Knoxville, Tenn., balloon artist Dianna Glandon participates in a nationwide initiative to bring joy to local seniors isolated during the pandemic, reports WBIR . Through the Adopt-a-Grandparent project, her team delivered 52 Balloon Buddies to residents at Morning Pointe on Westland assisted living community. Glandon said her investigations found that "the effects of loneliness cause a decline in mental abilities, decreased attention and concentration, increased anxiety, and a rapid progression of Alzheimer's disease." She knew that receiving a Balloon Buddy would lift spirits and let grandparents know they are loved. There are nine additional assisted living communities listed for adoption by the program, with more added daily. Grandparents can be adopted by anyone — community residents, churches, civic organizations, school clubs, businesses, and out of town or state residents. Glandon donates all delivery services and two Balloon Buddies for every 10 adopted grandparents.

Researchers at the City of Hope independent disease research and treatment center have developed an easy-to-use tool for predicting if older adults with early-stage breast cancer will have a severe or fatal reaction to chemotherapy, reports EurekAlert . The Cancer and Aging Research Group-Breast Cancer (CARG-BC) Score can help oncologists make individualized treatment recommendations by discussing the score and its implications with patients 65 or older. "Rather than basing treatment decisions and care on demographic data for a disease, we now can offer each senior, early-stage breast cancer patient individualized toxicity information that could help align treatment with their goals for lifestyle, quality of life, longevity, and other priorities," said City of Hope's Mina Sedrak. The CARG-BC Score was assessed in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology , featuring 473 subjects treated with chemotherapy either before or after surgery and evaluated for geriatric and clinical symptoms predictive of severe, debilitating, or deadly side effects from chemotherapy. It outperformed current measures of patient performance status widely used in oncology, including the Karnofsky performance status and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status. The researchers' next step will be to enhance the tool with additional biological markers that could forecast severe or deadly side effects to chemotherapy.

Yahoo! Lifestyle reports that other COVID-19 vaccine candidates besides Pfizer-BioNTech's and Moderna's are under development, including a single-dose option from Johnson & Johnson. The company has about 45,000 people enrolled in ongoing phase 3 clinical trials, and early data suggests the vaccine has significant potential. Interim phase 1/2a data published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates Johnson & Johnson's vaccine candidate triggered an immune response in patients for at least 71 days. The company added that the vaccine also was "generally well-tolerated" in study participants. Johnson & Johnson's andenovector vaccine uses double-stranded DNA to promote an immune response, while Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's mRNA vaccines both use single-stranded RNA. Johnson & Johnson scientists researchers inserted a piece of genetic material from the novel coronavirus' spike protein into another virus, Adenovirus 26, which was modified so it can penetrate cells without reproducing inside of them. Company trials have so far determined that administering both one or two doses of the vaccine induced an effective immune response against SARS-CoV-2 in study participants, but nothing is concrete until phase 3 clinical trials are concluded and Johnson & Johnson has enough data to support its single dose.

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee this week announced a series of new efforts to help boost the state's COVID-19 vaccinations, including partnerships with such companies as Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, and Starbucks, confirms CNN (Jan. 19, Rose, Maxouris). Partnership members will focus on different aspects of vaccine distribution. Kaiser Permanente, for instance, will be tasked with helping plan for mass vaccination clinics, while Starbucks will assist with operational efficiency. Microsoft President Brad Smith said his company will provide technology expertise. "We are not a health care company," Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson said during a press conference. "But Starbucks does operate 33,000 stores at scale, serving 100 million customers a week and we have a world class team of human-centered design engineers who are working under the direction of the state and health care providers . . . to help support the creation of vaccination centers."

WDEL says the state of Delaware will start offering COVID-19 vaccinations to people 65 and older under its Phase 1b stage of distribution. The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) said it spent the weekend developing an appointment-style registration system or vaccinations that it is rolling out today, with a priority for those 65 and older. "It is Delaware's intent to conduct large vaccination events efficiently and safely without the chaos that has been seen in some other states," stated DPH spokeswoman Jen Brestel. Inoculations for the Phase 1b population could be available as soon as this week once appointment slots are made available. "We need to get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible," said Sandra Gibney, a member of Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long's COVID-19 task force. "We use the honor system on some of these things. But the bottom line is to protect us all, we need to get the vaccination out."

Butler Radio Network reports that the Pennsylvania Department of Aging is in the process of organizing a task force to help prevent the financial exploitation of seniors. The task force's purpose is to better coordinate initiatives and support in spotting scams that target older men and women early. Its establishment follows research determining, among other things, that 65 percent of those who stole money from seniors were relatives, usually adult children. Moreover, just one in 10 cases of senior financial fraud were reported to authorities.

The Calhoun Times reports that the Georgia chapter of the Alzheimer's Association is offering Theatre Thursdays, a virtual theatre program for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), across the state. The free, six-week course aims to provide entertaining and therapeutic social engagement for persons with early-stage dementia or MCI and their care partners. Atlanta-based professional actor Denise Arribas will apply improvisational, theatre, and storytelling techniques to educate and engage participants socially. The pandemic necessitates that this course be presented virtually. "Since my mom got diagnosed eight years ago, I've been passionate about figuring out ways to engage with those living with Alzheimer's, and it is a dream of mine to be able to share my love for theatre as a way to engage," Arribas said. "It is my hope that this program will help everyone feel more connected and less isolated." Mary Caldwell with the Alzheimer's Association, Georgia Chapter added that her organization understands "that those living with dementia and their care partners are facing unprecedented isolation this winter due to COVID-19 concerns. With that in mind, we are introducing Theatre Thursdays with Denise to foster connection, warmth, and a new way to have fun together."

A study from the Boston University School of Medicine published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease said 50.4 percent of patients with Alzheimer's have mild symptoms of dementia, reports the Korea Herald . Meanwhile, 30.3 percent have moderate symptoms and 19.3 percent have severe symptoms. "Our results serve to inform the design of future research studies such as clinical and observational studies and provide optimal resource allocation for policy-making," said Boston University Professor Rhoda Au. According to the investigators, these findings highlight the need for research and intervention to slow the disease's progress. "It is crucial to determine risk factors or develop therapies that could alter the disease trajectory to improve individuals' quality of life and alleviate the socio-economic burden," noted Au.

The availability of COVID-19 vaccines to people 65 and older in Florida is attracting visitors ranging from Americans or foreigners who own second homes in the state and reside there part-time to short-term visitors, reports the Wall Street Journal . The practice is being criticized by some officials and residents. In its guidance to local officials, the state detailed that people who meet the current eligibility criteria can be vaccinated in Florida whether they call the state home or not. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis distinguished between people who own second homes in Florida and reside part-time in the state and those who fly in and stay only briefly to get shots. "We're discouraging people to come to Florida just to get a vaccine," he said. Florida Department of Health Interim Communications Director Jason Mahon said the department will investigate any reported misuse of the vaccine, noting "it is absolutely not permitted for someone to come into Florida for one day to receive the vaccine and leave the next." The practice has coined the term "vaccine tourism."

The Alzheimer's Association held a forum on Monday to discuss and listen to how Alzheimer's disease is affecting communities of color, reports CBS 19 . The object was to make community partners aware of these issues in order to better help families in need. Senior Director Tina Thomas said the forum considered barriers and gaps within the African-American community, noting that the most frequent problem concerned how people claim to have a lack of trust and care with their doctors. "African-Americans are disproportionately impacted by this disease, and we have to find a way to get beyond the mistrust and get people the right information into the hands of people who need it the most," Thomas urged. She added that while families cannot physically be with their loved ones in long-term care communities, she wants to guarantee that they have the appropriate resources to still feel connected. Thomas said the forum will meet in two weeks in the hope of finding better ways to support these families and supply them with such resources.