The Alzheimer's Association's Greater Indiana Chapter said it is pushing for approval of House Bill 1542 during its virtual advocacy week, reports the Indiana Daily Student . The bill outlines training specifications for police and medical responders when dealing with people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Training covers identification of symptoms, communication, and procedures for contacting caregivers. Should the bill pass, the State Department of Health will devise a strategic plan assessing adequate care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients, including diagnosis trends, economic costs, services, resources, and care evaluation. The measure also would delegate a statewide dementia coordinator to implement the plan and create a state dementia council. "If our law enforcement and emergency medical services can recognize that they're dealing with dementia, and if they have the skills to positively work through a situation with someone, they can just really support those families that are living in the community with this issue," said the Indiana chapter's executive director, Natalie Sutton. She added that the plan could make a difference in the lives of persons with dementia, and allow them to apply for certain federal funding in the area. Meanwhile, Indiana University Health neurologist Liana Apostolova highlighted the importance of training for law enforcement, as confrontation and restraints can be harmful and unhelpful for those with dementia.

WHAS 11 News reports that two Sacred Heart Academy students are helping older adults schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments in Kentucky's Jefferson County. Jacqueline Teague and Amelie Beck have so far helped 250 seniors get vaccine appointments. "We realized how hard it was to navigate the Internet and the whole process of getting the appointments," Beck said. Teague explained that they are "guiding people through the process. Most people need a prompt and to know where to go, and that's pretty much mostly what we do, is giving people the tools to go to the next step." Beck added that "a lot of these people will e-mail us and say they have been trying to weeks and if they're just given the steps to go through, it doesn't take them too long and they're just really happy to get it."

KATU reports that with Oregonians 80 years and older about to become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, several issues remain unaddressed, including how to get to a vaccination site when one cannot drive, and how to schedule appointments without online access. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) currently advises people to get more information through their online vaccine eligibility tool, while a newly-opened 2-1-1 call center is proving to be frustrating. A spokesperson for Clackamas County said the tri-county area is cognizant of such issues, and is working on resolving physical barriers to getting vaccine as well as other hindrances. An informal focus group also has been organized to address some of these concerns. According to OHA, "most eligible Oregonians will get vaccinated at hospitals, local public health authorities, federally qualified health centers, and through mass vaccination events. Some Oregonians are receiving vaccinations from federal and state pharmacy partners. Each county is different." The authority also said OHA said people with questions can text ORCOVID to 898211 or e-mail ORCOVID at 211info.org.

Argentum Public Affairs Senior Vice President Maggie Elehwany discussed on Senior Living Foresight what the Biden administration's priorities should be for the senior living industry. She also introduced "Argentum Advocates," a new Argentum program to boost senior living leaders' participation in crafting federal legislation and regulation. Those interested in joining Argentum Advocates can do so on Argentum's website .

According to the Providence Journal , a New York Times study shows that Rhode Island is behind all other U.S. states in prioritizing COVID vaccine recipients based on age. This is particularly frustrating for groups like AARP Rhode Island, which has called the proportion of seniors vaccinated "inexplicable, life threatening, and unacceptable." Last week the state began a "pilot" for inoculating people 75 and older, and made a few thousand doses available for people on special-needs registries, letting people sign up if they require extra help during an emergency. Hospitals also are vaccinating certain patients 75 and over. But while state health officials said seniors did not have to do anything to sign up for shots, places like Warwick opened up eligibility via public websites and operated on a first-come, first-served basis. When Rhode Islanders between 60 and 64 become eligible for vaccines, ostensibly in March, those with certain underlying conditions will also qualify. Thus far about 30 percent of vaccine doses in Rhode Island have gone to those over 60, while the latest state data said people over 60 comprised 93 percent of COVID-19-associated deaths in the state.

There remain major healthcare coverage gaps for older Americans, according to Healthcare Dive . A Medicare buy-in program offers an incremental solution, allowing eligible people who currently do not qualify for Medicare to buy a Medicare-like insurance plan. Two recent Medicare proposals would set up a rival insurance for adults aged 50 to 64, leveraging lower Medicare payment rates for providers in an attempt to cut costs without limiting provider networks. A December study by Urban Institute researchers determined that a Medicare buy-in option would only modestly impact health coverage and spending, given existing Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. The policy would enroll approximately 2.1 million Americans, mostly transferred from the ACA marketplaces or nongroup coverage. Of the roughly 5.6 million uninsured older adults, just 176,000 would opt into the buy-in, suggesting the policies have limited appeal. Still, a Medicare buy-in could significantly reduce national health spending, and could boast out-of-pocket maximums to limit cost-sharing obligations to further protect enrollees. The Urban Institute researchers also estimated that out-of-pocket spending among adults moving from marketplace coverage to the buy-in plan would fall from $3,414 to $1,528, and premiums would dip from $6,430 to $6,230.

Kaiser Health News reports that as public demand grows for limited supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, there are lingering questions about their appropriateness for older adults with various illnesses. It remains unknown how the vaccines will affect people 65 and older undergoing cancer treatment, since such individuals were not included in clinical trials. Tobias Hohl at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center suggested patients should weigh three factors in their decisions — the vaccines' safety, effectiveness, and the risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19. Moreover, the federal government and all 50 U.S. states recommend vaccines for long-term care residents, most of whom have some form of dementia. Meanwhile, the Mayo Clinic's Abinash Virk said older adults with comorbidities should definitely get vaccinated, because "Pfizer's and Moderna's studies specifically looked at people who were older and had comorbidities, and they showed that vaccine response was similar to that of people who were younger." Philippa Marrack at National Jewish Health noted a lack of scientifically rigorous data on how people with autoimmune conditions respond to the vaccines, and said patients should talk with their doctors about delaying immunization until other vaccines with different formulations become available. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society also recommended that most patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) should be vaccinated, as "the risk of getting COVID-19 far outweighs any risk of having an MS relapse from the vaccine."

A study in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B showed that agriculture workers are at greater risk of developing dementia, reports KHQA . University of Iowa (UI) College of Public Health researchers used data from the Health and Retirement Study to determine agriculture workers scored lower on memory, attention, and processing speed tests. Those who held long-term occupations in agriculture, forestry, and fishery had a 46 percent greater chance of having dementia. "As far as Iowans are concerned, this study is important for two reasons," said UI Professor Kanika Arora. "How to remain productive on the farm and how to maintain safety given memory loss, language problems, and other unpredictable behaviors that come with dementia." Scientists cannot directly examine the role of pesticide exposure to dementia, but previous studies on the amount of exposure to agriculture workers indicate the same test scores.

KHON2 reports that Kupuna Power has opened a branch at Windward Mall in Honolulu, Hawaii. Kapuna Power aims to help Hawaiian seniors access the resources they need to prosper in their later years. It started as a one-day event in 2012 founded by former Sen. Brickwood Galuteria as a day to provide seniors exercise, entertainment, and information on how to take control of their life. The brand has since expanded to include a TV program, civic outreach, and a retail product line. Windward Mall General Manager Cesar Topacio in a press release wrote: "Kupuna have always been a valued part of our community and we are excited to help create a space tailored to their needs."

A study of more than 335,000 people of European ancestry in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease determined that men with the common genetic disorder haemochromatosis are more likely to develop dementia, reports EurekAlert . The researchers analyzed 2,890 men and women, aged 40 to 70 years, with two faulty haemochromatosis genes — and 25 of the 1,294 men with both faulty genes later developed dementia, which was 83 percent more common than for those without the genes. Moreover, iron accumulation was present in key brain regions linked to dementia in a subgroup of men with those two faulty genes. The same cohort also had a significantly higher likelihood of developing delirium, additionally linked to dementia, over a 10-year follow-up. "We know that a build-up of iron in the brain is linked to dementia in people without haemochromatosis," said Janice Atkins at the University of Exeter. "Our study is the first to show that men with the mutations for haemochromatosis may have a substantially increased risk of dementia, although the numbers of people who develop dementia are still low. We now need more research to establish whether the genetic condition causes brain decline, particularly as haemochromatosis is easy to treat, and could be a route to preventing some dementia."