WRAL TechWire reports that many Americans are being forced to take early retirement because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Young workers' participation in the labor force has nearly fully recovered — likely reflecting both lower health risks from the virus and a decline in college enrollment — while the participation of older workers and women has recovered more slowly," wrote Goldman Sachs economist Joseph Briggs in a note to clients. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the labor force participation rate stood at 61.5 percent in November, a 1.9 percent decline from the February rate. Briggs said there were roughly 830,000 "excess retirees" in October, representing about 25 percent of the difference between the pre-pandemic workforce and the current workforce. Workers who retire are highly unlikely to return to work and would be categorized as permanent job losses. Briggs also noted that the Census Pulse Households Survey indicates that more workers applied for early Social Security benefits this year due to the pandemic. Although he suggested the early retirement trend should peter out with the increased number of retirees eventually offset by fewer retirees in coming years, this does little to console those forced to terminate their careers.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan kicked off the start of COVID-19 vaccinations at state nursing communities at Baltimore County's Franklin Woods Center yesterday, reports the Southern Maryland Chronicle . The distribution of shots to nursing community residents and staff statewide is being coordinated via the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, in association with CVS and Walgreens. In preparation for Phase 1A of the state's vaccination plan, the Maryland Department of Health signed up every nursing and assisted living community statewide for this program. "We have taken more aggressive action than any other state in our efforts to protect the residents of our nursing communities, including requiring universal testing and activating National Guard strike teams to respond to outbreaks," declared Hogan. "Today marks an incredible turning point in our fight against COVID-19. It is another moment of hope in this long battle."

Medical Xpress reports that German researchers suspect that some seniors are resistant to dementia well into their 80s and longer due to a genetic disposition to warding off protein accumulation in the brain. Their study in JAMA Network Open detailed how their analysis of brain images of 94 participants 80 or older considered the volume of tau protein tangles and beta-amyloid protein plaques in their brains. Participants scoring highest on memory tests — "super agers" — had brain protein profiles similar to those of healthy people who were much younger. Meanwhile, subjects who were aging normally and scored lower on memory tests had more tangles than younger people, and those already diagnosed with mildly impaired thinking had a greater accrual of both tangles and plaques. A recent New York Times profile of a Colombian woman who was genetically predisposed for early-onset Alzheimer's disease, but who did not suffer from it, also noted that she carried another rare gene mutation that seemed to protect her from a similarly large buildup of tau tangles. Research Center Juelich's Merle Hoenig suggested lifestyle choices and genetic predisposition may be working in tandem to similarly protect super agers.

The Vaccination Toolkit for Long-Term Care Facilities is now live on CDC's website The toolkit provides administrators and clinical leadership with information and resources to help build vaccine confidence among healthcare personnel and residents. Additionally, the toolkit outlines the importance of COVID-19 vaccination, provides strategies for encouraging COVID-19 vaccination, and includes tools communities may use to monitor COVID-19 vaccination side effects among staff and residents. You can also find a variety of printable resources to help communicate with staff and residents. See the toolkit .

ABC affiliate WKOW-TV reports that an assisted living community in Portage, Wis., has set up a Christmas "visiting booth" to spread holiday cheer among residents during the pandemic. Heritage House Assisted Living team members and some of their relatives contributed to the outdoor booth's construction, which includes reclining chairs, a Christmas tree, and a pine-scented air freshener. Only two visitors are allowed in the booth at a time, and they must undergo temperature checks and answer health questionnaires before being admitted. Face coverings are mandatory, with visitors separated by a Plexiglas wall enclosure. The booth is rigorously cleaned and disinfected between each guest visit, and it's been booked all the way through the holidays.

A study in Science Signaling characterized an Alzheimer's disease treatment as effective in male mice and ineffective in female mice, reports EurekAlert . "The research involved assessing the memory function in female and male Alzheimer's mice after they were treated with a drug that selectively blocks a receptor to regulate memory and learning," said the University of Ottawa's Khaled Abdelrahman. "We then assessed the recovery of memory deficits after treatment and how it is different between sexes. We also examined whether the binding of a toxic AB peptide to this receptor is different between male and female mouse and human brain." The researchers discovered the treatment effected disease reversal in male mice, but not in female mice. "Importantly, it defines a previously unknown differences in the biophysical properties of an important receptor in the brain that regulates memory and learning," Abdelrahman noted.

Elder Services of Merrimack Valley and North Shore CEO Joan Hatem-Roy writes in the Eagle-Tribune that excessive holiday activities can be a source of agitation to people living with dementia. "A wise approach is to adjust expectations and make modifications to the holidays," she explains. "Alzheimer's disease is an unpredictable condition, and this applies to most neurological diagnoses that have a dementia component." Hatem-Roy stresses the need to create a comfortable environment for the dementia sufferer. "Candles, the blinking lights on a tree, or other sparkling decorations can cause disorientation," she notes. "A festive scene which many of us would consider beautiful can be overwhelming for others. Rearranging the furniture to accommodate a tree or other decorations may also cause confusion and agitation." Hatem-Roy suggests toning down decorations and playing holiday music at soft volumes. "Keep the everyday routine as close to normal as possible," she adds.

According to the Tampa Bay Times , Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced that Floridians older than 70 will have priority to receive COVID-19 vaccinations over essential workers and younger people with underlying health conditions. He balked at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's proposed recommendations to first give the shots to essential workers and adults of any age with certain underlying conditions. "The vaccines are going to be targeted where the risk is going to be greatest, and that's in our senior population," DeSantis declared. Florida is still in Phase 1a of the vaccine rollout, with officials receiving and distributing two-shot doses from Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna. The first doses are going to most healthcare workers and residents of long-term communities, and Florida's progress with the rollout has sparked debate over who should be next in line. A Harvard University vaccine prioritization model demonstrated that immunizing younger people stops more transmission of the virus, but vaccinating older people prevents more deaths.

Reuters reports that at least four drugmakers are confident that their COVID-19 vaccines will be effective against the new fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus proliferating in Britain, and are conducting tests that should provide confirmation in a few weeks. BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said its messenger RNA vaccine, developed with Pfizer, should still work well. Moderna, CureVac, and AstraZeneca also expect their vaccines to protect against the variant. "Scientifically it is highly likely that the immune response by this vaccine can also deal with this virus variant," Sahin added. He said it will take about two more weeks of research and data collection before a definitive answer comes. "The vaccine contains more than 1,270 amino acids, and only nine of them are changed in the mutated virus," Sahin explained. "That means that 99 percent of the protein is still the same."

The Washington Times reports that a proposal to expand veterans' access to dementia care supported by the four members of Maine's congressional delegation is scheduled to be signed into law. The sponsors — Sens. Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I) and Reps. Chellie Pingree (D) and Jared Golden (D) — said the measure will provide the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs more flexibility so they can allow veterans with early-stage dementia to receive needed care. The bill passed both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate unanimously. Maine Veterans Homes CEO Kelley Kash said the law change will fix an administrative problem that has made it more difficult for veterans to access care.