A study from University of Wisconsin (UW) researchers published in Brain Plasticity details a relationship between regular aerobic exercise and lower vulnerability to Alzheimer's among high-risk adults, reports New Atlas . Twenty-three subjects with normal cognitive health but at a heightened risk of Alzheimer's due to family history and genetics participated. All followed a sedentary lifestyle, with half given information on being more active and then left on their own. The other half was assigned a personal trainer and underwent a "moderate intensity" treadmill training course over 26 weeks. The active group exhibited improved cardio fitness and became less sedentary, and scored higher on cognitive tests of executive functioning. Brain scans also found significant differences in brain glucose metabolism in the posterior cingulate cortex, a region associated with Alzheimer's. "The findings are especially relevant to individuals who are at a higher risk due to family history or genetic predisposition," said UW's Ozioma C. Okonkwo.

A falling U.S. unemployment rate has not been accompanied by any sustained traction in wage growth. Stagnating raises for older employees, in particular, could be compounding the problem, according to Bankrate . The firm's December 2019 Financial Security Poll estimated that half of American workers received no pay boost over the past year, which experts say is hindering the pace of pay gains in general. Meanwhile, the U.S. Labor Department said the portion of the country's workforce comprised of employees older than 55 rose from 29.4 percent in 1993 to 40.2 percent in 2019. "One of the most important trends we've seen over the past 25 years is that older people are working longer," notes the Urban Institute's Rich Johnson. But the Bankrate survey found that half of baby boomers between 55 and 64 received no pay raise over the past 12 months — and neither did nearly 60 percent of those 65 to 73. Johnson cites underlying factors, including older Americans' productivity generally not growing as fast as that of younger workers.

The Longevity Project, developed in collaboration with the Stanford Center on Longevity, is researching and engaging in public conversation on the many impacts of growing human life spans, reports Next Avenue . A Morning Consult survey of 2,200 adults associated with the project explored what changes Americans believe are necessary to support increasing longevity. Fifty-four percent of respondents supported federally provided personal retirement savings plans and 76 percent felt diversity to be an important consideration for employers. However, just 12 percent of employed respondents said employers are actively hiring older workers. The Longevity Project is aligned with the Stanford Center's five-year New Map of Life initiative, which project Chair Ken Stern called "a rethink of how we organize civil society in light of greater longevity." He noted that age diversity in the workplace was a more important consideration for employers than race, gender, or LGBTQ. But only 13 percent of workers said their companies are implementing multi-generational work groups. Meanwhile, 17 percent said companies are supplying physical accommodations for older employees, and 24 percent offer training to keep up to date on new technologies.

Project Lifesaver is an international program that uses electronic wristbands to monitor individuals at risk of wandering, including those suffering from dementia, reports the Daily Record . Ohio agencies are participating in the program to prevent such wandering, and easily locate people who do wander off. The Lions Club in Ashland County funds the local program, covering the cost of the wristbands for about 14 residents. The Lions also pay for equipment for the Ashland County Sheriff's Office, which allows authorities to track the wristbands' radio frequencies. Over 2,400 law enforcement agencies and fire departments in the United States, Canada, and Australia are enrolled in Project Lifesaver, with 80 agencies enrolled in Ohio — including police and sheriff's departments in Franklin, Hamilton, Holmes, Knox, Huron, Lorain, and Elyria counties. Project Lifesaver estimates that law enforcement agencies recover a Project Lifesaver client in half an hour on average, which is 95 percent faster than other searches.

The traditional definition of "old age" has long been considered applicable after middle age, reports The Atlantic . The 2016 Marist Poll asked American adults if they considered a 65-year-old to be "old," and 60 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 agreed — yet just 16 percent of adults 60 or older concurred. The word "old" cannot encapsulate the rich diversity of life after middle age, especially with increasing human life spans and longer periods of good health. Meanwhile, the word "older" is increasingly popular because it appears to be the least imperfect of the numerous descriptors available to English speakers. Other terms, like "senior," are losing everyday relevance given their potential ambiguity and frequent inaccuracy. "Elderly" has become frowned upon given its association with frailty and limitation, and Clara Berridge at the University of Washington School of Social Work says "the fact that people don't often voluntarily relate to this term is a strong reason to not apply it to them."

Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.) is championing legislation to help older Americans with healthcare costs and other expenses, which he calls "The Gray New Deal," reports WICZ . He intends to introduce the bill later this year as a five-point-plan that will combat cuts to Medicare and Social Security and back legislation to reduce prescription drug costs. Brindisi also pledged to crack down on robocallers who target seniors, and protect older employees from workplace discrimination. "These are issues that I hear about all the time when I'm out there doing town hall meetings or smaller community meetings across the district," Brindisi said. "People want to see their healthcare cost lower, they want to see lower prescription drug cost, they want Social Security and Medicare protected. These are important to people in the district that I represent, and it's important to me as well." According to Brindisi, the plan aims to give Americans a "dignified retirement."

A study in Chemical Communications describes a compound engineered to block the enzyme gamma secretase's production of a precursor protein of amyloid beta, and perhaps prevent the formation of brain plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, reports FierceBiotech . "Historically, drug trials for gamma secretase inhibitors failed because traditional enzyme inhibitors have severe side effects," said Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professor Chunyu Wang. "They stopped all of the normal functions of gamma secretase. Our compound binds to the cleavage site of the precursor protein instead of the enzyme itself, which may avoid many problems associated with traditional enzyme inhibitors." Wang sifted through tens of millions of compounds using computer modeling, and eventually pinpointed a "covalent inhibitor" that forms a permanent chemical bond with its target. The so-called C1 inhibitor impedes amyloid production in test tubes and cell culture.

Kaiser Permanente and the Sacramento Ballet have partnered to offer ballet classes to local seniors through the Fall Prevention Through Movement Program, reports KTXL Fox 40 . Participants, mostly women, visit the ballet once a week to work on strengthening their balance and posture. "It's more of just a physical awareness, and movement with music that is inspired by ballet," said instructor Cynthia Drayer. The program helps seniors cope with the fear of falling, which in older adults often leads to serious injury. "Becoming aware of how we plant our feet, how we use our muscles, how we consciously hold our upper body is all helpful, like your eyes, where you focus, how you hold your head in helping to prevent falls," Drayer said. Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento's Christine McGahey acknowledged that men have been less receptive to taking the class. The program is free to anyone older than 55.

An AARP survey found about one-third of adults in their 40s, 50s, and early 60s said they had given a parent money in the past year, reports the New York Times . Roughly 50 percent said they had given at least $1,000, and about 20 percent had given $5,000 or more. The money was most often used to cover monthly or weekly needs like groceries and housing. Over 25 percent of the adults who provided financial aid to their parents said it had placed a "high" level of financial strain on their family. One-third of all midlife adults said they were "just meeting" or "falling short" of expenses, which leaves little room for savings for their own retirement. These findings help explain the challenges that many middle-aged people face in saving for themselves. Last year, the U.S. Federal Reserve estimated that 25 percent of Americans who are not retired have no retirement savings or pension.

A study in Neurology found people with dementia may develop distinct speech and reading problems depending on their native language, reports United Press International . Included in the study were 20 English-speaking and 18 Italian-speaking persons with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), an ailment often associated with dementia. The subjects had difficulty producing or pronouncing words, a condition known as nonfluent PPA. Although both cohorts had similar levels of degeneration and brain function, English-speakers had more difficulty pronouncing words and tended to speak less than usual. The Italian-speakers had fewer pronunciation problems but tended to produce much shorter and grammatically simpler sentences. "We think this is specifically because the consonant clusters that are so common in English pose a challenge for a degenerating speech-planning system," said University of California, San Francisco Professor Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini. "In contrast, Italian is easier to pronounce, but has much more complex grammar, and this is how Italian-speakers with PPA tend to run into trouble." The researchers suggested these findings could enhance accurate diagnosis of PPA across different cultures.