An MDVIP/Ipsos survey indicated that many Americans are largely misinformed in terms of understanding dementia and Alzheimer's disease, with nearly half failing a "Brain Health IQ" quiz, reports PR Newswire . About two out of three adults also report feeling depression or anxiety during the pandemic, and two out of five have experienced "brain fog" characterized by forgetfulness or loss of memory. Moreover, two out of three are concerned with cognitive decline, but few are consulting with their doctor to learn brain health facts or their own risk. A stunning 65 percent of Americans older than 55 have never had a cognitive screening test, even though baseline and regular assessments are critical to early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of brain disease. "As the baby boomer generation ages, the number of Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer's is expected to skyrocket, underscoring the need to improve brain health literacy among physicians and patients," said MDVIP Chief Medical Officer Andrea Klemes. She added that the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the brain remain uncertain, "and we hope that research such as ours will continue to shine a light on this very serious health issue."

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has instructed health officials to prioritize COVID-19 testing, medical staff, and supplies for long-term care community residents, reports the Associated Press . He unveiled the initiative following the announcement of a "somber milestone" of more than 200 deaths due to complications from the coronavirus and "too many" fatalities in nursing communities. Last week, state health officials disclosed 26 deaths in the previous seven days, all of whom were men and women in their 70s, 80s, and 90s with underlying health conditions. Burgum said efforts will be made to return test results of long-term care community residents within 24 hours and prioritize contact tracing and follow-up in those communities. North Dakota is awaiting new tests from the White House that can determine a result within 15 minutes, which will be committed to residents and healthcare personnel in nursing communities. Burgum added that emergency medical technicians and other medical staff will be brought in to assist with testing, while some 200 nurses from the state health department's operations center will help provide staff coverage. "We're doing all this because protecting the vulnerable is our top priority," the governor declared.

Analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on COVID-19 has determined that 20-year-olds accounted for the largest share of new confirmed cases in the United States — more than 20 percent — according to National Public Radio . University of California, San Francisco Professor Kirsten Bibbens-Domingo said the reopening of the country essentially gave younger people the responsibility of resuming employment, while the allure of summertime boosted socializing among this age group. This combined with an elevation in risk-taking among young adults, which fed into the escalation of infections among older adults. The CDC first noted in the Southern states a spike in cases among young adults, and then a jump in cases among both that age group and in adults aged 60+ within a week or two weeks. The latter demographic is much more likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19. Adding to the problem is that young adults have less tendency to be symptomatic of the virus.

The U.S. Department of Labor late last week announced nearly $156 million of grants through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) to offer career and training services to low-income older individuals who wish enter or re-enter the workforce, reports KLIN News Talk . The SCSEP is designed to move participants into unsubsidized employment in both the public and private sectors, advance part-time work experiences in community service assignments for unemployed low-income individuals who are 55 or older, and nurture self-sufficiency. Successful applicants demonstrated clear service delivery models that will allow qualifying individuals to successfully engage with the program and reach these objectives. The SCSEP will use the money to fund 21 grants to national nonprofits via general funds, as well as funds allocated by law to underwrite organizations with the ability to provide employment services to older Native Americans or Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. The grants will support over 32,000 participant positions, and supply funding through the end of Program Year 2020. Afterward, these grantees may receive roughly $312 million per year for an additional three years, subject to future appropriations.

The Downriver Wanderers Car Club of Michigan hosted its first drive-by car show at the Brownstown Forest View Assisted Living community in recognition of National Assisted Living Week, reports the News-Herald . Club president Terry Barrett said pandemic restrictions required them to drive around the building, although residents who were able to go outside set up chairs and enjoyed the show in the sunshine. "We made it more of a little show," he said. "The Police and Fire Departments got involved, so we followed them, driving by each window." In addition to 65 classic cars, Barrett said families of residents drove their "regular" cars, decorated in banners and signs, while waving to loved ones. The community used the event as an opportunity to make it a festive occasion, serving submarine sandwiches, soda, and water, as well as playing music, holding raffles, and giving away gift bags. Reception was so positive that the club is considering returning next year.

A study in Behavioural Brain Research supported by the U.S. National Institute on Aging determined that video games could potentially enhance cognitive health in older adults. The researchers enlisted persons 60 to 80 years old to test the hypothesis that the unique and three-dimensional environment of Super Mario and the two-dimensional setting of Angry Birds would confer more cognitive benefits upon individuals than those conferred by a familiar two-dimensional game, like Solitaire. Participants in each of these three video game environments played 30 to 45 minutes each day for four weeks, with memory tests conducted during and four weeks after the conclusion of daily gameplay. Memory performance did not differ across groups prior to gameplay, but two weeks of Angry Birds or Super Mario led to improved recognition memory. Memory kept improving after an additional two weeks for the Super Mario cohort compared to the Solitaire players, which continued after daily gameplay ended. No additional memory improvements were observed in Angry Birds players. The implication is that both novel experiences and exposure to rich three-dimensional environments may interact to improve cognition, while video game interventions also may benefit individuals at any age — especially for those who are homebound.

Updated guidelines from Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services (DHS) concern relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions for residents and staff at assisted living, personal care, and group communities, reports GoErie.com . The revised recommendations cover screening and surveillance testing, expanded visitation policies, and more detailed procedures for when current restrictions can be lifted. The new guidance includes a compassionate caregiver designation, which awards special visitor status to a family member or friend of a resident under specific circumstances. DHS spokeswoman Erin James said the agency considers most of its guidance as recommendations, not requirements, for communities — although DHS-licensed communities, like skilled nursing communities, must satisfy specific mandates in order to begin lifting restrictions. The guidance advises outside visitation until a community has reached the second of a three-step process for lifting restrictions, which occurs after it has been COVID-19-free for at least 28 days. Communities also are recommended to resume restrictions for at least two weeks if a staffer or resident tests positive for the virus. Unlike the state Department of Health's guidance for skilled nursing communities, DHS recommendations say DHS-licensed communities must allow family, friends, clergy, and others identified by a resident visitation during end-of-life situations. Meanwhile, visitor bans will stay in effect for most individuals — including volunteers, non-essential healthcare personnel, and non-essential personnel like hairdressers — until the community is COVID-19-free for at least 14 days.

Researchers from the Stevens Institute of Technology have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can diagnose Alzheimer's disease with more than 95 percent accuracy because it is able to explain its conclusions, reports Tech HQ . The algorithm is trained to identify subtle linguistic clues previously overlooked, by utilizing texts composed by both healthy subjects and known Alzheimer's patients. The researchers then rendered each sentence as a unique numerical sequence, or vector, representing a point in a 512-dimensional space. This enables complex sentences to be assigned a tangible numerical value, and simplifies analysis of structural and thematic relationships between sentences. The AI algorithm gradually learns to identify differences between sentences composed by either healthy or unhealthy individuals before ascertaining exactly how likely any given text was to have been produced by someone with Alzheimer's. "We're . . . making it far easier to explain to patients why the AI came to the conclusion that it did while diagnosing patients," said Stevens Institute of Artificial Intelligence founding director K.P. Subbalakshmi.

A MDVIP/Ipsos survey found while many Americans say they want to reduce their risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, they have little knowledge about early symptoms and risk factors, reports USA Today . The survey estimated that 80 percent of Americans want to reduce their risk of dementia, yet only about 35 percent say they know the signs. University of Pennsylvania Professor Jason Karlawish says common early warning signs for Alzheimer's-induced dementia include repetitive questions and stories, troubles with orientation, and difficulties with complex, daily tasks. About 1,200 people participated in the poll, and Boston University School of Medicine Professor Andrew Budson says few people know the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's. Ways of reducing the risk of both conditions include physical exercise and diet, with Budson citing aerobic exercises and the Mediterranean diet especially. MDVIP Chief Medical Officer Andrea Klemes adds that caring for one's emotional health also carries benefits. Research has demonstrated that depression is a risk factor for dementia, and those with symptoms of depression tend to suffer faster deterioration in thinking and memory skills.

President Trump on Thursday vowed to send $200 prescription drug coupons to 33 million Medicare beneficiaries "in the coming weeks," reports STAT . A White House spokesman said the administration is authorized to ship the coupons from a Medicare demonstration program, with the $6.6 billion required for shipping to come from savings from Trump's "most favored nations" drug pricing proposal. That regulation has not yet been implemented, which means those alleged savings are not yet existent; the spokesman said the cards would be "actual discount cards for prescription drug copays." Trump also boasted of a new regulation allowing states and pharmacies to import prescription drugs from Canada, yet states would still have to apply to participate and set up new programs to actually start importation. Health Secretary Alex Azar also sent a letter to Congress formally certifying the safety and money-saving benefits of importation. It is uncertain whether Trump's promises on $200 credits for prescription drug coupons will bear fruit, as the Constitution empowers Congress, not the White House, to spend taxpayer money. The New York Times also reported earlier that Trump officials had attempted to persuade the pharmaceutical industry to pay for similar cards worth $100 — and was met with rejection. A Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spokesperson stated that "one-time savings cards will neither provide lasting help, nor advance the fundamental reforms necessary to help seniors better afford their medicines."