A study from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) published in Ageing and Society suggests that older adults who go online every day are more likely to be socially isolated than those who do so less often, reports iNews . The researchers analyzed data from 4,492 adults in Britain, average age 64, and found that those who went online either once a week or month were less likely to be socially isolated than daily users. Sixty-nine percent of daily Internet users most frequently searched for information, sent e-mails, and shopped online, and were more likely to use a smartphone. Those logging on less frequently were more likely to use laptops, while daily Internet users also reported similar levels of social isolation. The U.K. Office for National Statistics estimated that 87 percent of adults in Great Britain used the Internet daily or almost every day last year. Nearly all adults — 99 percent — aged 16 to 44 went online every day or most days, compared to 61 percent of adults 65 or older. ARU's Stephanie Stockwell said the study suggests that older adults who go online less often may have a better grip on balancing real-world and online interactions, with many too occupied to go online every day.

A University of Gothenburg thesis published in Clinical and Experimental Research aimed to improve knowledge of older people's dizziness and unsteady gait, with specific focus on benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), reports Medical Xpress . One study in the Journal of Vestibular Research cited in the thesis included 149 individuals — 96 women and 53 men — referred for ear, nose, and throat treatment due to dizziness. Each subject answered a questionnaire composed of 15 questions, and the question most clearly related to BPPV diagnosis concerned whether the individual felt dizzy on turning over in bed. "Onset of vertigo when a person lies down or turns over in bed is a quick identifier of BPPV, the most common cause of dizziness, which is potentially curable," said thesis author Ellen Lindell with the Södra Älvsborg Hospital. "Treating it enhances patients' well-being and can reduce many older people's suffering and cut costs to society." BBPV is caused by the displacement and loosening of otoliths (crystals) from the inner ear, which can be remedied by maneuver treatments. This entails turning and spinning the subject's whole body, and it varies according to which semicircular canal, on which side of the body, is affected. "The results in my thesis show that for those who are affected by dizziness, it's associated with experiencing inferior health-related quality of life, and their subjective health self-assessments are less favorable than people without dizziness," Lindell said.

A study published in JAMA found that treating high blood pressure also may reduce risk for dementia or cognitive impairment later on, reports United Press International . Treatment with beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and angiotensin II receptor blockers reduces the probability of developing dementia by more than 7 percent, and certain types of cognitive decline by more than 20 percent. All 12 studies reviewed by the researchers reported the incidence of dementia in their subject populations, while eight documented cognitive decline and eight recorded changes in cognitive test scores. Reducing blood pressure with prescription medication lowered dementia risk by 7 percent or cognitive impairment by 7.5 percent over a minimum of four years. Moreover, eight of the listed studies found that effective blood pressure control reduced risk for cognitive decline by slightly more than 20 percent. "This is a very relevant message for people who want to know how they can age successfully and live independently for as long as they can," said Galway University Hospital's Michelle Canavan.

A study in Neurology suggests that aerobic exercise can improve older adults' performance on certain cognitive and memory tests after six months, reports ScienceDaily . "Aerobic exercise . . . may also get blood moving to your brain, particularly in areas responsible for verbal fluency and executive functions," said the University of Calgary's Marc J. Poulin. The researchers focused on 206 adults, average age 66, who before commencing the six-month exercise regimen worked out no more than four days a week at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes or less, or no more than two days a week at a high intensity for 20 minutes or less. Participants were administered thinking and memory tests at the start of the study, and also an ultrasound to measure blood flow in the brain. Physical testing was repeated at three months, and thinking and physical testing repeated at six months. After six months of exercise, participants exhibited 5.7 percent improvement on tests of executive function and 2.4 percent improvement in verbal fluency. Meanwhile, blood flow increased 2.8 percent from an average of 51.3 centimeters per second (cm/sec) to an average of 52.7 cm/sec. This corresponded with modest but significant improvements in aspects of thinking that usually decline with age.

Google is evaluating new smart displays designed to provide ease-of-use for seniors and other less tech-savvy customers, reports 9to5Google . One thousand Nest Hub Max displays are reportedly being tested at Merrill Gardens retirement communities in Washington State. The displays feature an "easy" interface focused on video calling, with a shortlist of contacts. The interface also shows a "What can you do?" card, as well as cards for weather reports, setting alarms, and playing "relaxing sounds." To shield users' privacy, the devices are operating in a "signed out" mode run by Nest's fleet management system. No audio is stored, and Google pledges that "all activity is anonymous."

A study published in Scientific Reports considers the effects of the Japanese herbal remedy of yokukansan and one of its main active ingredients in people with dementia, reports Chromatography Today . Yokukansan has been used to control night terrors, restlessness, and aggression in children for centuries. Earlier this year, the Japanese Society of Neurology recommended it for management of dementia symptoms. The researchers wanted to see if the active components of yokukansan crossed the blood brain barrier in in vivo animal trials. They employed liquid chromatography to observe the remedy's active ingredients crossed the barrier. Another study demonstrates that it is possible to deliver ingredients into the brain which might help in the treatment of dementia.

The Oxford Senior Center Quilting group in Connecticut is fashioning innovative face masks specifically for the senior adult population, reports WTNH News 8 . June Maciolek, 77, says she was inspired to create the masks by a YouTube video. "Masks for seniors are a little different because, if you have a hearing aid, you can't wear the plastic around your ears, it doesn't work, they pop out," she notes. Maciolek's design boasts a comfortable jewelry cord that goes around the back of the head, as well as a pocket for an N-95 or vacuum filter. Assistants wash and iron material while an employee of the Oxford Senior Center delivers the masks to the community. "It gives me purpose and I've heard some nice things from the seniors. They're very pleased with the masks and they find them comfortable," Maciolek says.

A Syracuse University study published in Nutrients investigated the effect of whey protein on large artery stiffness, reports WWL-TV . Ninety-nine older adults between 61 and 73 years old — 45 percent of whom were female — were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned to consume either 50 grams daily of whey protein isolate (WPI) or an iso-carbohydrate control (CHO). "Compared to 12 weeks of CHO supplementation, WPI supplementation resulted in modest reductions in aortic stiffness and central hemodynamic load (assessed as the product of aortic systolic pressure and heart rate)," the researchers said. "WPI had no effect on carotid vascular properties, cerebrovascular response to cognitive activity, and limited effects on cognitive function." This led to the conclusion that "compared to CHO supplementation, WPI may favorably alter cardiovascular function in older adults, but does not have a substantial impact on cerebrovascular or neurocognitive function."

The New School's Teresa Ghilarducci says older Americans are especially vulnerable to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatens to derail retirement for millions, reports CNBC . She forecasts that the pandemic will force another 3.1 million older workers into poverty in their retirement, with many forced to choose between their health and their financial needs. With the unemployment rate climbing faster for older workers than almost any other group, Ghilarducci says it is unlikely many will find employment or return to the workforce quickly. "That means they'll draw down on their retirement savings, they may go into debt, and they'll also apply for Social Security earlier, forgoing increased benefits," she explains. "As a result, people who are middle-class workers now will be poor or near-poor retirees for the rest of their lives." Ghilarducci attributes the high numbers of unemployed older Americans — especially older women — to the loss of jobs in education, home healthcare, and other businesses and industries forced to close by the coronavirus. Although she admits that ageism plays a part in older Americans' inability to return to work, Ghilarducci says the epidemic highlights the very real risk of older employees facing much more dire health hazards and the need for employers to make special accommodations. She concludes that the pandemic has laid bare a broken retirement system, and its remedy must include reducing the Medicare age, raising Social Security benefits by $200, and a universal pension system.

The Legacy at Town Square senior living community in Amarillo, Texas, recently expedited contact tracing when a nurse was suspected of catching the novel coronavirus, using high-tech wristbands from the CarePredict startup worn by staffers and residents, reports Reuters . This technology demonstrates a way to conduct contract tracing with wearables, while bypassing the limitations of Google and Apple's smartphone-based solution. Although the Google-Apple system promises to improve reliability in contact tracing, devices that use it would need Internet access and a government-sanctioned application. CarePredict's Tempo wristbands use infrared light to connect with beacons on a wall in each room of the Legacy community, documenting who has been near whom, where, and for how long. Such technology "makes you ready to make the best operational decisions at a moment's notice," said Joseph Walter, executive director of the community. Epidemiologists believe that communities with quick contact tracing following infections will be better positioned to curtail outbreaks and stay open in the months ahead.