A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found almost half of 13,940 adults 65 and older reported difficulty hearing, and those reporting difficulty also had lower levels of active participation in their healthcare, according to News-Medical . Compared with individuals reporting "no trouble" hearing, those reporting "some trouble" had a 42 percent higher risk of less participation, while the comparable risk increase was 70 percent for those with "a lot of trouble" hearing. The investigators noted clinicians' awareness of hearing loss, and the use of simple steps to improve communication, could help older adults more actively participate. "Poor hearing puts individuals at risk for poor outcomes," said New York University's Jan Blustein. "For example, people with hearing loss may be unable to understand their doctor when she explains medication changes. Attending to hearing loss could pay off in greater ... involvement in care and better health."

A review of studies on robotic pets for people with dementia published in Psychiatry Research drew an association between time spent with the robots to reductions in depression and agitation, reports NBC News . "Pets play an important companion role whatever your age," notes Simon Fraser University's Andrew Sixsmith. "For some people with dementia, a real pet might not be feasible, so this might help." Monica Moreno with the Alzheimer's Association thinks this is a viable concept. "There is certainly anecdotal evidence to suggest that this kind of interaction may help some people living with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease or other dementias," she says. According to Tombot Chief Executive Tom Stevens, robotic companions have tended to either be very expensive or too simplistic. He started his company to address these two factors. He is especially proud of the Tombot's puppyish head movements, facial expressions, and wagging tail that help overcome the "uncanny valley" — i.e., when startlingly realistic robots modeled after actual creatures become creepy.

A study published in Nature found CD22 — a B-cell receptor that governs immune responses — to be a negative controller of microglial phagocytosis, which might improve cognitive function in people with Alzheimer's, reports Fierce Biotech . The researchers tested nearly 3,000 genes that are currently targetable with drugs for clues as to which ones might play a role in age-related decline in microglial phagocytosis. They inhibited each gene to observe its effects on mice's microglia while also examining the hippocampus to ascertain what genetic changes are happening in young and old animals. Older microglia generated more copies of CD22 than younger ones, and blocking CD22 promoted microglial phagocytosis. The team continuously infused CD22 antibodies on both sides of mice's brains, and a month later the CD22-inhibited aged mice exhibited improved spatial memory and associative memory in two tests versus the control mice. "CD22 is a new target we think can be exploited for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases," declared Stanford University's Tony Wyss-Coray.

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) has obtained multi-year grant funding from several foundations to spearhead the next phase of the Reframing Aging Initiative, reports EurekAlert . The goal is to counter ageism and guide U.S. strategies to ensure healthy and productive aging for all people across their life spans. Archstone Foundation, the John A. Hartford Foundation, the Retirement Research Foundation, and the SCAN Foundation will underwrite the GSA effort, with additional funding from Endowment for Health. "It's now been 50 years since pioneering gerontologist Robert Butler coined the term 'ageism,'" says GSA Chief Executive James Appleby. "Changing cultural attitudes is not a small undertaking, but we have to start, playing our appropriate leadership role as researchers, practitioners, and educators in the aging field." The Leaders of Aging Organizations previously collaborated with the nonprofit FrameWorks Institute to research public perceptions of aging, and then FrameWorks developed and tested approaches and tools to reduce implicit bias against seniors. The next phase will entail GSA building an infrastructure to sustain the initiative's traction, and engage professionals in the field to boost awareness of the initiative and the resources available. GSA also will supply training and technical assistance, as well as back local, regional, and state organizations in their efforts to counter pervasive ageism.

A new Gallup survey of 3,537 adults found Americans borrowed about $88 billion to pay for healthcare last year, and one in four skipped care due to costs, reports USA Today . Lower-income adults were more likely to waive care or fear bankruptcy over spiraling medical costs, but richer households also skipped care over financial concerns. "Lower-income brackets had the most fear," says West Health's Tim Lash. However, he adds "that fear persisted even for those we would associate with the middle class and upper middle class. It's not just those living at or slightly above poverty that are concerned. It's even the more affluent among us." Gallup researcher Dan Witters says about one in eight respondents said they borrowed to pay healthcare costs for themselves or a family member, and 2.7 million Americans borrowed at least $10,000, while another 1.6 million borrowed more than $5,000. Gallup determined people often do not know what they will pay for care at a hospital or for an outpatient surgery, with about one in three respondents saying doctors discussed cost before ordering a recommended drug or procedure. Moreover, respondents who identified as Republican were more likely than Democrats to highly rate U.S. healthcare quality, yet 66 percent of respondents in both parties were "not at all confident" that Congress could agree on a bipartisan solution to reducing health costs.

A report from Boston College's Center for Retirement Research (CRR) estimated that more than 65 percent of people between 55 and 64 were working early this year, up from 63.9 percent in 2015, according to The Motley Fool . The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also said workforce participation among people 65 and older climbed in February 2019 to 25.2 percent from 24 percent in February 2018. An increase in the number of working Americans 55 to 64 since 2015 is positive, in light of other metrics painting a more negative job outlook. The Urban Institute estimated that about 56 percent of adults in their early 50s lost a job involuntarily in the past 25 years due to layoffs, being passed over for promotion, and resignations stemming from conflict with supervisors. The CRR suspects two forces are at work improving job prospects for older Americans. The first is a strong job market, with U.S. workforce participation reaching its highest level in more than 50 years. The second factor is the large number of baby boomers, along with an increase in that generation's average life span.

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society is concerned with acetaminophen's potentially harmful effect on the health of older adults, reports SlashGear . The researchers sought a potential link between the pain reliever's use in older men and women and serious cardiac events like heart attacks and stroke, as well as death. A total of 5,429 nursing community residents, average age 86, participated. Of those, 74 percent were women. A total of 2,239 subjects were already on acetaminophen. Apart from one exception, the investigators did not observe an association between taking this pain reliever and increased heart attacks, stroke, or death. However, diabetics who took acetaminophen had a "slightly higher" risk of a stroke compared to non-diabetics.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) is promoting bipartisan legislation called the Younger-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Act to guarantee that persons diagnosed with Alzheimer's before age 60 have access to programs and support services, reports WPRI . Casey argued research funding must be increased to the billions of dollars to really make a positive impact. "Just in Pennsylvania alone, 280,000 people have this disease," he noted. "We lose more than 4,200 to Alzheimer's every year." Clay Jacobs of the Greater Pennsylvania Alzheimer's Association informed the Senate Special Committee on Aging at a recent hearing that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 14 million people will be living with Alzheimer's by 2060. At the hearing, senators from both parties pledged to cooperate to fund research for a cure and deliver a comprehensive approach for care. "While Alzheimer's robs our loved ones of precious memories, I stand with you to do everything we can to make Alzheimer's a memory one day," declared Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says brain scans can improve diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease, reports WebMD . The researchers assessed the use of positron-emission tomography (PET) scans to identify Alzheimer's-related amyloid plaques in the brain in more than 11,000 Medicare beneficiaries with mild thinking impairment or dementia of uncertain cause. The scans changed the diagnosis of the cause of mental impairment in more than one-third of the participants. In addition, the brain scan results changed management, including the use of medications and counseling, in almost two-thirds of cases. "These results present highly credible, large-scale evidence that amyloid PET imaging can be a powerful tool to improve the accuracy of Alzheimer's diagnosis and lead to better medical management, especially in difficult-to-diagnose cases," noted the Alzheimer's Association's Maria Carrillo.

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine sought to ascertain whether a minimum amount of physical activity could lead to health benefits in older adults, reports USA Today . All study participants had pain from osteoarthritis in lower-extremity joints, but were not disabled. Using accelerometers to monitor participants, the researchers determined older adults who completed 60 minutes a week of moderate activity had an 85 percent reduced risk of a mobility disability. Adults also cut their risk of movement disability affecting daily routines such as getting dressed or walking across a room. Less than 10 minutes a day of moderate physical activity was sufficient to help older men and women avoid limitations to their movement. "The more active you are, the more health benefits you get," said Northwestern University Professor Dorothy Dunlop.