Adults 65 and older are adopting technology rapidly and are more connected than ever before, reports Psychology Today . Expected booms in the older adult U.S. population add urgency to the need to capitalize on accessible means for support and improving quality of life and wellbeing for seniors. Technology can play a critical role, as demonstrated by the surging popularity of mental health applications, which offer diverse uses. Such tools can support mood and mental health screening questionnaires, skill-building exercises founded on techniques such as mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy, and linkage to licensed mental health professionals. Older adult populations often face compounded hindrances to traditional mental health services, which can be surmounted via technology-enabled programs. Videochat programs have been connected to more positive mental health status, while the use of videochat services for mental health support is expanding. Other helpful technology utilizations include app-based programs that uphold wellbeing. They include behavioral activation style reminders on smartphones and on voice-activated personal assistants.

An Experian study found some Americans' credit scores have not recovered since the Great Recession 10 years ago, with older consumers experiencing the sharpest drops from 2008 to 2018, reports MarketWatch . The average credit scores of Americans 72 and older fell 40 points from 772 to 732, the largest decline for any age group. The second-largest decrease was seen in 51- to 71-year-olds, whose scores slipped 17 points from 723 to 706. According to the AARP Public Policy Institute's Lori Trawinski, seniors have seen "sharp increases in the amount of debt of all types," with living costs overtaking retirees' fixed income as one reason why their credit scores have not risen. Complications adding to their dilemma include a spouse who dies, leaving the survivor the same housing costs with less income. Unexpected job loss before a planned retirement and/or a sudden, major illness are additional disruptors. Longer life expectancy also concerns Trawinski, who notes seniors with few savings may be too frail to work. Kelley Motley, senior director of analytics at Experian, further observes that older Americans carried higher amounts of revolving debt on credit and retail cards and use fewer cards. As a result, they are drawing on those same lines of credit more often.

A study of people 79 to 99 years old published in Cell Stem Cell observed the formation of new neurons well into old age, even in those with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's, reports Medical Xpress . "There was active neurogenesis in the hippocampus of older adults well into their 90s," noted University of Illinois at Chicago Professor Orly Lazarov. "The interesting thing is that we also saw some new neurons in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairment." Lazarov added that people who scored better on measures of cognitive function had more newly developing neurons in the hippocampus versus subjects who scored lower on these tests. The implication is that lower levels of neurogenesis in the hippocampus are connected to symptoms of cognitive decline and less synaptic plasticity, rather than to brain pathology levels, which for people with Alzheimer's include clumps of neurotoxic proteins. "In brains from people with no cognitive decline who scored well on tests of cognitive function, these people tended to have higher levels of new neural development at the time of their death, regardless of their level of pathology," Lazarov said. "The mix of the effects of pathology and neurogenesis is complex, and we don't understand exactly how the two interconnect. But there is clearly a lot of variation from individual to individual."

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine demonstrated that an antibiotic compound affected the gut bacteria in mice to the degree that it retarded the growth and development of Alzheimer's in males, reports Medical News Today . The antibiotic mix was tested on the mouse model of Alzheimer's, called APPPS1-21, to see how it impacted the formation of amyloid plaques and the activation of microglia in the brain. Long-term antibiotic use was found to affect male and female mice gut microbiomes differently. Unlike males, changes in the females' microbiome affected the immune system, increasing production of factors that could boost microglia activation. The scientists then transplanted fecal matter from APPPS1-21 male mice that had not been given the antibiotics into those that had received the treatment. This was found to reestablish the gut microbiome, elevating amyloid plaque formation and microglia activation. "Our study shows that antibiotic-mediated perturbations of the gut microbiome have selective, sex-specific influences on amyloid plaque formation and microglial activity in the brain," said University of Chicago Professor Sangram S. Sisodia. "We now want to investigate whether these outcomes can be attributed to changes in any particular type of bacteria."

New research published in Brain suggests virtual reality (VR) can identify early Alzheimer's with more accuracy than current standard cognitive tests, reports ScienceDaily . The researchers had participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) wear VR headsets, who performed worse on a virtual navigation task than healthy controls. Individuals with MCI who also had positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers also performed worse than those with negative CSF biomarkers. In addition, the VR navigation task differentiated low- from high-risk MCI carriers with greater accuracy than a series of currently-used tests deemed the gold standard for early Alzheimer's diagnosis. "These results suggest a VR test of navigation may be better at identifying early Alzheimer's disease than tests we use at present in clinic and in research studies," said the University of Cambridge's Dennis Chan.

More and more Wisconsin stores are trying to help shoppers with memory loss, reports Channel 3000 . The Aging and Disability Resource Center of Dane County has been striving since 2013 to boost awareness and empathy for people living with dementia in the county, with the setup of dementia-friendly spaces so that people with memory loss can more easily obtain basic staples. The Agrace Thrift Store-West in Madison recently acquired "dementia-friendly" status, after staff and volunteers underwent Dementia-Friendly Community training from a certified "dementia practitioner." Participants become skilled in noticing cues suggesting customers or guests may be experiencing memory issues or confusion, which helps foster a welcoming atmosphere where visitors with dementia are treated with dignity and respect. More than 110,000 Wisconsin citizens have dementia, and this population will only grow as baby boomers age and human longevity improves.

A survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found 60 percent of adults 60 and over say older U.S. workers are "always" or "often" discriminated against, as do 43 percent of adults younger than 45, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune . Federal law prohibits age discrimination in employment, but 66 percent of adults 60 and older — and 65 percent of those between 45 and 59 — think age is against them when seeking work. Ten percent of those 60 and over and about 20 percent of those in the 45 to 59 category say their age is the reason for being passed over for a raise, promotion, or opportunity to get ahead. In contrast, younger adults are more likely to believe their age gives them a competitive edge. Nearly 50 percent of respondents under 30 and about 33 percent of those 30 to 44 consider their age an advantage. Looking at gender, 75 percent of women older than 45 cite ageism as a problem when seeking employment, versus 65 percent of older men. "For women, we see an early onset of cases of age discrimination, and the discrimination is much more severe," notes Tulane University Professor Patrick Button. "I think there is a lot of sexism in aging."

The United Health Foundation's 2019 America's Health Rankings listed Hawaii as the top U.S. state in terms of senior health, according to U.S. News World Report . Researchers analyzed each state across 34 measures of health, including smoking habits, affordability of healthcare services, and risk of social isolation. The report indicated that Rhode Island, Wisconsin, California, and Montana experienced the most improvement in their overall health ranking since 2013, while Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Iowa witnessed the biggest decline. The five lowest-ranked states were Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. On a national scale, the study found that hospice care rose 48 percent from 2013, climbing from 36.7 percent to 54.4 percent of Medicare decedents 65 and older who were enrolled during their last six months of life.

A study from the United Health Foundation estimates that physical inactivity among Louisianans 65 and older has declined by 18 percent, reports KPEL . According to United Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Rhonda Randall, only 31.5 percent of that population now say they are physically inactive. Depression incidence has climbed 43 percent over the last six years, and the study showed a correlation between seniors with chronic illnesses and certain lifestyle activities, and higher depression rates. "Seniors who are using alcohol, who are physically inactive, who are smokers, who are living in poverty, or have less number of years of education have a tendency to have higher rates of depression," Randall concluded.

America's Health Rankings' 2019 Senior Report said the state of Ohio has made progress in improving senior citizens' health, although more work is needed, according to the Cleveland Scene . The state's overall ranking rose to 30th place from 34th last year, while also ranking 15th in clinical care. Ohio received good grades for the number of home healthcare workers, hospice care use, and high prevalence of seniors with a committed medical provider. United Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Rhonda Randall cited higher rates of physical inactivity and smoking as areas of concern. "Those two unhealthy behaviors really put a significant burden on the lives of individuals, the communities where they live, and the healthcare system," she said. Randall also called obesity a lingering issue, affecting one in three Ohioans 65 and older. Preventable hospitalizations, the number of early deaths, and diabetes management for Medicare enrollees also were singled out as areas needing improvement. More positively, Ohio topped the national rankings for the percentage of Medicare enrollees 65 and older with prescription drug plans that are well-aligned with their needs.