The Illinois Senate Revenue Committee has advanced legislation to make it easier for some senior citizens to access a state program that restricts property tax hikes on their homes, reports the State Journal-Register . Current law states that people 65 and older with incomes up to $65,000 can claim the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, which freezes the taxable valuation of their homes so their tax bills cannot increase simply because the market value of their home appreciates. The new legislation would implement a moderate expansion, beginning in the 2019 tax year, by permitting seniors to deduct from their income whatever money they spend on Medicare premiums, enabling some with incomes slightly more than $65,000 to claim the exemption. Sen Laura Ellman (D-Ill.) said the measure would benefit seniors who are "on the cusp" of the income ceiling. Medicare Part B premiums currently stand at $135.50 monthly for people with annual incomes of less than $85,000, while Medicare Part D premiums average $33.19 monthly. The bill's approval would thus raise the income cap for the seniors' homestead exemption by about $2,024 yearly for individuals who purchase both Medicare options, or $4,048 annually for couples.

On April 9, join issue experts from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 's Office for Older Americans for a free webinar highlighting the findings from its new report, Suspicious Activity Reports on Elder Financial Exploitation: Issues and Trends . The one-hour webinar will take place at 2 p.m. EST and provide key facts, trends, and patterns revealed in these Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) filed by banks, credit unions, and other financial services providers. Key audiences for this webinar include financial institutions, law enforcement, adult protective services, the aging network, and others working to enhance protections for senior adults. CFPB's first-ever public analysis provides a chance to better understand senior fraud and find ways to improve prevention and response. Click here to join webinar online.

Four polls have gauged loneliness and social isolation in older adults in the past year, while insurers, healthcare systems, senior housing operators, and social service agencies are launching or expanding initiatives, reports Kaiser Health News . Anthem, for example, is planning a national launch to Medicare Advantage plans of a program addressing loneliness developed by CareMore Health. Meanwhile, UnitedHealthcare is making health navigators available to Medicare Advantage members vulnerable to social isolation, and Kaiser Permanente is beginning a pilot program to refer lonely or isolated seniors in its Northwest region to community services. "Assuaging loneliness is not just about having random human contact; it's about the quality of that contact and who you're having contact with," says Stanford University School of Medicine Professor Vyjeyanthi Periyakoil. She and others concur that strategies to analyze the different degrees, types, and root causes of loneliness must be varied. A study of interventions published in the Personality and Social Psychology Review found those that address "maladaptive social cognition" — distrust of others, negativity, and the expectation of rejection — are generally better than those that teach social skills or promote social interactions. Cognitive behavior therapy, which teaches people to recognize and question their assumptions, is frequently recommended.

A study from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology found age-damaged skin in older adults may be contributing to Alzheimer's and other conditions, reports the Sacramento Bee . The researchers noted as skin gets older, the body's immune system dispatches proteins called cytokines to signal inflammation in damaged areas of the skin. When enough of these proteins leak into the body's circulation system, they induce body-wide inflammation, which can also trigger "inflamm-aging" among older adults. "Once we get old, we have dermatological symptoms like itchiness, dryness, and changes in acidity," said UCSF's Mao-Qiang Man. "It could be that the skin has very minor inflammation, and because it's such a large organ, it elevates circulating cytokine levels." The team had seniors apply a specific amount of skin cream twice a day for 30 days, and they observed dramatic reductions in three cytokines — interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor — associated with age-related chronic diseases. Cytokine levels among skin cream users declined nearly to the level of people in their 30s, while participants also reduced their skin's acidity, enhanced hydration, and repaired permeability.

A study published in Neurology found people who have relatives who died of Alzheimer's are more likely to develop the disorder, reports Medical Xpress . "This research looks at a group of people with detailed information about their family history and as scientists have identified around 30 genes that are linked to Alzheimer's risk, it is no surprise that this study identified an association between an individual's risk of the disease and having relatives who died from Alzheimer's," said Alzheimer's Research UK's Sara Imarisio. "Our genetics don't tell the whole story when it comes to dementia risk." The best current evidence suggests that drinking within recommended guidelines, not smoking, staying physically and mentally active, eating a healthy balanced diet, and keeping cholesterol and blood pressure in check are all good ways to support a healthy brain as one ages.

A Spanish study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings determined more exercise could help extend one's life, reports United Press International . Analysis of nearly 3,700 older adults over a span of 14 years found physical activity lowered the risk of cognitive frailty by 35 percent. "Compared to those who were robust and active, participants with cognitive frailty who were inactive had the highest mortality risk, which was equivalent to being almost seven years older," said the University of Granada's Irene Esteban-Cornejo. Cognitive impairment and physical frailty were found to carry a higher risk of hospitalization, disability, and death. "This research may have important implications because the levels of physical activity are dramatically reduced in seniors while cognitive and physical functioning decline is naturally occurring," the researchers noted. Their recommendation is for older adults to exercise more.

Research from the National Sleep Foundation found it becomes harder to fall asleep the older one gets, and often after falling asleep, seniors may have difficulty staying asleep, according to the Duncan Banner . "Sleep occurs in multiple stages including dreamless periods of light and deep sleep, and occasional periods of active dreaming REM sleep," the foundation stated. "The sleep cycle is repeated several times during the night and although total sleep time tends to remain constant, older people spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep than in deep sleep." Studies have demonstrated older adults are less satisfied with sleep, and they will often feel tired during the latter part of the day. Because it takes older Americans longer to fall asleep, this will shrink the amount of time that they will spend in REM sleep, as well as increase the amount of time that older Americans will wake up at night. Sleep disorders become more common with age, and sleep disturbances among seniors can be caused by both physical and psychiatric illnesses. Furthermore, drugs that older Americans take to treat their pains and various ailments can disrupt sleeping patterns.

Lawmakers in Illinois, Michigan, and New York are lobbying to become the first states since California to limit the number of people hospital nurses can treat at a time, reports Politico Pro . Nurses in states with strong unions are mobilizing around staffing ratios, complaining about poor working conditions and safety issues arising from overtaxed staff. Hospital groups counter it would make controlling healthcare costs more difficult without improving safety. In New York City, the union is threatening nurse strikes at three hospitals if their new contract does not include staffing ratios, even as state lawmakers consider measures to set staffing ratios at hospitals as well as nursing communities. Most staffing proposals limit hospital nurses to no more than four recipients with ratios as low as 1-to-1 in intensive care units, while research offers inconsistent evidence that these ratios save lives and improve quality of care. University of California, San Francisco Professor Joanne Spetz says the state's ratio law has increased nursing hours as well as morale, while other studies found the statute has reduced mortality rates. Michigan's own push is being led by Sen. Ed McBroom (R), who says, "Growing costs of healthcare are forcing hospitals to stretch all their resources as thinly as possible. One of the few places they can find to be more efficient is to have fewer personnel and that, I believe, risks the health and safety of care recipients."

A theory is gaining credence that Alzheimer's may be a response to infections by pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and fungi, reports Scientific American . One pathogen of particular interest is herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), with a 1997 study finding HSV-1-infected persons with the Alzheimer's-affiliated APOE E4 gene have a much higher risk of developing the disorder. More recent research demonstrated that HSV-1 induces a dramatic increase in amyloid beta production in infected cell cultures, while 90 percent of amyloid beta plaques contain the viral DNA of HSV-1. Another study showed amyloid beta binds to the surface of HSV-1 and forms fibrils to corral the virus before it adheres to brain cells. Mice that expressed higher concentrations of amyloid beta were more effective at combating HSV-1, which aligns with the antimicrobial protection hypothesis (APH). According to the APH, amyloid beta, when generated at normal concentrations, shields the brain from pathogenic infections.

A six-year study from the National University of Singapore (NUS) published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease determined older adults who ingest more than two weekly servings of mushrooms may halve their risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), reports Psych Central . The researchers focused on six types of mushrooms common to Singapore, including golden, oyster, shiitake, and white button mushrooms, as well as dried and canned mushrooms. The authors also think other mushrooms would yield similar positive effects. One serving was described as three-quarters of a cup of cooked mushrooms, with an average weight of about 150 grams, while two servings were equivalent to about half a plate. "We're very interested in a compound called ergothioneine (ET)," said NUS' Irwin Cheah. "ET is a unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory which humans are unable to synthesize on their own. But it can be obtained from dietary sources, one of the main ones being mushrooms."