"Edith + Eddie," a documentary nominated for an Oscar, chronicles the intense family struggle over caring for an aging parent, reports Kaiser Health News . The short is an intimate look at three distressed daughters concerning the care of an aged mother with dementia, with courtroom disputes adding to their stress. After their mother received the dementia diagnosis in 2011, she was assigned to a guardian even though one daughter had wanted the job. In a court filing, the daughter alleged that the guardian had emptied her mother's bank account of $11,000 and was refusing to return the funds. A few years later, after protracted family bickering and legal maneuvering, the assigned guardian ceded guardianship. The three daughters then became their mother's co-guardians, but further disagreements ensued. "I do believe all three sisters loved their mother but they each had their own idea of how to handle things," notes Joshua Bushman, who became the mother's guardian ad litem in 2011. This feud between siblings did not improve as the mother's mental health deteriorated. The mother died in 2017 at the age of 98, living with one daughter in Florida. The film leaves open the question of who truly had her best interests in mind.

A study published in Stem Cell Reports suggests improving the transportation of cellular proteins in brain cells could lead to new treatments and prevention for Alzheimer's disease, reports ScienceDaily . The researchers used human brain cells cultured from stem cells to determine a compound that strengthens the function of the endosomal network significantly reduces the production of both amyloid beta and a precursor of the tau protein. The team collected skin cells from people with Alzheimer's and from people with no dementia symptoms. They then reprogrammed the skin cells to function as stem cells, thus producing neurons with the same genetic makeup as people from whom they had collected skin samples. The investigators tested a compound that had been shown in animal studies to stabilize and boost the function of a protein assembly called the retromer, which plays a key role in how endosomal "packages" are ferried in the endosomal network. The R33 compound enhanced the function of the retromer, considerably reducing production of both the amyloid beta and the form of tau protein that readily aggregates, phosphorylated-Tau. The team used the gene editing tool CRISPR to create cells that did not generate the necessary precursor of amyloid beta, yet the compound was still efficient at lowering phosphor-Tau. "The findings suggest that something upstream is affecting the production of amyloid beta and phosphorylated-Tau independently," says University of Washington School of Medicine Professor Jessica Young. "So one thing we're going to work on going forward will be using these cell lines to identify what this upstream defect might be and whether it, too, could be a target for new therapeutics to treat Alzheimer's."

A new proposal would create retirement saving accounts that would enable people to postpone the age at which they claim Social Security, thereby increasing monthly benefits, reports MarketWatch . This idea comes from a trio of well-known policy experts - Gary Koenig (AARP), Jason Fichtner (Mercatus Center at George Mason University), and Bill Gale (Brookings Institution). Their proposed Supplemental Transition Accounts for Retirement (STARTs) would be mandatory accounts, fully integrated into the Social Security program, and funded by employees, employers, and a progressive government contribution. Every individual with a START — if claiming Social Security before their full retirement age — would be required to exhaust the account's assets before receiving retired worker benefits, age-based spousal, or survivor benefits. Raising the age at which benefits are first paid would lower the total actuarial reduction that applies to benefits claimed early, yielding higher monthly benefits over the life of the recipient.

New findings from the National Poll on Healthy Aging indicate only 14 percent of people older than 50 believe more is usually better when it comes to healthcare, reports ScienceDaily . However, 25 percent said their health providers frequently order tests or prescribe drugs that they do not think they need. One in six noted it had happened in the last year, but about 50 percent still followed through with the test or filled the prescription. Meanwhile, about 10 percent of respondents said their doctor or other health provider informed them that a test or medication they had requested was unnecessary, with most noting the provider explained why, although 40 percent did not fully understand the explanation. Overall, 54 percent of respondents think health providers often recommend tests, medications, or procedures that they do not really need. "These survey results show us that more attention needs to be focused on improving communication between care recipients and doctors," says AARP's Alison Bryant. "Encouraging recipients and doctors to routinely discuss the need for recommended procedures and medications should help prevent unnecessary treatments and cut healthcare costs."

A survey from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans says 45 percent of organizations offering stress management programs found positive impacts on healthcare costs, 43 percent experienced improved employee health screening data, and 53 percent saw better results with employee engagement and satisfaction, reports Plan Sponsor . Other features leading to better employee engagement include on-site meditation/mindfulness programs, a wellness-centered website, nutrition counseling, and wellness contests. Fifty-four percent of employers citing positive effects of wellness programming on healthcare costs have senior leadership talks directly with employees on wellness information. "Whether a workplace wellness program is taking a more holistic approach or focusing on cost savings, this report distinctly revealed that it is not only leadership support but, more specifically, leadership's communication of the program to staff that is critical for program success," says the International Foundation's Julie Stich. She also notes most firms that deploy a strategy of organized, communicative leadership have above-average participation rates in wellness programs. The foundation determined participation rises with implementation of nutrition programs, fitness programs, wellness seminars, health fairs, health screening programs, and flu shot programs. In addition, 54 percent of companies with boosted wellness outcomes provide on-site walking paths and 41 percent offer free or subsidized wearable fitness trackers. Among firms that offer these programs for the purpose of providing worker well-being, 49 percent encourage activity and/or exercise breaks during working hours while 43 percent support on-site exercise programs.

Two rejected applicants are suing PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) with allegations that its tradition of recruiting entry-level workers on college campuses hurts older employees' chances of getting those same jobs, reports the Wall Street Journal . The plaintiffs' lawyers also argued in district court that 14,000 older workers were similarly disadvantaged by PwC's system of finding applicants at university career fairs and school-affiliated job websites over four years. The litigants contended PwC disproportionately hires younger employees for its tax and assurance business branches, directs more seasoned applicants into part-time and seasonal positions, and "fosters an age-conscious workplace in which youth is highly valued." PwC countered its hiring practices are merit-based, and that campus recruiting is an efficient and effective strategy many large employers use. PwC's attorney Emily Nicklin said the firm hires less than 5 percent of the 300,000 applicants seeking its U.S. positions each year. The case highlights a demographic conflict in the job market, coinciding with technology-driven shifts that affect the way Americans work, which management researchers and economists say will continue to pressure employers in the future. The case also could impact how large companies recruit top talent from business schools if the courts decide a hiring practice is biased against older applicants.

A study by researchers at Wake Forest School of Medicine published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found older adults' decision not to seek help for mental illness is most commonly rooted in the conviction that they should not require aid, reports Next Avenue . Other barriers cited by 478 older adults in rural North Carolina included not knowing where to go, distance, mistrust of counselors or therapists, "not wanting to talk with a stranger about private matters," and stigma. "We as a society have a hard time asking for help, so it's hard enough to ask for help without feeling that everybody's going to know it," says Dennis Mohatt at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. The Carter Center's Eve Byrd also notes the stigma around aging itself exacerbates this situation for older adults. A discussion of stigma associated with seeing a mental health professional assumes "that there is somebody to go to to begin with," says Minnesota State University Professor Paul Mackie. "Too often, when you can even find services, they're going to be limited." Mackie also says addressing a lack of mental health practitioners for older adults in rural regions partly requires stoking students' interest in the field. His research indicates that potential future rural mental health professionals are most likely going to be young people raised in small towns.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Acting Director Mick Mulvaney on Wednesday called on states to make more of an effort to lead enforcement actions against financial companies and promised that the agency would uphold its mission under the Trump administration, reports Politico Pro . Mulvaney pledged the CFPB will continue to enforce the law, despite concerns from Democrats and consumer advocates that he would disband the bureau. "The CFPB will be run differently under the Trump administration than it was under the Obama administration," he said. Mulvaney also noted there would be emphasis on education — including trying to convince people not to accept services that are inadvisable for their financial benefit — and a plan to discontinue the CFPB's research into the economic impact of climate change. "In a perfect world ... if you did your education absolutely perfectly, you wouldn't have to do any enforcement at all," Mulvaney said. But he also swore, "we intend to do both."

Participating in Medicare wellness programs brought better outcomes to beneficiaries with chronic conditions, according to a new report from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). Medicare members who participated in wellness programs reported improved fitness levels, were less likely to be injured in a fall, and were able to maintain their physical health better than non-participants, reports HealthPayer Intelligence . In addition, the researchers found that participation in chronic disease management, fall prevention, and physical activity programs led to positive mental health effects such as improved overall confidence.

A study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry analyzed five common misconceptions about depression in older adults that were first evaluated two decades ago, suggesting it is not more common than in younger people and is not more often created by psychological factors, reports Medical Xpress . The team determined major depressive disorder continues to be less common later in life, but has a higher relapse rate than in younger adults. In addition, older adults with subthreshold depression symptoms exhibit similar impaired physical, social, and role functioning to those with a major depressive disorder diagnosis. In general, older adults respond to psychological interventions as well as younger adults, although evidence implies antidepressants are less effective in late life. The researchers say although older adults may benefit from enhanced ability to regulate emotions, research suggests several age-related biological processes contribute to major depression. Late-life depression also may be symptomatically dissimilar from earlier stages, but the researchers believe further research is required to clarify the influences of aging and other medical conditions.