A study in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association found Hispanics who have trouble sleeping may be at a higher risk of Alzheimer's or other dementias, reports the Miami Herald . Researchers saw a potential association between insomnia, prolonged sleep duration, and declining neurocognitive functioning. "This finding is particularly important because Hispanics have a significantly higher risk of Alzheimer's disease compared with non-Hispanic whites," noted University of Miami Professor Alberto R. Ramos. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that dementia-diagnosed Hispanics should number 3.2 million by 2060. Ramos' team analyzed various sleep disturbances, including sleep apnea, among 16,000 Latinos from diverse backgrounds at urban centers in Chicago, Miami, San Diego, and the Bronx in New York City. "We observed that prolonged periods of sleep and chronic insomnia symptoms led to declines in memory, executive function, and processing speed," said Ramos. "Those measures can precede the development of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease." Insomnia impacted memory more, while abnormal periods of sleep affected executive functions and processing speed.

The U.S. Social Security Administration announced that millions of Americans will receive a 1.6 percent cost-of-living increase from Social Security next year, amounting to an extra $24 a month for the average retiree, reports PBS NewsHour . This marks a reversion of the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to moderate gains following a substantial hike in 2019. However, seniors and advocates say COLA fails to accurately reflect their costs, especially for healthcare. Democrats in Congress and presidential hopefuls also are criticizing COLA, adding momentum to their push to expand Social Security benefits. The estimated average monthly Social Security payment for a retired worker using the COLA formula will be $1,503 a month beginning in January. Democratic presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are proposing replacing COLA with a measure of inflation that mirrors expenses for households headed by a person 62 or older; their Social Security agenda would add benefits and hike taxes to keep the program solvent. According to the Urban Institute's Richard Johnson, the COLA measure currently used reflects workers, but not retirees. "If the goal is to maintain seniors' living standards, then the cost-of-living adjustment is going to fall short if it doesn't measure seniors' spending," he warned.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has restored its total-cost calculator to help seniors enrolled in Medicare find the cheapest drug plans, following a national surge of protest when the agency launched an overhauled drug insurance website that lacked the tool, reports the Boston Globe . The calculator is the most-used feature of the Medicare Plan Finder, but an upgrade advertised as "simple and intuitive" omitted the calculator. CMS representatives claimed last month that the total-cost calculator "is a feature that has always been on our list to include, but couldn't be completed in time" for the public unveiling of the updated plan finder. Now CMS has posted a new total-cost calculator, less than a week before the annual open enrollment period starts. The protest helped pressure the agency to put the new calculator online before the frenzy of seniors who switch drug plans during open enrollment, according to Howard Houghton, a volunteer at the state health insurance assistance program in Harrisonburg, Va.

Baby boomers' desire to change careers should be tempered by avoidance of five common mistakes, reports Next Avenue . The first mistake is to not experience what the desired new job is like on a trial basis before making a decision. Prospective employees should find lunch hour times or take half-days to follow others in positions for which they might apply, or go online for a deeper immersion. A second error is to not manage expectations, so boomers need to set realistic goals and be prepared to acquire new skills if necessary. A third mistake is moving into a new career without first determining what matters most in terms of schedule, benefits, travel, and more, and advance planning should spare boomers from wasting time going after the wrong jobs. The fourth mistake is not to seek training first, otherwise a lack of required skills for the desired career will be a setback. The fifth mistake is not arranging a backup plan in case the original plan falls through. To avoid this, boomers should make sure their resume and professional-facing social media networks are always up to date, cultivate strong networks, and list employers they would like to work for as well as contacts at those employers.

A study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes suggests dog ownership is linked to life extension, reports USA Today . The researchers reviewed studies published from 1950 to May 2019 that compiled data from more than 3 million participants. Dog owners were more likely to live longer than non-owners, with a 24 percent risk reduction for death from any cause. Dog owners also were less likely to die from heart disease compared with non-owners, and avoiding smoking or alcohol also could contribute to the study's findings. According to Tulane University School of Medicine Professor Keith C. Ferdinand, 10 times more women die from heart disease and stroke than breast cancer, and dogs can address multiple factors that play a role in cardiovascular diseases, such as mental and physical health. He noted people who walk a dog 20 to 30 minutes daily satisfy the American Heart Association's recommended weekly 150 minutes of moderate exercise to improve cardiovascular health. "The best combination would not only be an active dog owner but also someone who addresses their multiple risk factors," Ferdinand said.

A study in Cell Reports demonstrates a new molecular cause for neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's, reports Medical Xpress . The research unveiled a unique mechanism common to alterations in RNA splicing and tau-mediated neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's. RNA splicing plays a role in the production of mature RNA molecules for generating functional proteins, and the researchers explored the possibility that aggregates of tau protein within neurons disrupt this process. The team first overexpressed toxic tau in fruit flies to test whether spliceosome-tau interactions might induce neurodegeneration. The implication was that tau aggregates either interfered with proper assembly of the spliceosome or contained key components in the cytoplasm, away from the site of action in the nucleus. Experiments in which flies expressing toxic tau had global disruptions in RNA splicing that led to thousands of erroneous RNAs further supported this hypothesis. "Our findings present an exciting new possibility of using RNA splicing as a potential molecular target for Alzheimer's disease and other tau-mediated neurodegenerative conditions," said Baylor College of Medicine Professor Joshua Shulman.

A research brief from the Boston College Center for Retirement Research found the gig economy is ill-serving older workers faced with retirement, reports Reverse Mortgage Daily . The analysts determined fewer older employees are in "traditional" jobs with benefits, and prolonged periods in such jobs can weaken the strength of their retirement. In terms of improving retirement security, only 26 percent of U.S. employees are directly benefiting from a nontraditional work environment. "Many retire early or have brief bouts of not working or nontraditional work and, worse, many have a weak attachment to the labor force or are in nontraditional jobs consistently," according to the brief. Employment patterns of older Americans can significantly impact their financial security, even if only engaged in nontraditional work for a short while. "Having only a brief period of nontraditional work decreases retirement income by 6 percent, but doing that work consistently decreases income by a full 26 percent," the brief notes. Moreover, most older workers who wind up in nontraditional jobs often frequently use such jobs, resulting in visibly lower retirement incomes at age 62, versus those consistently in more traditional positions.

Home Instead has been bringing trained companion dogs to Chico, Calif., seniors to combat loneliness and isolation, reports the Chico Enterprise-Record . "Research . . . shows animal interaction can help perceptions of pain and discomfort and improve motivation for treatment protocols for diseases such as cancer by helping individuals feel more focused and positive moving forward," said Home Instead's Elizabeth Van Every. "Even interactions for half an hour a week can make a difference." The program does not restrict animal interaction to only those who have been specially certified as service animals. Home Instead coordinator Nathan Vail said anyone with time to offer a well-behaved, friendly animal to local seniors is encouraged to contact the program.

A study in Health & Social Care in the Community examined 10,105 older adults in China in 2011, 2013, and 2015 based in neighborhoods with a higher level of community participation, and the researchers associated this with lower rates of depression, reports Medical Xpress . Higher levels of neighborhood social participation were related to more time invested in physical activities, along with a higher frequency of contact with neighbors and subjects' own children. "We highlight the importance of social participation — both at the individual and neighborhood levels — in improving older people's mental health and discuss ways in which the government could encourage older people to participate in neighbourhood affairs in China," noted the University of Southampton's Zhixin Feng.

The White House has released long-awaited proposals to overhaul decades-old anti-fraud and abuse regulations, reports Politico Pro . The effort is intended to make it easier for health care providers to coordinate their patients' care. The two proposed rules released Wednesday focus on revamping restrictions on doctor self-referrals, known as the Stark Law and the anti-kickback statute. Last year, HHS launched an initiative targeting regulations that officials and providers charge stymie the health care system's movement toward paying for the value of care provided instead of paying for each service. The agency issued requests for information on both the Stark Law and anti-kickback statute, then held a series of roundtables with providers and other groups. The proposed rule establishes new and permanent exceptions to the Stark law for providers in value-based payment arrangements. In addition, HHS is calling for feedback on whether data on the cost of care should be given during referrals for a service or item. The anti-kickback proposal includes a number of new safe harbors, including for care coordination to improve quality, health outcomes, and efficiency. Finally, the rule establishes modifications to existing safe harbors.