A report from Pew Charitable Trusts finds COVID-19 has not delayed most older Americans' plans for retirement from the workforce, according to CNBC . Respondents included 1,125 near and recent retirees 55 to 75 years old, who have saved at least $30,000 toward retirement. Just 16 percent said they will retire later than expected due to the pandemic, while only 12 percent of workers 55 to 58 said they plan to delay retirement. That is compared to 17 percent for those ages 59 to 62, 28 percent for those 63 to 67, 34 percent for those 68 to 70, and 26 percent for those 71 to 75. A lack of savings was apparently not a factor in decisions to delay retirement: the segment who had saved $100,000 to $149,999 had the most people who said they plan to retire later, with just less than three in 10 respondents. One determinant is how much guidance workers get from their employer, as respondents who had less support were more likely to say they planned to push back retirement. Moreover, just 11 percent of respondents who are either working or retired had withdrawn extra money from their retirement accounts amid the pandemic; 64 percent of this cohort said it was spurred by an unexpected expense, while 14 percent said it was pandemic-related.

A study published in JAMA found almost 14 percent of older adults with dementia filled prescriptions for multiple drugs that target the central nervous system (CNS), or the brain and spinal cord, which can elevate the risk of serious side effects, according to the U.S. National Institute on Aging . CNS-active drugs are used to treat depression and other mental health conditions, prevent seizures, and reduce pain. Older adults with dementia sometimes have behavioral and psychological symptoms, and healthcare providers may prescribe CNS-active drugs to treat those symptoms. The researchers analyzed Medicare claims data on more than 1 million adults with dementia ages 77 to 88. In total, 13.9 percent filled prescriptions for three or more CNS-active drugs for more than 30 days straight, and more than half of those adults had the drugs for more than 180 days. People who were prescribed a combination of CNS-active drugs also had higher rates of insomnia, mental health conditions, and pain not associated with cancer and seizure disorders. The authors could not, based on the claims data, ascertain whether the medications were prescribed to treat those conditions.

A study in Brain analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to differentiate anhedonia, a signature symptom in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), reports Physicsworld . The investigators aimed to define FTD through cognitive and neuroimaging assessments. Behavioral testing uncovered a high incidence of anhedonia in FTD syndromes compared with other types of dementia, with such patients suffering a lack of interest in rewarding experiences and enjoyable hobbies. Voxel-based morphometry analysis of participants' whole-brain MRIs were conducted to characterize voxel-by-voxel changes in gray matter signal intensities, which revealed that the neural circuitry of anhedonia diverges from that of apathy and depression. FTD patients diagnosed with anhedonia exhibit deterioration mostly in a frontostriatal gray matter network that governs the experience of pleasure. "Our findings are . . . important for understanding the subjective experience of the person living with dementia, for the delivery of personalized care, as well as revealing broader insights into a fundamental aspect of the human condition," said Muireann Irish at the University of Sydney.

ClickOnDetroit reports that residents at the Gilbert Residence assisted living community in Ypsilanti, Mich., have received robotic pets and new ways to connect with loved ones. Electronic cats and dogs gifted by the Area Agency on Aging 1-B (AAA 1-B) comfort owners by purring, barking, blinking, wagging their tails, and turning their heads, "When it's more difficult to reach somebody through our usual ways of reaching them, an animal has a way of making someone smile," said Gilbert Residence Life Enrichment Director Maureen Pawlak. AAA 1-B also is using a CARES Act grant to provide residents baby dolls, Amazon Echo Show 8 tablets, Simple Music Players, Super Ear listening devices, and therapy dolls. The gadgets help mitigate social isolation by connecting seniors with family through video visits, playing music, and offering something to nurture. The nonprofit agency is gifting more than 600 devices to 29 nursing homes within its service area, which covers over 760,000 seniors ages 60 and older and adults with disabilities in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Washtenaw counties.

Patch.com reports that the Rhode Island General Assembly has passed legislation that establishes minimum staffing standards in the state's nursing community, which now heads to Gov. Dan McKee's desk for final approval. The new law would require communities to provide at least 3.58 hours of resident care daily starting Jan. 1, to be increased to 3.81 hours per day the following year. The measure was pushed by the Raise the Bar on Resident Care advocacy group, and co-sponsor Sen. Maryellen Goodwin (D) said the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the burdens for nursing community staff as well as patients. "We must confront this problem head-on before our nursing home system collapses," she warned. In addition to creating minimum standards for care, the bill also sets up funding to raise salaries to "recruit and retain a stable workforce." The median pay rate for a certified nursing assistant in Rhode Island is less than $15 and $1 per hour less compared the rate in Massachusetts and Connecticut. "This bill is about getting our nursing community patients the quality care that they need and deserve," explained co-sponsor Rep. Scott Slater (D).

A survey of more than 1,234 older Americans from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) found 88 percent of respondents support legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, reports WFMZ-TV 69 . "Reducing the cost of prescription drugs is essential for both Medicare beneficiaries and Medicare's finances," says TSCL analyst Mary Johnson. "The average monthly Social Security retiree benefit is just $1,552, while spending on prescription drugs is the fastest growing cost that most retirees face in retirement," she says. Drug costs eat up a growing portion of Social Security income over time, because prices are appreciating several times faster than annual cost of living adjustments. Johnson says Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs totaled $4,097 last year, including what enrollees and their drug plans pay. "Under the standard Part D benefit, the beneficiary is responsible for about 25 percent of that amount, and drug plans cover the remaining 75 percent up to an initial coverage limit which is $4,130 in 2021," she notes. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) calculates that the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act could reduce government spending on Part D by $456 billion over a decade, but the estimates are uncertain, especially if price negotiations diverge from the CBO's reading.

Two studies published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions indicate substantial changes in the focus and funding of clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease therapies, reports the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV) News Center .The investigators examined clinicaltrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's database, and five years of annual Alzheimer's pipeline reviews published by UNLV School of Integrated Health Sciences researchers. The results detail the pharmaceutical sector's withdrawal from Alzheimer's clinical trials, especially early phase human trials, with federal agencies and nonprofits stepping in to primarily encourage growth and innovation. The first study observed a decrease in Alzheimer's clinical trials supported by pharmaceutical firms over the past five years, while trials backed by federal government sources and public-private partnerships have risen; academic medical centers were found to increasingly fill the void left by pharma. The second study determined that drugmakers' retreat from Alzheimer's clinical trials has not reduced the agents in those trials, whose number has been relatively steady over the last five years. "If new therapies are approved by regulatory authorities, more sponsors and more funding may be attracted to Alzheimer's research with accelerated innovation," the authors conclude.

Nora Super and Diane Ty, who lead the Milken Institute's Alliance to Improve Dementia Care, argue in STAT News that screening for cognitive impairment should be a standard procedure in the annual check-up for adults 65 and older. "We want older adults and their families to expect cognitive screening in the same way they understand the need for other screening tests for individuals without symptoms, such as annual mammograms or colonoscopy starting at age 45," they write. Super and Ty note that changes to the brain can start one to two decades before the manifestation of signs and symptoms of cognitive impairment. "This makes it essential to capture a baseline of brain health well in advance so it's possible to note changes over time," they stress. The authors cite a study from the Alliance to Improve Dementia Care, detailing the changes needed to prepare the healthcare workforce to effect the screening protocol. The report recommends that clinical workflows for primary care teams employ widely recognized training content and toolkits. Medicare also should require clinicians to use a structured cognitive screening tool during the yearly wellness visit rather than responses to questions or patients' self-reported concerns about memory.

Senior citizens at Independence Village in Avon Lake, Ohio, are offered a program called Active for Life that incorporates seated tap dance classes as an exercise regimen, reports Spectrum News 1 . Active for Life founder Melissa Renner has brought Active for Life seated dance classes to seniors in more than 40 independent, assisted living, and memory care communities in northeast Ohio. "For a population that was hit so hard during the pandemic, it's just really touching to see them back together and doing an activity that brings them so much joy," Renner notes. Participants receive a cardiovascular workout that benefits their feet, ankles, proprioceptors, and brains. "You're simultaneously working brain and body," Renner explains. "Those neurons are just firing, right? So, it's incredible from brain health and body health." Participants step and shuffle to the music of their youth, while wearing special tap shoe covers Renner designed.

KVUE reports that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law legislation that would require nursing and other long-term care communities to disclose details about the spread of communicable diseases. The bill, authored by Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D), deems certain details about the spread of such diseases in the communities as not classified as "protected health information" that can be shared with the public. The law will be in effect starting Sept. 1, and its signing comes after an intense 2020 campaign by the KVUE Defenders, who urged officials to release information about the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care communities. According to the latest data from Texas Health and Human Services, 70,058 residents in Texas nursing communities have tested positive for COVID-19 as of May 10, as have 10,030 assisted living community residents.