which erodes muscle strength. Six percent suffer both these afflictions. Previous sarcopenia/dynapenia diagnosis criteria were found to be arbitrary and less precise, and the team set up new cut-off points based on data culled from 9,000 adults aged 65 to 86. Chevalier thinks the new criteria can help doctors "predict who among people having low muscle mass will also have lower physical function and lower physical strength."

A U.S. Census Bureau report suggested the senior populace may triple over the next 50 years and comprise 23 percent of all seniors, according to Bloomberg . The bureau calculated that naturalized citizens, lawful residents, or migrants totaled 14 percent of the over-65 population in 2018. Close to 75 percent are naturalized and lived in the United States for more than 30 years, with Latin America their main point of origin. The over-65 demographic is forecast to increase to 22 million by 2060, bringing the total U.S. senior segment to 98.2 million. The Census report for 2012-2016 showed more Asian and Latin American immigrants than traditional European and African immigrants. Fewer than 50 percent of older foreign-born residents spoke English solely at home, with those from Latin America and Asia "most likely to speak English less than 'very well.'" The bureau noted the bulk of foreign-born seniors "from the rest of the world . . . were more likely to speak only English at home." Over half of older foreign residents were based in California, Florida, and New York, while seniors from outside the U.S. mainly lived in the west and south.

A Singaporean study in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society found older adults who lacked visual or hearing impairments enjoyed longer lives free from limits on daily activities and a greater life expectancy, reports Optometry Today . The life expectancy of a 60-year-old with impaired vision and hearing was on average 4.2 years shorter than one without either handicap. Within this demographic, someone with both senses impaired also could expect to spend three more years of their life physically limited, compared to someone without either impairment. "Timely and appropriate management of vision and hearing impairment, especially when coexisting, among older adults has the potential to reduce the years of life they live with limitation in physical function and in activities of daily living," the researchers concluded.

With roughly 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every day, technology companies are striving to improve their lives and line their own pockets with new innovations, reports The Guardian . "At retirement communities these days, technology is no longer a selling point, it's an expectation," says Davis Park with nonprofit retirement community manager Front Porch. In Burlingame, Calif., the Trousdale assisted living community issues tablet computers to new residents, with bedrooms equipped with smart sensor lighting that adjusts to the routines of each occupant. Meanwhile, Rhoda Goldman Plaza in San Francisco provides "decision-support tools" for its senior residents, including a Useful Apps club to help them "unlock the potential of your smartphone," supporting apps like pill organizers, medication reminders, and Amazon Alexa guides. Senior tech remains inconsistent, with some offerings truly helpful while others not always fulfilling their promise. "Technology for seniors is a great marketing tool, but unless you support it with training, it's useless," cautions Rhoda Goldman Plaza's Candiece Milford.

A study in Science Translational Medicine discovered the protein TREM2 may play a mitigating role in Alzheimer's disease progression, reports Medical Xpress . The researchers found subjects with higher concentrations of TREM2 in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at various stages of the disease have a more positive prognosis, compared to those with lower concentrations. TREM2 is generated in the brain by microglial immune cells, and induces microglia to encapsulate and selectively kill toxic protein aggregates typical for Alzheimer's. The team verified that higher TREM2 levels were found in subjects where memory was less unstable and the rate of hippocampal shrinkage was less pronounced. "Our findings are of clinical relevance, because these subjects displayed a consistently reduced risk of developing dementia over a period of 11 years," says Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Professor Michael Ewers. TREM2's presence in the CSF typically increases during the early stages of Alzheimer's. "We are currently developing a therapeutic antibody that stimulates the TREM2 function and thus improves its protective effect," says LMU Professor Christian Haass.

Older adults are the fastest expanding global and U.S. labor segment amid low unemployment and problems recruiting and keeping talent, reports the Daily Camera . A Wall Street Journal article noted "the rise in labor-force participation of over-55-year-olds in Italy, Japan, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and France since 2001 equates to a combined 18.8 million workers, or a 5.5 percent boost in their supply of labor." The article credited pension changes, improved health, and education as underlying factors, mitigating drag on the growth of aging populations and fortifying public finances. The understanding that the American workforce is aging, and the potential difficulties companies face finding skilled workers in a knowledge-based economy, has fueled greater consideration for retention of an older workforce. For example, in Boulder County, Colo., the county chamber and Workforce Boulder County have worked with business owners to broaden employee searches and prevent turnover in a tight labor market, and helped businesses seek competencies while hiring. The chamber also is raising awareness about the advantages of older workers and cultivating a multi-generational workforce. Age-Friendly Work Place Initiative Director Karen M. Brown emphasizes the need for employers to rethink hiring practices and stop relying on stereotypical images of older workers as too expensive and unwilling to gain new knowledge and skills.

A study published in Archives of Sexual Behavior associated a lack of sexual activity and function among older adults with worse health outcomes, including cancer, coronary heart disease (CHD), and fair or poor self-rated health, reports News-Medical . The researchers analyzed data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging recorded from 2013 and 2017, with male and female participants 50 and older residing in the United Kingdom. Generally, men who have less sexual activity if they are 50 and older may have a 66 percent higher risk of serious illness. Less sexually engaged women had a 64 percent higher risk of reporting ill health, but no apparent marked increase in the risk of serious illness. Men who grew less interested in sex were 63 percent more likely to receive a cancer diagnosis, and 41 percent more likely to develop chronic illness. Meanwhile, men who reported lessened sexual desire had a 33 percent greater chance of reporting a CHD diagnosis at baseline compared to those who had stable or increased sexual desire, as well as a 41 percent higher risk of incident limiting long-standing illness and 63 percent elevated risk of incident cancer. The frequency of sexual intercourse and activities also correlated with a decline in self-rated health for both men and women.

A study presented at the Retirement and Disability Research Consortium found debt levels among older Americans could carry serious consequences for their mental health as well as their finances, reports MarketWatch . The average total consumer debt of U.S. households headed by someone 65 or older in 2016 was 2.5 times 2001 levels and nearly 4.5 times 1989 levels. About 60 percent of households 65 and up carried debt in 2016, from about 42 percent in 1992. There also are indications that recent activity in the bond markets is raising alarms that trade, tariff, and currency tensions may be driving a recession, adding to seniors' stress. Being in debt is pushing people in their 60s and older to postpone retirement as well as filing for Social Security. These and other findings add credibility to the notion that older adults settle "stressful" debts like credit card debt and second mortgages first.