A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society considered whether a long-term exercise program could prevent a major mobility disability in seniors, reports the Times of India . This disability was designated the inability to walk 400 meters. Prior to the study, participants got less than 20 minutes of exercise a week and could walk 400 meters in less than 15 minutes. Subjects were split into an exercise cohort and a cohort that only received health education. By the sixth month of the study, those in the exercise group performed an additional 40 weekly minutes of exercise, which continued after 12 and 24 months. The program concentrated on aerobic exercises, mainly walking — with a goal of completing 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each week, plus balance, flexibility, and lower-body strengthening exercises. The findings indicated that the intensity of physical activity should be matched to each person's physical health to keep the likelihood of a major mobility disability to a minimum. The researchers also agreed that a "move more, more often" recommendation is a good starting point for older adults who want to sustain physical function and an independent lifestyle.

According to a Fluent poll , 59 percent of people working at home due to COVID-19 are happy with this arrangement, which is generally favored by more men than women, reports Forbes . The six primary motivators listed by respondents for continuing to work from home even after the pandemic crisis are — in descending order — time with family; no need to commute; flexible scheduling; saving money; boosted productivity; and fewer office politics to contend with. "Appreciation for time spent with family decreases among older Americans, with a nearly 50 percent drop from Gen Z to baby boomers," Fluent said. "Baby boomers and Gen Xers are most appreciative of the flexibility that comes along with working from home." Meanwhile, the six main drawbacks of working from home are more distractions; less social interaction; disrupted work/life balance; a poor home office situation; reduced productivity; and communication difficulties. "Gen X and baby boomers are most likely to continue working remotely after their offices reopen," Fluent said. "Compared to all other generations, Gen Z is most likely to return to the office even if given the option to continue working from home."

Residents and staff at hundreds of nursing and assisted-living communities in Washington state will get testing for COVID-19 this month, reports the Spokane Spokesman-Review . Last month, the U.S. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services published guidance for these communities to reopen, but cautioned states to perform a baseline test first. The Washington State Department of Health launched a statewide initiative to test all residents and staff in nursing communities by June 12 and in all assisted-living communities with a memory care unit by June 26. The effort will start with 211 skilled nursing communities before moving on to the assisted-living communities, and Spokane County health officials estimate that about 260 communities will be covered by the initiative. The Department of Health is supplying test kits and personal protective equipment to nursing communities free of charge. Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries and staff members will be covered by those programs, and the state will pay for testing that is not covered. "In terms of effectiveness, this is a point prevalence study, a snapshot in time," explained the Health Care Authority's Charissa Fotinos. "It helps us continue to build an idea of how transmission occurs to better prepare for and respond to current and future outbreaks."

The Marshall University Speech and Hearing Center in West Virginia will host a free virtual education event for caregivers of people with dementia or other cognitive impairments on June 17, reports the Herald-Dispatch . The course will offer participants basic information about dementia and cognitive impairments, highlighting the role of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in caring for someone with dementia, with tips and resources for caregivers. "Speech-language pathologists play an instrumental role in caring for those with dementia and cognitive impairment," explained Marshall University Professor Ernay Adams. "The goal of treatment is to promote communication and a feeling of independence for as long as possible. SLPs can also provide support and education to help caregivers feel that they are not navigating through the process alone."

A study by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) published in Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences used a specialized eye scanner to accurately evaluate spectroscopic signals from proteins in the lens of the eye in order to identify and track biological aging in living humans, reports Medical Xpress . "These lens proteins provide a permanent record of each person's life history of aging," said BUSM Professor Lee E. Goldstein. "Our eye scanner can decode this record of how a person is aging at the molecular level." The researchers think these findings could clear a path for a potentially revolutionary clinical tool for objective assessment and tracking of molecular aging in humans. Large test batteries incorporating composite metrics can track human aging, but they are far removed from underlying molecular processes of aging and are poorly suited for personalized longitudinal healthcare. "The framework for clinical implementation of this technology to measure molecular aging is similar to other recently adopted clinical biomarkers, including positron emission tomography brain imaging for Alzheimer's disease, bone densitometry for osteoporosis, and serum blood tests for diabetes mellitus," said Goldstein.

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that volunteering more than 100 hours annually yields health benefits for adults 50 and older, reports Healio . Researchers analyzed data from 12,998 participants in the Health and Retirement Study, and determined that adults who volunteered 100 hours or more yearly had a 44 percent lower risk for mortality and a 17 percent reduced risk of impaired physical function compared with those who did not volunteer. Participants who volunteered 100 hours or more a year also were 12 percent more likely than non-volunteers to frequently be physically active. They also exhibited optimism and purpose in life, and fewer depressive symptoms and hopelessness, compared with those who did not volunteer. In addition, those who volunteered 100 hours or more a year were less lonely and were 29 percent less likely to report no contact with friends. "Regular altruistic activity reduces our risk of death even though our study didn't show any direct impact on a wide array of chronic conditions," said Eric S. Kim at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) will hold a free Virtual Educational Conference on June 16 designed to help families coping with loved ones with Alzheimer's disease during the current pandemic, reports NJ.com . Featured speakers with include Mehmet Oz, host of "The Dr. Oz Show," who will share his account of having his mother diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Topics will include staying healthy and safe as the country reopens, organizing a long-term care team during the crisis, and taking advantage of caregiving technology. "Knowledge is a useful and powerful tool that can help make any situation easier to navigate," said AFA CEO Charles J. Fuschillo Jr. "We want individuals who are caring for someone with Alzheimer's to know about the resources available to help them and steps that they can take to improve their loved one's care and quality of life."

The Ohio Manufacturing Alliance to Fight COVID-19 says several Ohio companies have donated more than 1,300 hand sanitizer kits to protect the health of older residents, reports the Youngstown Business Journal . Procter & Gamble donated 4,000 gallons of hand sanitizer, while the Cleveland Whiskey distillery offered its services to bottle and process the sanitizer. Axium, a maker of plastic containers, contributed bottles while the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network donated bottles, pour spouts, and cartons. The Ohio Manufacturing Alliance to Fight COVID-19 coordinated these companies' various operations. The Ohio Department of Aging distributed the kits to the state's Area Agencies on Aging for use by direct-care workers as they supply senior Ohioans with meals, transportation, and home and personal care services. "This project reflects how Ohio businesses of all sizes are collaborating to keep our citizens safe as we reopen the economy," said Ohio Manufacturers' Association President Eric Burkland. The alliance is establishing a partnership with Ohio's seven Urban League of Greater Cleveland chapters to execute the next phase of the initiative, distributing kits to minority-owned businesses, community organizations, and faith-based groups.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) this week led a hearing of the Senate Aging Committee on how the coronavirus is impacting seniors, reports WGME 13 Maine News . She talked about whether seniors who have isolated due to the pandemic are lonely and discussed ways to help them with a panel of experts. "The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the service delivery system that older Mainers have come to rely on for services and answers on aging," said SeniorsPlus CEO Betsy Sawyer-Manter. "We quickly moved to adapt our services to a telephonic and virtual platform. Many of our clients rely on the friendly volunteer who delivers their meals or the class that gives them purpose and socialization."

A University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) study in JAMA Network Open associated residence in disadvantaged neighborhoods with higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease-related brain changes, reports the Wisconsin State Journal . People living in the most disadvantaged areas were twice as likely to have such brain changes as those in the most affluent places. The researchers analyzed data from 447 people who died from 1990 to 2016, examining postmortem brain tissue for two kinds of amyloid deposits. Autopsy findings were connected to neighborhood conditions based on the last known residence before death. Donors from disadvantaged neighborhoods were less common in the sample than those from wealthier neighborhoods. "Our work provides a new way to link social determinants to biobanks, and neurons to neighborhoods," said UW-Madison's Amy Kind. "It is very exciting and opens opportunities for countless other studies which may further examine the interplay between social factors and fundamental biology, providing opportunities for new therapies and interventions."