New bipartisan legislation in the Senate aims to increase the use of annuities in 401(k) plans and boost retirement-plan adoption by small employers through a particular type of defined-contribution plan known as an open multiple employer plan, reports InvestmentNews . The bill is nearly identical to legislation that unanimously passed the Senate Finance Committee in late 2016 but did not get a full vote on the Senate floor prior to the end of the congressional session. "It's like a laundry list of things that would make improvements to the retirement system," said Aron Szapiro, director of policy research at Morningstar. "I'm cautiously optimistic about the bill's prospects. It has a lot of bipartisan support, and I don't think they're reintroducing it for no reason."

The vast majority of Americans are already using consumer products that feature elements of artificial intelligence (AI), reports Gallup . A Northeastern University/Gallup survey conducted in late 2017 found 85 percent of U.S. adults currently use at least one of six devices, programs, or services that feature elements of AI. Navigation applications are the most widely used consumer AI product, enjoyed by 84 percent of U.S. adults, followed by streaming media services (72 percent), digital personal assistants on smartphones (47 percent), ride-sharing apps (33 percent), intelligent home personal assistants (22 percent), and smart home devices (20 percent). Age and education are also key factors in Americans' use of some AI products, with younger and more educated Americans generally most likely to use them. Navigation apps are used by more than 90 percent of adults aged 50 and younger, compared to 66 percent for those over age 65. For streaming media use, 91 percent of those aged 18 to 35 use these services, compared to 41 percent for those over age 65. Finally, use of ride-sharing apps falls from a high of 45 percent among those 18 to 35, to a low of 14 percent among those over age 65.

Marc Agronin, a geriatric psychiatrist, calls the point when an older friend or family member retires, is diagnosed with a serious illness, or loses a spouse an "age point" that disrupts an older person's life and challenges their ability to cope while also offering potential for new growth, reports Kaiser Health News . "As we get older and experience a great variety of things, including adversity and loss, we continue to develop and mature in terms of how we view the world," Agronin says. "We tend to be better able to weigh competing points of view and find ways to understand and accept them. We also tend to be less emotionally reactive as the connections between the brain's fear center, our amygdala, and our frontal lobe become richer and more developed. We're better able to reflect upon our experiences." Agronin says a lot of theories about aging often overlook people in poor health, such as those with dementia and other illnesses or disabilities. "Expectations have to be adjusted, obviously, when dementia or serious illness enters the picture," he notes. "We have to adapt and rethink what our purpose is — what can make life meaningful." With less physical resilience accompanying aging, Agronin says "psychologically it's just the opposite. Because we've dealt with more adversity, we've learned coping mechanisms and survival skills. If we apply that psychological resilience to physical insult, we can do better."

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society focused on existing medical studies about how older adults with advanced illness form care preferences, reports Medical Xpress . The team analyzed 57 studies, including research that probed preferences for where people wanted to be cared for, the kinds of communication and decision-making they wanted, and what quality of life they hoped to gain over time. Family support was found to be the most important influence on care preferences for older adults, although people also usually formed their preferences based on a number of factors. It also was unusual for older adults to know their care preferences or to have a clear understanding of how they formed those preferences. The study mainly determined the level of support from families was the most critical influence on care preferences, with older adults often changing their preferences because of the concerns of family members or a wish to avoid "being a burden" to others. This was especially true for preferences about the places where people wanted to receive care. In addition, older adults' experiences of previous illness and of caring for others shaped preferences about their own future care. Meanwhile, being more seriously ill strongly influenced care preferences, especially for seniors who were aware that they were sick.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on March 1 signed into law a bill limiting the amount of fee hikes that can be assessed against assisted living communities, reports the Colorado General Assembly . Current law authorizes the state board to set a schedule of fees for health communities, including assisted living, which must be enough to cover the Department of Public Health and Environment's direct and indirect regulatory costs. In terms of most department-regulated health communities, the board cannot raise fees by more than the inflation rate, but the inflation rate limitation is inapplicable to the fees calculated by the department against assisted living communities.

Portland, Ore., couple Charlie and Francie Emerick died together in their bed on April 20, 2017, after taking lethal doses of medication obtained under the state's Death With Dignity law, reports Kaiser Health News . "It felt like their time, and it meant so much to know they were together," says one of the couple's daughters. More than 1,300 people have died in Oregon after obtaining lethal prescriptions following the state's legalization of medical aid-in-dying 20 years ago. Last year 143 people died by this law, and officials say the Emericks appear to be the only couple to ever take the drugs together at the same time. The couple made a 45-minute documentary to chronicle the background of their final decision and their preparations and resolve in carrying it out. Charlie had prostate cancer and heart difficulties and learned in early 2017 that he had only about six months left to live. Francie, meanwhile, was losing energy that concealed years of deterioration following multiple heart attacks and cancer. The couple carefully followed the specifics of the aid-in-dying law, which requires examinations by two different physicians to determine a prognosis of six months or less to live, multiple verifications of intent, and the ability of individuals to ingest the lethal medications themselves. The process takes at least 15 days. "We have a faith that says life is not to be worshipped," Francie said. "It's the quality of life that counts."

More female executives are moving ahead in their careers through relocation, and their employers are increasingly helping their trailing husbands find work, reports the Wall Street Journal . Atlas Van Lines polls found on average, women made up a record 23 percent of moves by North American employers in 2016, up from 17 percent in 2009. Approximately 62 percent of employers provided job-hunting assistance for spouses or partners of transferred staffers in 2017, versus 33 percent in 2007. "Companies consider such help a critical aspect of getting more women into leadership," says Impact Group CEO Lauren Herring. American Express has aided mates of relocated staffers in looking for work since 2012. A company spokesperson notes with women now making up nearly 50 percent of its transferees, many men accompanying them use these career services. AmEx's global program currently includes career coaches, job leads, resume writing, office space, and advice about negotiating job offers or starting a business. AmEx says most participating spouses and domestic partners land positions. However, relocating abroad can be problematic for trailing husbands, and the most common reason for a rejected foreign assignment is a partner's unwillingness to move because of their career. Some people are concerned relocating for their spouses will derail their career trajectories.

A study published in the Lancet Public Health suggests heavy drinkers may be more prone than other adults to develop dementia, especially in middle age, reports Reuters . The researchers examined data from 2008-2013 on more than 31 million French persons who were hospitalized, including more than 1 million diagnosed with dementia. About 5 percent of the people with dementia had early onset dementia that started before age 65, and most of these cases were alcohol-related. "Chronic heavy drinking was the most important modifiable risk factor for dementia onset in both genders and remained so after controlling for all known risk factors for dementia onset," notes Translational Health Economics Network CEO Dr. Michael Schwarzinger. "Surprisingly, heavy drinkers who got sober didn't have a lower dementia risk than their peers who remained problem drinkers." In the course of the study period, 945,512 people were diagnosed with alcohol use disorders, with most of these cases rated as alcohol dependency. About 3 percent of the dementia cases were attributable to alcohol-related brain damage, and other alcohol use disorders were noted in nearly 5 percent of dementia cases. However, with early onset dementia cases, the link to alcohol appeared stronger. About 39 percent of these cases were attributable to alcohol-related brain damage, and an additional 18 percent were connected to other alcohol use disorders. These disorders were associated with triple the risk of dementia and double the risk of early onset cases.

A new study published in Neuron suggests cutting-edge brain-imaging technology distinguishes between normal age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's disease, reports the Daily Mail . The researchers analyzed 20 young adults between 18 and 31, and 20 healthy older people between 64 to 89. All participants were asked to perform an object and location memory task while standing in a body-length magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The machine measured blood flow in the brain, letting researchers determine which part of the organ people are using. In the first task, the participants memorized pictures of everyday objects and then differentiated them from new pictures. For the second task the participants had to determine whether objects changed their location. "Some of the pictures were identical to ones they've seen before, some were brand new, and others were similar to what they've seen before — we may change the color or the size," says the University of California, Irvine's Dr. Michael Yassa. He concludes that "our findings are not a reflection of general brain aging, but rather specific neural changes that are linked to specific problems in object memory."

Researchers in the U.K. and Germany have won this year's brain prize for unpicking key protein modifications that lead to Alzheimer's disease, reports BBC News . University College London (UCL) Professor John Hardy's research includes identifying faulty genes linked to Alzheimer's, which suggested an accumulation of amyloid as the event that triggers damage to nerve cells in Alzheimer's. With University of Munich Professor Christian Haass, Hardy discovered how amyloid production changes in people with rare inherited forms of Alzheimer's dementia. Meanwhile, Cambridge University Professor Michael Goedert's work highlighted the importance of the tau protein in Alzheimer's, and UCL Professor Bart De Strooper, the new director of the U.K. Dementia Research Institute, determined how genetic errors that change the activity of proteins known as secretases can lead to Alzheimer's processes. Hardy said he would donate part of his share of the prize money from the Lundbeck Foundation to help campaigns to keep Britain in the European Union, and thanked the many volunteers with Alzheimer's who have participated in dementia research over the years. "Our congratulations go to all four of these outstanding scientists whose vital contributions have transformed our understanding of the complex causes of Alzheimer's disease," said Alzheimer's Research UK Chief Scientific Officer David Reynolds. "The fact that three of these researchers work in the U.K. reflects the country's position as a global leader in dementia research."