A new study from the University of Warwick suggests higher blood sugar improves memory in older adults and motivates them more to perform difficult tasks to their fullest ability, states News-Medical . The team gave young and older participants a beverage with a small amount of glucose and had them perform various memory tasks. Other participants received a placebo. The researchers determined elevating energy via the glucose drink did not improve the younger participants' mood or memory performance. However, older adults exhibited significantly better memory and more positive mood compared to older counterparts who consumed the placebo. Furthermore, although objective metrics of task engagement revealed that older adults consuming the glucose made greater efforts to complete the task than those who had the placebo, their own self-reports indicated they did not feel as if they had tried any harder.

The Pew Research Center estimates that smartphone use among adults older than 65 has risen fourfold in the last five years alone, reports KMOX . Two decades ago only 12 percent of this population were online, compared to almost 70 percent today. The Oasis Institute' Amy VanDeVelde says seniors' increasing smartphone adoption can be traced to several reasons. "One is as they watch people in their lives use the devices and realize how many apps and different applications for the phone and uses are relevant for their lives, they adopt," she notes. "The other is that in lower income situations people who do not have Internet in the home may adopt a smartphone as their only point of contact with the Internet." VanDeVelde says many older men and women are learning to use smartphones as a tool for everyday life, with step trackers one of the more popular smartphone apps. "Someone who's trying to manage diabetes or another chronic condition and wants to know how active they were or thinks I really haven't had my steps today can look at their phone and see how many steps they've had," she notes.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Estée Lauder's Leonard Lauder have announced they will award $30 million over three years to encourage development of new tests for early detection of Alzheimer's disease, according to Reuters . This follows an earlier announcement from Gates that he would personally donate $50 million to the Dementia Discovery Fund, a venture capital fund designed to foster industry and government collaboration on treatments for Alzheimer's. Gates and Lauder supplied seed money for the Diagnostics Accelerator program via the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF). Funding provided through the program will be available to scientists and clinicians around the world who are working in academia, charities, and biotechnology firms. The ADDF Diagnostics Accelerator venture will make investments in riskier initiatives that may not yield immediate commercial returns. Gates said he envisions a future where Alzheimer's diagnosis would be "as simple as getting your blood tested during your annual physical."

Mutual of Omaha has announced its first Medicare Advantage plan will go on sale in Cincinnati this fall as part of an agenda to create a nationwide Medicare Advantage product, reports the Omaha World Herald . In partnership with Lumeris, the insurer has contracted with Cincinnati's TriHealth and St. Elizabeth Healthcare health systems to deliver medical care for Advantage customers beginning Jan. 1, 2019. Marketing will begin when 2019 Medicare enrollment opens on Oct. 15. Mutual's Medicare Advantage plans will employ "narrow" medical networks, lowering costs by limiting coverage to certain doctors, hospitals, and other care providers. Mutual's Amber Rinehart says they selected Cincinnati due to its growing population of Medicare-aged residents and "like-minded health care organizations in the region."

Senior plaintiffs have filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), alleging it has failed to install grab bars in bathrooms in spite of their repeated requests for more than two years, reports CBS Chicago . "Seniors frequently have balance problems or other issues that can cause them to slip and fall in the shower," notes attorney Emily Coffey. "CHA is required by law to install the grab bars." Lawyers say CHA is mandated by federal civil rights statutes to promptly install grab bars when a person with a disability requires them. When pressed for reaction, CHA officials said they are barred from commenting on the lawsuit due to pending litigation.

The White House on Tuesday rescinded an Obama-era rule that would have forced employers to disclose outside consultants they hire to counter workers' union organizing efforts, reports The Hill . The U.S. Department of Labor finalized its decision to rescind the controversial rule after issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking a year ago to withdraw it. Nathan Mehrens, the Office of Policy's deputy assistant secretary, issued a statement that read: "By rescinding this rule, the Department stands up for the rights of Americans to ask a question of their attorney without mandated disclosure to the government." A federal district judge in Texas blocked the persuader rule from going into effect nationwide in late 2016, decreeing that it was incompatible with the law and client confidentiality.

The newest From Policy to Practice report from the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) covers recent labeling changes for over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics, reports News-Medical , and emphasizes key considerations when recommending their use to older adults. It offers an overview of the need for a rigorous evaluation and the development of a care plan. The issue provides information from national and international treatment guidelines for the use of OTC analgesics in older men and women, and recent labeling changes for such drugs. Also included is guidance to clinicians concerning how to educate older adults to use OTC analgesics appropriately and safely. Adults 65 years and older use more prescription and OTC medications than any other demographic and are significantly more likely to have an adverse drug reaction than younger adults.

A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine suggests most older adults with probable dementia in the United States have never been professionally diagnosed or are not aware they have it, reports ScienceDaily . Using data from an ongoing study of Medicare recipients 65 and older across the U.S., the researchers found 585 subjects who met criteria for probable dementia in 2011 and had three years of continuous fee-for-service Medicare claims prior to 2011. Among such adults, 58.7 percent were either undiagnosed or unaware of their diagnosis. Persons with a high school education at minimum had a 46 percent reduced chance of being undiagnosed versus those who had less education, while those who attended medical visits alone were two times as likely to be undiagnosed than those who were accompanied. Moreover, participants who were diagnosed but unaware of the diagnosis were less educated, attended visits alone more often, and had fewer functional impairments. Those with at least a high school education had a 58 percent lower chance of being unaware versus those who had less education. Individuals who went to medical visits alone were about twice as likely to be unaware than those who were accompanied.

Maryland government retirees will receive financial aid from the state to help cover medications when their prescription drug coverage switches from a state plan to the federal Medicare Part D program in 2019, reports the Baltimore Sun . Gov. Larry Hogan and the state's General Assembly leadership announced a 12-month transition program in which Maryland will compensate all out-of-pocket drug costs that top $1,500. "This is another example of the bipartisan solutions we have been able to achieve here in Maryland by working together," Hogan stated. "I am glad that our administration was able to work with legislative leadership to provide this relief for state retirees who will be affected by this change." Enrollment for the approximately 38,000 state retirees starts in October for the new coverage. "This is great that they are helping retirees, but the real way to help retirees is a drug commission to make high-cost prescription drugs more affordable for all Marylanders," contends Vincent DeMarco with the Maryland Citizens Health Initiative. "More and more, we here in Maryland realize something has to be done here because we don't know that it will happen on the federal level."

Many older Americans are remaining in the labor force well into their senior years, and some are even changing careers, states Forbes contributor Terry Powell. In a recent report on retirement, the RAND Corporation found that many Americans retire then either go into a new career or start up a business. One of the study's authors termed retirement as "a fluid concept," adding that, "Significant numbers of older people move in and out of the workforce. Retirement isn't necessarily permanent." Many older Americans use their years and experience as a marketable quality and end up consulting in their industry, often for the company they were previously employed with. Other seniors purchase franchises, which can be attractive to this age group for a number of reasons. "You can be as busy as you want, hiring employees, scheduling, doing payroll and ordering inventory, or you can have your managers do it and go spend the afternoon gardening or seeing a movie," Powell notes. While there is plenty of work that can come with owning a franchise, the more successful the business is, the easier it will be to scale back and let others handle most or all of the labor. Powell is the founder of The Entrepreneur's Source, a leading alternative career coaching franchise.