A study published in Neurology suggests women who start their period later, experience menopause earlier, or undergo a hysterectomy may be at higher risk of developing dementia, reports EurekAlert . "Since women are 50 percent more likely to develop dementia over their lifetimes than men, it's important to study any risk factors that are specific to women that could eventually lead us to potential points of intervention," notes Paola Gilsanz of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. Included in the study were 6,137 female members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Their average age of first period was 13, average age of menopause was 45, and average total number of reproductive years was 32, while 34 percent reported a hysterectomy. In terms of women who did not have a hysterectomy, average age of menopause was 47 and average total reproductive years was 34. Forty-two percent developed dementia, and subjects who had fewer than 34 reproductive years had a 20 percent greater risk of dementia than those who had 34 or more reproductive years. Of the 1,702 women who had fewer than 34 total reproductive years, 728 later developed dementia, versus 1,024 of the 2,345 women who went through menopause at age 47 or older. "Our results show that less exposure to estrogen over the course of a lifetime is linked to an increased risk of dementia," concluded Gilsanz.

A study presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society's annual meeting found continuous exercise positively and significantly improves brain function in older adults, reports Medical Daily . The team performed brain scans and memory tests on 34 people, average age 67, as they exercised. Initially, participants conducted a 20-minute daily cycle exercise designed to cause perspiration, and those who engaged in intense exercise could recall faces better. Magnetic resonance imaging scans also identified stronger connections between brain areas. The researchers concluded that this improvement occurred on a daily basis for those who exercise regularly. A single aerobic exercise by participants induced cellular and molecular changes in pathways modified by the training, impacting episodic and working memories that decline with age.

Aging mice are important to research into human longevity, reports the Wall Street Journal . Such mice, which are basically ones between the age of 18 and 24 months, are subjected to various experiments, with scientists like University of Michigan Professor Richard Miller hoping to slow the aging rate in mice and screen for drugs that extend their healthy lifespan. Aged mice are an expensive proposition, and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) limits researchers to 20 such mice a month, per grant. All mice must be ordered through NIA's online Rodent Ordering System, with replacements offered for animals that arrive dead or die within 48 hours. Genetically altered mice have demonstrated longer memory health, living nearly five years while maintaining cognitive ability. Alkahest's Eva Czirr found that once a mouse reaches the age of 20 months, it experiences cognitive declines, making their use in studies on Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia important.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that close to half of Americans approaching retirement have nothing saved in a 401(k) or other individual account, although this is a slight improvement from several years earlier, reports The Columbian . According to the GAO, 48 percent of Americans 55 and older had empty 401(k)-style defined contribution plans or individual retirement accounts (IRAs) in 2016, up from 52 percent in 2013. Two out of five such households had access to a defined benefit plan, but 29 percent of older Americans had neither a pension nor any assets in a 401(k) or IRA account. The earlier report calculated that the median U.S. household, age 65 to 74, had about $148,000 saved, the equivalent of an inflation-protected annuity of $649 a month. "Social Security provides most of the income for about half of households age 65 and older," the GAO concluded.

All too frequently, baby boomers have to retire earlier than they expect, accept a job requiring a lower skill set, or work longer at their current job to save more for retirement, reports Workforce . With a tight job market looming and the departure of approximately 10,000 boomers on average each day, employers are beginning to see how unready they are to cope with the exodus or manage employees who plan to work longer to save more for retirement. A Willis Towers Watson survey found 83 percent of employers believe a significant number of their employees are at or near 65 years old. Although 81 percent think managing employees moving to retirement is important, only slightly more than 50 percent believe they know when workers will retire. According to Willis Towers Watson's Lauren Hoeck, employers must have a clearer understanding of what influences workers' decisions to stay or retire. For one thing, although 71 percent of employers said employees should have enough money to retire when they want, more than half of workers cited financial concerns and are planning to stay employed after age 70 as a result. The Brookings Institution's Josh Gotbaum argues employers should realize that it is natural that people who are living longer want to extend their working careers. Phased retirement enables employees to gradually transition to not working at all.

A study shows seniors are becoming more digitally adept, but there remain age-related gaps in digital engagement, reports Medical Xpress . Access to online resources can improve older adults' well-being via better access to information and more frequent social interactions. However, there is little data on informal and unstructured Internet use by senior community residents, since the use of digital technologies in senior care remains largely undocumented. The researchers surveyed 80 senior community residents and found nearly half owned a computer or a smartphone. Mobile phone calls, texts, and e-mails were the most common methods of communication using these devices. Technology not only enabled residents to interact with family and friends they rarely saw, but also boosted interactions with people who visited more often. Polled family members often endorsed the use of digital devices if they were used to supplement social contact, but most said they were unaware of computers being available for residents in common areas of the communities they visited. Senior care operators do not generally supply residents with Wi-Fi access, which is worrisome because residents do not always have family or friends to help them become digitally connected.

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found the vaccination of older adults against influenza from October to May instead of August to May could prevent at least 11,400 additional flu cases and hundreds of deaths, reports Healio . However, this effect would not persist in early-peak seasons or if the compressed schedule meant fewer adults received vaccinations. "Delaying influenza vaccination until October can minimize waning protection that occurs as a flu season progresses, but only if there are no signs of an early influenza season peak and persons will return for vaccination in the fall," declared University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Professor Kenneth J. Smith. The investigators determined the effectiveness and protection of the flu vaccine can decline over time, especially among adults 65 or older. "Our analysis suggests that a compressed influenza vaccination season . . . could have public health benefits in older adults during most flu seasons if changing from the current policy — vaccinating as soon as vaccine is available — does not significantly affect overall vaccination rates," Smith noted. "However, compressed vaccination during an early peaking flu season, which is seen about a quarter of the time, could lead to more influenza cases and deaths."

A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found no link between smoking and a higher risk of developing dementia, reports United Press International . "The underlying data in earlier studies was solid, but the analysis didn't take into account the idea of competing for risk of mortality, which we felt was an important factor to consider in this case since smoking is so strongly associated with earlier death," said the University of Kentucky's Erin Abner. Competing risk can interfere with a study's conclusions by assuming that a certain risk factor causes a condition when another one is present and possibly the true cause. The researchers used a Competing Risk Analysis to test the results of 531 initially cognitively-normal participants in another study that examined the impact of aging on cognition. With two risk factors in place, the researchers did not observe any clear association between smoking and dementia. "While our study results could influence smoking cessation policy and practice, we feel that the most important consequence of our work is to demonstrate how this method could change the way we approach dementia research and to advocate for its adoption in the appropriate areas of study," Abner concluded.

Many older women are returning to work to help their families rebuild their finances after the Great Recession, or as a result of divorce, or out of a need for self-fulfillment, reports USA Today . However, experts note many females older than 50 face major challenges, including rusty skills, a lack of confidence, employer discrimination, and new technologies and social media. The U.S. Labor Department says the number of working women over 55 has climbed 4.2 percent over the past year to 17.4 million, versus a 1.8 percent gain in employment for all women and a 3.3 percent boost for men over 55. The percentage of 55-plus women who are working also has risen more sharply than the other groups over the past year, from 33.5 percent to an all-time high of 34.3 percent. Moody's Analytics' Sophia Koropeckyj partly attributes this trend to the large baby boomer population, with 31 percent of female boomers possessing bachelor's degrees, compared with 24 percent of women of older generations. This allows boomers to work longer in less physically stressful jobs. The AARP Public Policy Institute's Jen Schramm adds that women are living longer and have to fund longer retirements. A recent AARP poll determined almost half of people 65 and over currently working or seeking employment are doing so for financial reasons.

A study presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society implies that adults with Type 1 diabetes typically have low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, for more than an hour daily, reports dLife . Those unaware that they have hypoglycemia can spend more than 100 minutes a day in the hypoglycemic range, elevating their risk of seizures, loss of consciousness, and death. "Those who do not sense when low blood glucose is occurring as strongly as others can are particularly at risk," notes Anders L. Carlson with the International Diabetes Center. Many Type 1 diabetics have low blood sugar but experience no symptoms, so they do not realize they need treatment. The researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial that included 203 adults 60 and older with Type 1 diabetes, who used a continuous glucose monitor for up to 21 days. The monitor automatically tracks blood sugar levels day and night, and uses alarms to alert users when blood glucose levels are low or start to fall quickly. "The findings underscore the need for interventions to help reduce the risk of severe hypoglycemia in this age group," Carlson concludes.