A study in Neurology found that combining five healthy lifestyle habits could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 60 percent, reports Fox 6 Now . The behaviors identified were physical activity, not smoking, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption, a high-quality diet, and cognitive activities. Persons who followed four or all five habits had a 60 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's, while those who combined just two to three had a 37 percent lower risk versus those who did none or only one. Physical activity included at least 150 minutes weekly of moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise. "This observational study provides more evidence on how a combination of modifiable behaviors may mitigate Alzheimer's disease risk," said U.S. National Institute on Aging Director Richard J. Hodes. "The findings strengthen the association between healthy behaviors and lower risk, and add to the basis for controlled clinical trials to directly test the ability of interventions to slow or prevent development of Alzheimer's disease."

The results of the Wireless Innovation for Seniors with Diabetes Mellitus clinical trial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that older adults with type 1 diabetes who use continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices can significantly lower the occurrence of hypoglycemia and severe hypoglycemic events while also reducing hemoglobin A1c, reports Medical Xpress . The trial involved 203 men and women older than 60 at 22 clinical centers, with about half receiving insulin via an insulin pump and the other half getting multiple daily injections of insulin. Half were randomly assigned to a group using a CGM device, and the other half to a control group using the standard finger-stick method with test strips for blood glucose monitoring. The amount of time glucose levels were in a hypoglycemia range was shortened from 73 minutes per day at the start of the study to 39 minutes per day in the group using CGM over six months. In the controls, the average minutes per day in hypoglycemia was 68 at the start of the study and 70 minutes over the study period. CGM users were much less likely to have a severe hypoglycemic event compared to controls. Moreover, regular CGM use increased the amount of time in target range by more than two hours daily.

An ABC News analysis determined that hospitalizations for COVID-19 are rising in 17 U.S. states, and experts warn that the first wave of infections has by no means ended in the country. State-released data compiled by the COVID Tracking Project listed spikes in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Vermont. Those states also were showing an increase in the rate of positivity, or numbers of positive tests for COVID-19 compared to the number of tests administered. Deaths also are climbing in 13 states and Washington, D.C., although in many states those numbers are very small and have been fluctuating. Arizona is the only state to witness a rise in hospitalizations, deaths, and rate of positivity — but seven states are seeing two of those trends. "We are in the first wave, but we are in the second inning of a nine-inning game," said Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota.

Public health officials and researchers warn that "immuno-compromised" older adults could limit the effectiveness of a coronavirus vaccine, reports the Wall Street Journal . The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is therefore engaging with companies to make it easier for experimental vaccines to be tested on older men and women earlier during clinical trials and alongside younger subjects. Pfizer, the University of Oxford, and Moderna have begun to test their coronavirus vaccine candidates in senior adults, while Johnson & Johnson plans to start testing later this summer. Pfizer also is investigating whether boosting the dosage could better protect older adults. Pfizer's Kathrin Jansen said the firm also is looking into whether its gene-based technology might be more effective in older recipients than vaccinations. Pfizer's untested technology uses synthesized mRNA to direct cells to generate proteins that can protect against the coronavirus. Meanwhile, GlaxoSmithKline's Thomas Breuer said his company has supplied one of its adjuvants to Sanofi and six other drugmakers working on coronavirus vaccines. Moreover, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital are attempting to develop a vaccine specifically for older adults.

New Jersey health officials announced that assisted-living communities in the state were allowed to hold outdoor in-person visits with residents in designated spaces starting this past Sunday, June 21, reports WPVI-TV . A staffer wearing a mask is required to stay with the resident during the visit, all parties must consent that they are aware of the risks and agree to follow safety rules, and visitors must remain six feet away. "A resident who has tested positive is allowed visitation after they have met the criteria for discontinuation of their isolation," said New Jersey Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli on June 19. Staff at the Allegria at the Fountains assisted-living community in Atco said although they are excited about the visits, they will conduct rigorous screenings for all visitors. They say out of about 400 residents, they had five COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, and they do not want any more.

Alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) can impair memory, thinking, planning, and reasoning, and lead to changes in personality and behavior that are often mistaken for dementia symptoms, reports The Conversation , There is little awareness of ARBD among the general public as well as clinical specialists. Initial ARBD indicators include impulsive behavior, problems in planning and decision-making, and difficulties in forming and retaining new memories. False or distorted "memories" can be another symptom. Research suggests that as much as 24 percent of all dementia cases are really ARBD, but those with ARBD have the potential to partially recover. This makes it critical to differentiate ARBD from dementia by considering drinking history and observing any signs of improvement or stabilization. To keep alcohol consumption under control, the World Health Organization recommends maintaining a routine as much as possible and concentrating on the things that can be controlled. Time spent drinking alcohol could instead be devoted to physical activity, which boosts the immune system and benefits mental health.

Preliminary results from a population-based cohort study presented at the virtual annual meeting of the American Headache Society backs earlier findings that migraine is a midlife risk factor for dementia later in life, while migraine with aura and frequent hospital contacts significantly elevated dementia risk after age 60, according to Medscape . The analysis included 18,135 people registered with migraine before age 59 and 1.38 million without migraine, while the matched study population was 62,578. A diagnosis of dementia or use of dementia drugs after 60 years was the main finding, while socioeconomic factors, psychiatric comorbidities, and other headache diagnoses were covariates. The average age at diagnosis was 49 years and about 70 percent of the migraine population were female, with a 50 percent higher dementia rate in individuals who had any migraine diagnosis. A 20 percent dementia rate was observed in individuals who had migraine without aura, but assessment of this population found that its dementia rate was twice that of people with no migraine. "The dementia rate was higher if individuals had more frequent hospital contacts with migraine," said the University of Copenhagen's Sabrina Islamoska. She added that the research highlights "the value of investigating the effect of migraine medications in dementia risk to assess the impact of mild to moderate migraines."

Robotic pets are helping seniors in lockdown combat feelings of loneliness and isolation, reports WINK News . Such pets are finding use at senior communities, including those operated by the Florida-based Naples Senior Center. "The over 1,400 people we serve who come to us to combat isolation and loneliness are now forced to stay at home," said Naples Senior Center CEO Jaclynn Faffer. The community is connecting residents with robotic dogs and cats. "Particularly among seniors, having something to care for, something to interact with, is very positive," said Faffer. According to Lisa Wiese with Florida Atlantic University, studies showed that electronic pets have a beneficial effect on seniors with dementia. "All of our participants' moods significantly improved, their depression scores decreased, their agitation decreased, and we even have 50 percent of them increase in their cognitive assessment scores — which is really something," she noted.

After months of maneuvering through the coronavirus crisis, many employees are rethinking what's most important when it comes to their career, according to a survey of more than 1,000 office professionals by Robert Half International (June 17). More than half of those surveyed (57 percent) said they have experienced a shift in their feelings toward work due to the pandemic. Of those, 60 percent are more motivated to be employed at an organization that values its staff during unpredictable times, 40 percent will prioritize their personal life over their job moving forward, and 33 percent want to pursue a more meaningful or fulfilling occupation.

Advocates are lobbying for New York State to reinstate visitations for nursing and assisted-living community residents, reports WETM-TV . "If . . . New York is opening up hospitals, and they figured out how to do that safely and they figured out how to open up group homes safely, certainly the Cuomo Administration and the Department of Health can figure out how to do that for nursing homes," said AARP New York State Legislative Representative Bill Ferris. Meanwhile, Empire State Association of Assisted Living Executive Director Lisa Newcomb is pushing for outdoor visits at assisted-living and adult-care communities. "Our members are committed to strict compliance with the rules because, in addition to their concern for their residents' physical health, they care very much about their residents' mental and emotional well-being," she explained. Ferris added that more has to be done to prepare for a potential second wave of coronavirus infections, which includes "making sure nursing homes have the proper personal protective equipment, making sure their visitations are in line virtual, or otherwise. But, there also needs to be a concerted effort by the Cuomo Administration to really look at the whole long-term care system and how it will respond to a future pandemic."