A study in the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences found that older adults who are more socially engaged exhibit healthier gray matter in regions of the brain relevant to dementia, reports United Press International . Participants who noted social activity had higher volumes of gray matter in regions governing language, attention, concentration, decision-making, and information processing. The authors investigated the level of social engagement in 293 older adults, average age 83. They were scored on a "social engagement index" based on marital status, daily activities, time spent with friends and family and in the community, and volunteerism. Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging revealed that those who scored higher on the social engagement index had more gray matter in the relevant areas of the brain. This indicated that these regions could better process information, and do it faster as well. "I would advise my patients to actively participate in various social activities that give them a social identity within their social network, at least once a week, to keep their brain cells healthy," said Cynthia Felix at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. "A balanced and structured planning of social activities is very doable even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, just as one plans for a healthy diet or physical activity."

A draft state distribution plan submitted Friday to the U.S. government declares that older and medically at-risk residents, in addition to healthcare workers and other essential employees, will likely receive the first doses of an anticipated COVID-19 vaccine in Connecticut and possibly elsewhere, reports the Associated Press . "We've done this really with limited information about the actual vaccine itself and the requirements and populations," acknowledged Deidre Gifford, Connecticut's acting public health director. "So we are doing our best to prepare but also knowing that we need to remain flexible and adapt as we get further information." The first phase of the draft plan will likely involve hospitals, local health departments and districts, pharmacies, and clinics that prioritize vaccinations for certain groups. The plan also suggests off-site vaccination clinics and perhaps mobile clinics for other essential staff, people with a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, and long-term care community residents. The second and third phases are expected to involve vaccinating the general public, when a greater anticipated supply of the vaccine is available.

A study from the New School found that older workers are facing higher unemployment than their midcareer counterparts for the first time in almost half a century, reports the Associated Press . In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, workers 55 and older lost jobs sooner, were rehired at a slower rate, and continue to face higher job losses than those aged 35 to 54. This marks the first time since 1973 that such a severe unemployment gap has persisted for six months or longer. Older workers' unemployment rates from April through September were 1.1 percent higher than mid-career workers, at 9.7 percent versus 8.6 percent — and older workers who are black, female, or lack college degrees had even worse rates. AARP said these findings compounded anxiety about the virus' economic fallout on older workers. People over 50 who lose their jobs typically take twice as long to find work compared to younger peers. AARP's Susan Weinstock warned that the pandemic "may be something that is pushing people out of the workforce and they may never get back in." The study's authors recommended that the U.S. Congress boost and extend unemployment benefits for older workers, discourage withdrawals from retirement accounts, reduce Medicare eligibility to age 50, and establish a federal Older Workers Bureau to promote the welfare of older employees.

A meta-analysis published in JAMA Open suggests dancing may help prevent falls in older people, reports Forbes . The authors pooled data from 29 controlled studies involving over 4,200 healthy people older than 65. They analyzed studies incorporating "dance-based mind-motor activities" that considered coordinated upright movements, focused on music or rhythm, with unique choreography and social interactions with other like-minded persons. They assessed diverse styles of dance including folk dancing, ballroom dancing, line dancing, tai chi, and eurythmics. Compared to persons of the same age who walked, practiced aerobics, seated exercise, and other types of exercise, those engaging in dance-based forms of exercise had a 37 percent lower risk of falling in eight of the 29 trials, and a 31 percent reduction in falling in seven additional trials. Multiple trials illustrated a substantial improvement compared to controls in lower body strength and overall balance, but not upper body strength. Most critically, dancing three or more sessions a week consistently over three to six months was associated with greater health and wellness benefits compared with other forms of exercise for shorter periods of time.

Researchers at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in New York are investigating how excessive alcohol consumption leads to Alzheimer's disease, reports Medical Xpress . It is based on the suspicion that binge drinking contributes to the alteration of tau protein into a biological rogue prevalent in Alzheimer's disease. The scientists are exploring how tau can become phosphorylated with binge drinking. "It has been reported that alcohol consumption correlates with Alzheimer's-like cortical atrophy in individuals at high risk of developing the disease as well as younger age of onset," said Feinstein Institutes Professor Max Brenner. "In addition, chronic alcohol exposure caused neural tau phosphorylation in the hippocampus and memory-impairment in Alzheimer's-predisposed mice." The researchers hope their investigation will yield insights on specific proteins that apparently play key roles in the spread of tau, by analyzing the activities of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) and its associated configuration, extracellular cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (eCIRP). eCIRP plays a critical role in mediating memory impairment induced by exposure to excessive alcohol consumption.

The Paws With A Cause nonprofit hosted a dog parade for residents at an assisted living community in Grand Rapids, Mich., reports MLive . The event sought to connect residents of the Beacon Hill at Eastgate community with the animals despite the COVID-19 pandemic. "Finding new ways to connect to the community during COVID is really important and to keep our residents' spirits bright and happy," said Beacon Hill's Sarah Johnson. Residents interacted with volunteers and learned about each dog that was paraded through the community. Several noted that the event reminded them of the love they have for past and current family pets. The program breeds and custom-trains four breeds of dogs — standard poodles, labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and papillons — several of which were present during the event. "We wanted to do something in our community that would bring light to those who have been cooped up and not been able to venture out because of social distancing," said Paws With A Cause's Cara Conway. "This event allows us to do that and engage with our community members."

A study of the blood profiles of regular winter-time swimmers in London has identified a protein — RBM3 — that slows the onset of dementia in mice, and even reverses damage, reports the New York Post . In a 2015 study published in Nature , the researchers detailed the discovery of "cold-shock chemicals" during animal studies on healthy mice, mice with Alzheimer's, and others with prion disease. Healthy mice subjected to temperatures below 35 degrees Celsius and then gradually rewarmed had elevated RBM3 levels, and also exhibited repaired neurons that were damaged by the initial shock. This effect was not repeated in mice with Alzheimer's and prion — but by artificially boosting RBM3 levels in the ailing mice, then repeating the cold-shock process, the protein appeared to prevent susceptible synapses from breaking. In the latest study, many winter-time swimmers, recovering from core temperatures as low as 34 degrees Celsius, had significantly high RBM3 levels compared with controls who practiced tai chi near the swimming pool. The team hopes to apply these findings to devise a safe, artificial method for increasing RBM3.

Organizations are starting to use artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to surmount the obstacles associated with an aging population, to better understand individual needs, reports Health IT Analytics . Their effectiveness relies on their usability, which is particularly challenging for seniors. "We have to focus on that end-user being at the center of how these tools work in order to get them to adopt them," said Cathy Bodine at the University of Colorado's Center for Inclusive Design and Engineering. Researchers and developers must have older adults participate in the design process, using a person-centered approach for more intuitive models, improved patient engagement, and better results. University of California, San Diego Professor Ellen Lee and colleagues sought to build tools that can communicate with patients and understand clinician-patient rapport, by using AI to analyze language patterns and ascertain levels of loneliness in older adults. Meanwhile, the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging and LifeBio are applying a grant from the U.S. National Institute on Aging to develop a reminiscence therapy platform for people with dementia, by harnessing a machine learning application that transfers speech to text and generates life stories. The Benjamin Rose Institute's Silvia Orsulic-Jeras said ensuring people can understand and use innovative tools is a challenge that is elevated among seniors. "With the pandemic still going on, we'll have to ensure that we can provide adequate enough tech support without physically being in the room," he noted. "Our hope is that within a year's time, we'll be able to enter into residential care communities and show this new platform to our participants in person."

Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the U.S. government could authorize emergency use of his firm's experimental COVID-19 vaccine in December, if a large clinical trial yields positive interim results in November, reports the Wall Street Journal . Moderna in July initiated a 30,000-person U.S. study to assess the vaccine's protective effects from symptomatic COVID-19, and the trial's enrollment is nearly done. Half of the study subjects will receive the vaccine and half will receive a placebo, and the first interim analysis of the vaccine's efficacy will happen when 53 participants get symptomatic COVID-19. If there are significantly fewer vaccinated people than unvaccinated people among those cases, then Moderna may deem the outcome adequate to solicit government authorization of wider use. Bancel noted that while the first analysis is likely to occur next month, "it's hard to predict exactly which week because it depends on the cases, the number of people getting sick." Moderna also must watch the safety of at least half of study subjects for two months following vaccination before it can pursue emergency use authorization. Bancel said that threshold was likely to be reached in late November, and should Moderna file for an emergency use authorization soon after, the Food and Drug Administration may take several weeks to vet the application before deciding in December. Failure to demonstrate sufficient efficacy at the first interim analysis will prompt Moderna to perform a second analysis when 106 symptomatic COVID-19 cases occur — probably in December.

Germany has pledged extra financial support to Holocaust survivors worldwide — including roughly 58,000 to 60,000 American seniors — amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Newsweek . The agreement between the German government and the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany is worth $663 million. Under the agreement's terms, a total of 240,000 survivors will qualify to claim $2,800 each over the next two years, to be received in annual payments of about $1,400. "In the face of a devastating global pandemic, it was vital to secure larger increases for survivors while also seeking immediate funds to help them through these extremely challenging times," said Claims Conference Special Negotiator Stuart E. Eizenstat. The commitment comes as talks between the White House and Capitol Hill Democrats over a further round of stimulus checks for Americans have hit one stalemate after another.