An Australian study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found no link between cholesterol-lowering statin drugs and impaired brain health, and may even improve memory and mental function in people at risk of dementia, reports U.S. News & World Report . The researchers gathered data on more than 1,000 people aged 70 to 90, of whom about 600 took statins and had done so for an average of nine years. All subjects had their memory and cognitive skills tested at the beginning of the study, with no difference observed between statin users and nonusers. Some participants also underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans, which showed no significant difference in brain volume among statin users and nonusers over two years. Moreover, no significant difference between memory and mental ability was seen among those who did and did not take statins at six years; still, statins were linked to a slower rate of memory loss in 99 people who started taking the drugs during the study. A cohort that used statins to protect against heart attacks also exhibited a slower rate of decline in memory, compared to nonusers. Statin use also slowed mental decline in persons with heart disease, diabetes, or other risk factors for dementia, compared to nonusers with the same conditions. Statin users with the APOE-4 gene mutation, which puts them at high risk for Alzheimer's, seemed to have a significantly slower rate of mental decline; however, users without heart disease who took statins had a similar rate of memory decline to nonusers.

The Edward Jones financial-services firm announced it has contributed $22 million to fight Alzheimer's disease in the first four years of its commitment with the Alzheimer's Association, reports PRNewswire . The company said it owed this record contribution to the generous support of its associates, clients, and communities. Edward Jones also renewed its pledge to the cause with new, expanded programs heading into next year. More than 64,000 associates, clients, friends, and families participated on Edward Jones teams at over 600 Alzheimer's walks held nationwide each year over the last four years. In this year alone, the firm reported roughly 19,000 walk participants and raised more than $3.35 million. Edward Jones estimated that 150,000 of its clients are living with Alzheimer's, and it is training its financial advisers to spot the early warning signs of the disease by making the Alzheimer's Association's "10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's" online education program available to Edward Jones associates. Next year, Edward Jones financial advisers and Alzheimer's Association experts will host collaborative seminars for clients and communities to encourage dialogue about protecting health and wealth when facing a long-term illness.

A RAND Corporation study found making Medicare available to Americans aged 50 to 64 would reduce their healthcare premium but hike costs for younger people who buy health insurance on exchanges established under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), reports News-Medical . RAND estimates that the premium to purchase Medicare would be about $10,000 annually in 2022, which is a good deal for many prospective enrollees compared to the ACA-compliant individual insurance market in which older adults are charged up to three times as much as younger adults. Older adults' care is generally less costly relative to their high premiums, while younger people in the exchange tend to be less healthy and their care is more expensive than the premiums they pay. Consequently, enabling adults 50 to 64 to move to Medicare could boost premiums for those remaining in the individual health insurance market by 3 percent to 9 percent. Moreover, this would not significantly impact the number of Americans with health insurance.

Findings that gross domestic product growth is decelerating in U.S. states where the aging population is expanding faster calls attention to the possibility of tapping seniors to revitalize the workforce, reports BBC News . Harvard Medical School's Nicole Maestas speculates that the decline may be less due to aging baby boomers losing competence, and more because of the loss of retirement-age employees who are still highly productive. Moreover, no conclusive evidence exists to indicate that older workers are innately less productive. Maestas suggests as skilled older workers leave the economy, younger ones inevitably replace them, and the youngest are not necessarily the most productive. In addition, the most productive members of society tend to be more affluent and better at planning for retirement. "Economists think of leisure as something that people want to consume more of, the richer they get," Maestas says. "It makes sense that as people earn more and more and more, they might choose to retire earlier, in order to consume more leisure." Boston College's Cal Halvorsen adds that employers should eliminate ageist attitudes, and see the opportunity in a multi-generational workforce, noting "there's research . . . which suggests that age diversity might actually stimulate and support creative thinking and innovation."

A review in the British Journal of Dermatology found dermatologists treating seniors with atopic dermatitis have little evidence on hand for diagnosing and best treating the condition, reports Dermatology Times . "Seniors with atopic dermatitis rarely achieve complete disease remission, and many affected people eventually die with the condition," said researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine. There is strong evidence that physical or environmental irritation, along with a defective epidermal barrier, may play a role in the development of atopic dermatitis in seniors, and the lessening of skin barrier function associated with aging can worsen the ailment. Although immune system changes related to aging seem connected to atopic dermatitis-associated defects, studies have yielded little proof as to whether those changes directly affect pathogenesis. "Increased atopic dermatitis severity in seniors may be related to greater S. aureus colonization and infection due to its role in atopic dermatitis development in the general population," the authors speculate. Diagnosis in older adults may be problematic because they tend to have more comorbidities and side effects from medications, and clearer diagnostic criteria for dermatologists is definitely needed.

A study in Psychology and Aging found well-being in seniors has a closer relationship with people's feelings about their friends than their overall number of friends, reports StudyFinds . The researchers discovered older adults may have generally fewer friends, yet they also tend to be closer with those friends and engage with them more often face to face. "Stereotypes of aging tend to paint older adults in many cultures as sad and lonely," said the University of Leeds' Wändi Bruine de Bruin. "But the research shows that older adults' smaller networks didn't undermine social satisfaction and well-being. In fact, older adults tend to report better well-being than younger adults." Study participants were asked to count the number of people from various areas of their lives with whom they had "regular contact in the past six months," and to rate their feelings of well-being over the past 30 days. Despite having fewer friends on average, age did not correlate with the number of "close friends" among older adults, while younger adults reported more general acquaintances due to social media networking sites. Only the reported number of close friendships was significantly associated with social satisfaction and well-being, which held steady after accounting for the number of family members, neighbors, or acquaintances each participant reported.

Analysis of the University of Michigan (U of M) National Poll on Healthy Aging in JAMA Neurology found close to half of Americans between 50 and 64 are afraid they will develop dementia, reports United Press International . A total of 48.5 percent of 1,019 respondents felt they were at least somewhat likely to be diagnosed with cognitive decline, while 4.2 percent felt "very likely" to develop some form of dementia. "While there has been a lot of scientific focus on early diagnosis and early treatment of dementia, there are still no effective treatments," said U of M's Donovan Maust. "But, there is growing evidence that managing lifestyle and some chronic medical conditions can reduce risk." The researchers noticed that non-Hispanic black respondents felt they were significantly less likely to develop dementia, while those who scored their physical or mental health as "fair or poor" felt dementia was a more likely possibility. Significantly, just 5.2 percent of respondents had discussed dementia prevention with their doctors, while 31 percent endorsed using fish oil and 39.2 percent reported taking other vitamins or supplements. "It is also potentially concerning that people's perception of their risk may not line up with their actual risk — for example, those with poor physical health did not perceive their risk of developing dementia as higher, even though it most likely is compared to those in excellent health," Maust said. He suggested adults at any age should maintain regular intellectual, social, and physical activities to preserve cognition.

Listening to and performing music offers emotional and behavioral benefits for people with dementia, and a program in Indianapolis is a case in point, reports WFYI . The program is a choir organized through a partnership between the Resonance Initiative and CICOA Aging and In Home Solutions. The Song Shape chorus is currently comprised of 28 people with early- to mid-stages of dementia and their caregivers. Choir director Rick Cobb says music holds a special place in the mechanism of memory, citing research showing that dementia sufferers still have the ability to learn new music. "They may be losing language and comprehension on the left side of the brain," he notes. "On the right side of the brain, they still retain the ability to sing and to do rhythm and poetry." Butler University Professor Tim Brimmer adds that "music can prescriptively, proactively reduce or prevent many of the terrible things that happen when we age." His own research demonstrated that personalized playlists for people with dementia helped mitigate symptoms like agitation and confusion.

The Senior Living at Watkins community in Minnesota offers assisted living in modern housing attached to an old mansion, where residents share space with students attending Winona State University, reports WTHR-TV . Winona Health Assisted Living Director Cheryl Krage originally suggested housing college students in eight vacant rooms above the common areas of the Watkins mansion under the "Students in Residence" program. Krage encouraged the new student residents to share their talents and insights with their senior neighbors. Excellent results from the first six students have encouraged the community to host 10 students next year. Krage said the intergenerational living situation works regardless of age "because I think we are all connected."

Watermark Retirement Communities has launched a new food program called Gourmet Bites Cuisine to help seniors enjoy dining again, reports Spectrum News . The meals are basically finger foods that are colorful, tasty, and healthy, produced by grinding the food into bite-sized portions. "For seniors who have problems with their hands or swallowing, this new method here with help in all of that," said Chef Tom Tobin. "It's restoring the dignity and the independence. So they are getting a nutritious meal and eating the exact same thing all the other residents are so it's not like they are feeling left out." The first course is a hot towel and sorbet, followed by a traditional chef salad in bite-sized balls. A dish of chicken french is converted into a cupcake-shaped meal, while vegetables are sliced in a way so they are easier to pick up. Chefs use a crinkle cutter to add visual appeal to the food.