A study published in Molecular Psychiatry implies high iron levels in the brain may activate the progressive neurodegeneration associated with dementia and Alzheimer's, reports New Atlas . A clinical trial currently underway is investigating whether Alzheimer's-related cognitive decline can be decelerated by reducing those iron levels. Brain tissue samples from more than 200 donors were analyzed, which showed a strong correlation between elevated brain iron levels, severe cognitive decline, and high buildup of amyloid proteins. However, cognitive decline was only observed in subjects with both high amyloid accumulations and high iron levels, while subjects with high amyloid accumulation in the absence of high brain iron levels did not appear to exhibit the same deterioration. "Our data do not prove that iron causes disease progression in Alzheimer's disease, but the strong association we discovered invites the possibility that iron is a big contributing factor to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease," said Scott Ayton with the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. The researchers are now conducting a phase 2 clinical trial, using the drug deferiprone, to determine whether lowering brain iron levels can slow disease progression.

A study published in PLoS One found persons with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have a significantly higher prevalence of general dementia and Alzheimer's dementia, in comparison with the overall population, reports Rheumatology Advisor . The researchers aimed to gauge the association between dementia and AS via an extensive dataset from the Korean National Health Insurance System (K-NHIS). A total of 14,193 participants were chosen as the AS group, and 70,965 individuals were placed in the age- and gender-matched control cohort. Prevalence of overall dementia and Alzheimer's dementia in the AS group was substantially higher than in the control group, while the adjusted hazard ratio for overall dementia and Alzheimer's dementia in the AS group also exhibited statistical significance. Meanwhile, the prevalence of vascular dementia did not differ significantly between the AS and control cohorts. A key constraint was that risk factor analysis for AS and dementia was incomplete since certain detailed clinical factors in the K-NHIS dataset were not assessed, in addition to the unavailability of data on the status of AS-related inflammation.

In a pilot project, the Associated Press reports that Medicare wants to change how it pays for emergency ambulance services to give seniors more options besides going to a hospital emergency department. Options would include going to an urgent care center, a doctor's office, or even treatment at home under supervision of a doctor via telehealth links. If adopted nationwide, the project could save Medicare more than $500 million a year and allow local fire departments and ambulance services to focus the time and energy of first responders on the most serious emergencies. Patients would still retain the option of going to a hospital emergency room if that is their wish. Medicare says it also wants to get state Medicaid programs and private insurance companies interested in the approach.

The Trump administration announced U.S. healthcare spending's growth is expected to ramp up in the next eight years as baby boomers age and the prices for medical services increase, states the Wall Street Journal . Reports from U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) actuaries are likely to up the pressure, making healthcare a key issue in the 2020 election. Healthcare's economic segment is projected to increase to 19.4 percent by 2027 from 17.9 percent in 2017, provided there are no legislative changes to the health system. "While Medicare spending is expected to accelerate the fastest among payers and contribute to the increase, growth in health prices and disposable personal income are also significant contributors," noted CMS economist Andrea Sisko. Spending is likely to expand due to new drugs on the market, more seniors requiring hospital care, and a burgeoning Medicaid populace that will drive demand for clinical services and doctors. Growth in personal healthcare spending is forecast to average 5.5 percent annually, with average growth in prices accounting for nearly 50 percent of this growth. Medicare spending growth is projected to average 7.4 percent in 2018-27 — the fastest rate among the major payers.

Professionals older than 50 can reinvent their careers with a fresh approach in the gig economy, according to ValueWalk . Freelance jobs that older Americans most frequently take include construction, repair work, installation, personal care services, and sales. Older gig workers also can tap an extensive network, rather than technology, to find success. They may tend to enjoy gig work more compared to millennials, because of their ability to make connections with others later in life. Also gaining ground are "grey-preneurs," seniors who are starting their own businesses. Many baby boomers' disinterest in retirement is underlying this movement. Motivators for grey-preneurs can include a readiness to be their own boss, the desire to pursue a passion, unhappiness with their corporate jobs, and getting outsourced or laid off. Furthermore, older Americans can have a less difficult time starting a business because they are more likely than younger entrepreneurs to secure startup capital. More assets and better credit make loan obtainment easier.

The Intergenerational Learning Center, at the Providence Mount St. Vincent senior care community in West Seattle, Wash., practices a daycare model where older adults care for children as young as six weeks old, reports WPTV . "Somebody might have profound dementia and maybe has been a mother all their life, and then when you hold a child, just think about what comes back to you," said program co-founder Charlene Boyd. The community has been participating in the daycare program for 30 years, and Boyd sees it as very beneficial for both the seniors and for pre-kindergarten children. "The kids know the vulnerability of these older adults," she said. "They see the frailty, but they embrace it." Boyd added, "Sometimes that young-old engagement will make the world of difference, even if it's just for a moment."

A study published in the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences found older men and women who were more socially engaged were more likely to be physically active, less sedentary, have greater positive moods, and fewer negative feelings, reports ScienceDaily . During three-hour periods when study participants were interacting with a more diverse range of social partners, they reported engaging in a greater variety of activities like going outside, walking, talking with others, or shopping. Furthermore, acquaintances or peripheral social ties may encourage older adults to be more physically active, which contributes to physical and emotional health, in addition to cognitive ability. "This new research relies on truly novel data that capture both the amount and quality of contact with all types of people that seniors encounter throughout the day — and the results show us that these routine encounters have important benefits for activity levels and psychological well-being," said University of Texas at Austin Professor Debra Umberson. "This new information suggests the importance of policies and programs that support and promote routine and informal social participation."

A study from Salk Institute scientists published in Redox Biology suggests a chemical in a native California shrub may lead to treatment for Alzheimer's, reports Times Now News . They identified within the Yerba santa plant a molecule called sterubin, which has a potent anti-inflammatory effect on microglia. The molecule also helps clear iron, which can contribute to nerve cell damage in aging and neurodegenerative disorders. Generally, the compound effectively inhibited multiple inducers of cell death in the nerve cells. "This is a compound that was known, but ignored," said Salk's Pamela Maher. "Not only did sterubin turn out to be much more active than the other flavonoids in Yerba santa in our assays, it appears as good as, if not better than, other flavonoids we have studied." The team is planning to test sterubin in an animal model of Alzheimer's, then assess its drug-like characteristics and toxicity levels in animals and later in humans.

Aging is the top risk factor for many chronic conditions, including dementia, and chronic progressive inflammation is the focus of the new field of study called inflammaging, reports Everyday Health . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 60 percent of U.S. adults have at least one chronic inflammatory disease, which excludes Alzheimer's. According to INmuneBio chief executive Raymond Tesi, "Basically, the older we get, the hotter we get. Environmental and behavior factors like smoking, obesity, and lack of physical activity can also add to chronic inflammation, which in turn increases the chances of developing one or more chronic conditions." There is mounting evidence that inflammation or immune function plays a part in dementia, says Keenan Walker at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. "For example, there are a number of large genetic studies which looked at what genes put people at risk for Alzheimer's disease," he notes. "Many of the genes identified as 'big risk genes' are known to have roles in regulating people's immune functioning, as well as the aspects of immunity that regulate inflammation." Walker adds that the blood or cerebral spinal fluid of people with Alzheimer's or mild cognitive impairment contain evidence of higher inflammation, in comparison with persons lacking dementia.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cautioning older Americans against using services in several states that offer to inject them with younger people's blood plasma as a treatment for dementia, Parkinson's, and other disorders, reports the Wall Street Journal . "We're alerting consumers and healthcare providers that treatments using plasma from young donors have not gone through the rigorous testing that the FDA normally requires" to demonstrate safety and effectiveness, said two FDA officials. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Peter Marks with the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research warned such treatment cannot be considered safe or effective. Plasma's potential benefits in trauma care and other settings stem from it having proteins, and it can be used to treat bleeding and clotting difficulties. However, Gottlieb and Marks said, "We're concerned that some patients are being preyed upon by unscrupulous actors touting treatments of plasma from young donors as cures and remedies." They noted that the FDA had received reports of "bad actors" charging thousands of dollars for infusions. They recommended consumers only choose such treatments from investigators who can prove they are given as part of a clinical study.