Sensory therapy can effectively reduce anxiety, calm nerves, and offer comfort to older adults with dementia, ameliorating their depression and improving their social interaction, reports the Wahpeton Daily News . The technique employs everyday objects to activate one or more of the five senses and evoke positive emotions. Sensory activities can include hand massages, reading aloud, baking, gardening, and usage of sensory items. For example, hand massages trigger touch and smell, with the massage relaxing the person while the scented lotion can help them retrieve a past memory. Meanwhile, baking allows the person to prepare the ingredients to be used in the recipe, which also may trigger a past memory like baking with their grandchildren. These provoked feelings can help calm people if they are worried, or uplift them if they are dealing with depression.

A study in the Journals of Gerontology: Series A suggests older adults' outdoor mobility can be sustained by walking slower, pausing for rest, or using walking aids, reports ScienceDaily . These measures were classified as adaptive walking modifications, while reduced frequency of walking and avoiding long walking distances were deemed maladaptive modifications. "Those older people who used maladaptive walking modifications had smaller life-space mobility and they perceived that they lacked possibilities for outdoor mobility," noted the University of Jyväskylä's Heidi Skantz. "As for those older people who had chosen to utilize adaptive walking modifications, they were able to maintain wider life-space mobility and they were also satisfied with their outdoor mobility opportunities." Walking long distances might become a more difficult proposition as functional ability declines, but it nevertheless remains valuable to continue covering long distances by walking to maintain outdoor mobility. "Encouraging older people to opt for adaptive walking modifications might be possible by designing age-friendly environments, for instance by providing opportunities to rest when walking outdoors," Skantz concluded.

A study from AARP presented at the Advertising Week conference found advertisers tend to ignore or caricature older consumers, adding to ageism and perpetuation of stereotypes, reports the New York Times . The study was based on a random sample of 1,116 images published or posted by popular brands and organizations. Over 33 percent of the American population is older than 50, but this demographic was represented in only 15 percent of the media images. Furthermore, just 13 percent of the images showed older people working, even though the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that persons older than 50 constitute 33 percent of the American workforce. Meanwhile, the Pew Research Center determined 69 percent of people between 55 and 73 own a smartphone, yet less than 5 percent of the images featured older adults using technology. AARP's Martha Boudreau cited recent ads depicting older adults as selfish and out of touch. AARP is pressuring ad agencies and their clients to update their portrayals of aging, and has partnered with Getty Images to roll out a collection of 1,400 images showing older people running businesses, playing sports, and engaging with younger generations. Ad professionals often blame the marketing distortion of older generations on endemic ageism in their own offices.

With the Tennessee State Alliance of YMCAs' recent decision to exit the SilverSneakers network, at least 10,000 senior Tennesseans will be without access to the free national fitness program starting next January, reports the Tennessean . This will leave them with little option but to pay for YMCA memberships, although members can still participate in SilverSneakers activities at more than 350 other fitness centers across the state. Over half of the currently active SilverSneakers members live in rural regions, where the local YMCA is often the only fitness community available. "Tennessee Ys are committed to continuing to serve seniors in our community, and we intend to provide a variety of options to allow participants to continue to come to the Y once our agreement with SilverSneakers ends at the end of 2019," stated the Tennessee Alliance. Out-of-pocket monthly costs for YMCA memberships are frequently unaffordable for seniors on fixed incomes, and the Alliance's decision to leave SilverSneakers was driven by failed negotiations with program provider Tivity Health seeking a more equitable reimbursement policy. "These are people on fixed incomes and zero-premium plans, so there's no reason to have to pay for it to get healthy," argued Tivity Health's Steve Janicak. "We want to make sure they know there are alternatives."

A draft Senate fiscal 2020 spending bill covering Heath and Human Services proposes an additional $3 billion for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), another $70 million to manage the opioid epidemic, and $3.7 billion to broaden access to mental health services, reports Politico Pro . Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said the NIH allocation would mark a five-year increase of 40 percent, and include $350 million year-to-year extra for Alzheimer's research and $210.8 million more for cancer research. Also in the draft is $3.9 billion to respond to the opioid crisis, including $1.5 billion in state response grants and $200 million for community health centers that supply behavioral health services and treat substance abuse. The mental health portion of the bill includes $200 million for certified community behavioral health clinics and $103 million to increase awareness of mental health among children and to train school staff on identifying and responding to mental health issues. Earmarked as well is $311.8 million for rural health programs, $26.5 million for telehealth, and $266 million to support President Trump's effort to eliminate domestic HIV transmissions.

A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found 30 minutes of aerobic exercise four to five times a week may prevent or slow cognitive decline in older adults at a high risk of developing Alzheimer's, reports CNN . The proof-of-concept trial was of people 55 and older with mild cognitive impairment, who were randomized to 12 months of aerobic exercise or stretching and toning. Aerobic exercise was found to yield more benefits on reducing hippocampal contraction than stretching. Although formation of amyloid clumps was not hampered by the regimen, magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography revealed that subjects who performed aerobic exercise had slower hippocampal degeneration than those who did flexibility training. "The key positive finding is that the exercise intervention specifically reduced shrinkage of the memory center in the brain in people with the earliest symptomatic stage of Alzheimer's disease," said Weill Cornell Medicine's Richard Isaacson.

Former stand-up comedian and author Dani Klein Modisett in 2017 founded Laughter on Call, which hires comedians to entertain people with dementia and Alzheimer's, reports the Washington Post . The group also hosts workshops and live comedy shows at care centers. Families and care communities arrange a fee in advance with the performers — typically $25 to $50 an hour for one-on-one visits. "Comedians can use the work, and people with memory loss can use the laughter," said Modisett. Laughter on Call's 24 comedians mainly work in California, but some performers also have clients in other states. Modisett noted memory care centers across the United States have contacted her. "Bringing laughter to seniors, especially seniors with Alzheimer's, is so heartwarming," said comedian Marty Ross. "The realization that many of these people don't have regular visits from family makes it even more special." Workers at care centers that host group shows with Laughter on Call have observed changes in memory-impaired residents. "It helps them with their health — not just the mind, but the mind, body, and soul," said Juliana Rocha, who's on staff at a Silverado Alzheimer's care community in Los Angeles.

A study in Experimental Gerontology suggests the gut microbiome may play a role in mechanisms associated with muscle strength in older adults, reports ScienceDaily . The researchers compared bacteria from the gut microbiomes of 18 older adults with high-physical function and a favorable body composition with 11 counterparts with low-physical function and a less favorable composition. Similar bacterial differences were observed when mice were exposed to fecal samples from the human groups, and grip strength improved in mice colonized with samples from the high-functioning cohort. In comparison with the low-functioning group, the researchers found higher concentrations of potentially beneficial bacteria like Prevotellaceae, Prevotella, Barnesiella, and Barnesiella intestinihominis in the high-functioning group and the mice colonized with fecal samples from that group. "Identifying differences in bacteria present in the high-functioning and low-functioning groups in this study moves us toward a fuller understanding of both the gut microbiome and healthy aging," said Tufts University's Roger Fielding.

A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience identified a protein that may play a role in the progression of Alzheimer's in type-2 diabetes, which could have ramifications for drug development, reports Medical Xpress . Although the origin of sporadic, late onset Alzheimer's is unknown, type-2-diabetes is connected to elevated Alzheimer's risk. The researchers found the caveolin-1 (Cav-1) protein is depleted in the temporal lobe of humans with diabetes and in diabetic mice, which triggers upregulation of amyloid precursor protein and b-amyloid levels. The restoration of Cav-1 levels in mice reduced Alzheimer's pathology and mitigated learning and memory deficits.

An AARP Foundation-funded study by the University of Southern California (USC) in the Journal of mHealth found ridesharing services are beneficial to older adults, reports Next Avenue . The study offered 90 days of free Lyft rides to 150 people older than 60 from USC's Keck Medicine in Los Angeles, where a quarter of participants live more than 90 minutes away. The project sought to ensure participants made it to medical appointment follow-up visits, as well as to evaluate the effect of unlimited social transportation access, out of concerns about social isolation and loneliness among seniors. "Our study was the first to show offering no-cost access to not just medical appointments, but social activities, can actually improve self-reported health and well-being," said USC's Leslie Saxon. The researchers found 33 percent of the rides were used for medical appointments, but most were for fitness activity, social visits with friends and relatives, and other leisure excursions that elevated participants' perceived quality of life by 92 percent. Participants received up-front training and education for using the Lyft smartphone app, which 86 percent of subjects employed.