Data from the National Poll on Healthy Aging predicted that the number of adults with vision impairment will double over the next 30 years, with more than half of older respondents saying their primary care provider (PCP) had not inquired about their vision, reports Healio . "Older adults often have a long list of health concerns to discuss with their primary care provider," noted the University of Michigan Medical School's Preeti Malani. "Difficulties with vision might not always come to mind." The survey covered 2,013 participants aged 50 to 80 years, and 58 percent said their PCP did not ask about vision while 27 percent said they had received a diagnosis of cataracts, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, or macular degeneration. In addition, 17 percent said they had their vision checked using an eye chart at a primary care visit, and 91 percent had an eye exam within two years of their PCP asking about their vision. "Findings from this poll underscore the important role that primary care providers play in promoting eye health," the researchers said. "Those with diabetes, a history of eye disease, or lower household incomes were more likely to have had a conversation about vision with their primary care provider, suggesting that primary care providers may be more likely to discuss eye health with those known to be at high risk for eye conditions."

The Administration for Community Living has apportioned a two-year, $500,000 grant to the Erie County (NY) Department of Senior Services under the Innovations in Nutrition Programs and Services program, reports Buffalo Business First . The pilot will see Erie County team up with four local restaurants to provide dining options for seniors who have traditionally been limited to congregate dining programs at community centers and senior communities. Pre-registered participants will be able to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the participating eateries with a menu based on the USDA Older Americans Act nutritional requirement standards. The menus also will feature currently unavailable options and combinations, while registered individuals can present a key tag to claim their meal options. The restaurants will be compensated for the meals. To address social isolation among older adults, the program offers them the choice of where to eat, when, and with whom they want to eat.

A study published in JAMA Network Open used data from the Framingham Heart Study to determine that people with the ApoE4 gene who also had chronic inflammation had a dramatically higher risk of Alzheimer's, reports the Boston Globe . The investigators suggest that treating this inflammation could prevent the disease. "Since many seniors have chronic low-grade inflammation after suffering from common diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection, or after having surgeries, rigorously treating chronic systemic inflammation in ApoE4 carriers could be effective for prevention of Alzheimer's dementia," states Boston University School of Medicine Professor Wendy Qiu. The research team examined people who had the ApoE4 gene and measurements of their levels of C-reactive protein, which indicates the amount of inflammation in the body. According to Harvard Medical School Professor Cynthia Lemere, "These results provide support for the role of peripheral, chronic inflammation in AD, and suggest that early treatment with anti-inflammatory therapies may be helpful in staving off AD, at least in ApoE4 carriers."

President Trump has urged his cabinet to draft proposals to cut their respective agency budgets by 5 percent, following earlier reports that the federal government ran up its largest annual deficit in six years, according to ABC News . Trump hinted at the possibility of a "special exemption" for a department or two, but said others may be able to slash more than 5 percent off their budgets. The president said the government could make significant progress toward lowering federal spending via modest cuts to each executive department. "Now that we have our military taken care of, we have our law enforcement taken care of, we can do things we weren't into in a position to do when I first came," he stated. However, the Treasury Department reported that the government ran up a $779 billion deficit this past fiscal year, a 17 percent gain from the $666 billion deficit the fiscal year prior.

Washington, D.C., Councilmember Mary Cheh has introduced the first-ever legislation to better protect and support LGBT seniors and older adults living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the District of Columbia, reports Windy City Times . The bill adds such individuals to the roster of older D.C. residents who are considered to have the greatest social need under the Older Americans Act. This revision ensures that these populations have equal access to essential government aging services and programming. The bill also would set up a bill of rights for LGBT seniors and people living with HIV in long-term care. "Councilmember Cheh's legislation would ... ensure that LGBT older people and older people with HIV are protected from discrimination in long-term care, and that the people who serve them are culturally competent," notes SAGE Chief Executive Michael Adams.

Digital literacy is now a skill demanded of nearly all modern professions, reports PBS NewsHour . "The ability to read and then conduct first-order analysis of digital information is highly valued in almost all work environments," states the Brookings Institution's Mark Muro. This trend is reflected by the Christiana Care Health System, Delaware's biggest private employer with 11,600 employees and an expected 1,500 new hires this year. "The ability to create digital content, consume it, act on it, communicate it, share it, find it — all that is tied to recipient care," says Christiana Care's Neil Jasani. North Carolina State University Professor Hiller Spires remarks, "If they aren't digitally literate, people will be left behind."

A nationwide U.S. study published in JAMA Neurology found women and Hispanics with Parkinson's are most frequently prescribed inappropriate dementia therapies, reports Parkinson's News Today . University of Pennsylvania scientists reviewed the clinical records of 268,407 Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with Parkinson's who had 12 consecutive months of inpatient, outpatient, and prescription medicine coverage from January to December 2014. Medicare Services data estimated that about 27.2 percent of persons with Parkinson's had filled at least one prescription for a dementia medication in 2014. The most commonly prescribed therapy was Aricept, followed by Namenda and Exelon. Women were 15 percent less likely to use dementia medication than men. African Americans were 38 percent more likely and Hispanics 28 percent more likely to use these therapies than Caucasians. About 66.4 percent of subjects were only prescribed one dementia medicine during the year, while 26.7 percent had prescription fills for both Namenda and an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (ACHEI), typically Aricept or Exelon. "In those with Parkinson disease, who bear additional risks of cognitive impairment and vulnerability to anticholinergic activity, coprescribing of an ACHEI and a high-potency anticholinergic medication can be considered a never event because it is a medication error likely to contribute to disability," the researchers said.

A study published in Science demonstrates that physical exercise can "clean up" the hostile environments in the brains of Alzheimer's mice, allowing new neurons in the hippocampus to enable cognitive improvements, reports Scientific American . These findings suggest pharmacological agents that augment the hippocampal environment to boost cell growth and survival might be effective to revive brain health and function in people with Alzheimer's. The investigators determined exercise enhanced memory in Alzheimer's mice compared to inactive specimens due to improved adult hippocampal neurogenesis and increased amounts of BDNF, a molecule that promotes brain cell growth. The team was able to recover brain function, specifically memory, in mice with Alzheimer's but without exercise by increasing hippocampal cell growth and BDNF levels via combined genetic and pharmacological regimens. However, blocking hippocampal neurogenesis early in Alzheimer's exacerbated nerve cell health later in stages, leading to degeneration of the hippocampus and memory function. Before human clinical trials can proceed, significant research must be conducted to establish that a medication or drug could mimic the effects of exercise by "cleaning up" the brain with BDNF and stimulating neurogenesis.

GOBankingRates estimates that nearly 11 percent of seniors currently rely on rental income to pay their bills in retirement, reports the Motley Fool . Renting out a home can yield a predictable income stream, and provided there is an airtight lease, this income is assured while the contract remains in effect. Seniors living in a desirable neighborhood have relatively strong odds of finding a steady stream of tenants, and renting out a portion of the home could allow them property retention and additional equity, supplying more financial flexibility later. However, retirees must bear the cost of maintaining a larger home, which could grow exponentially as the property ages. Furthermore, as owners age, their ability to tend to household needs might wane, which means the costs of outsourcing home maintenance will rise. Moreover, there is always the risk that tenants might damage the property and leave the owner responsible for the repairs. A security deposit may be insufficient to compensate for such costs. Also worth considering is that renting out a portion of the home adds up to a loss of privacy that might be undesirable for some retirees.

A study published in the British Medical Journal found an association between higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and healthier aging, reports the New York Times . Researchers monitored 2,622 adults, average age 74 and healthy at the beginning, from 1992 to 2006. They quantified blood levels of four common types of omega-3s: seafood-derived EPA and DHA, plant-derived ALA, and DPA. In comparison with people in the lowest one-fifth for omega-3 levels, those in the highest one-fifth had an 18 percent reduced risk of unhealthy aging. EPA and DPA were linked to lowered risk of unhealthy aging, but DHA and ALA were not. "In our study we found that adults with higher blood levels of omega-3s from seafood were more likely to live longer and healthier lives," concluded Tufts University's Heidi T.M. Lai. "So it is a great idea to eat more fish."