A study in JAMA Neurology found Medicare beneficiaries with multiple sclerosis (MS) saw a more than sevenfold increase in medication costs over 10 years, reports U.S. News & World Report . The National MS Society said the drugs cost around $8,000 to $11,000 annually since their first approval in the 1990s, but today their list prices exceed $80,000 yearly. University of Pittsburgh researchers learned Medicare spending on disease-modifying drugs surged 10-fold between 2006 and 2016, while Medicare enrollees' personal drug costs skyrocketed $372 per 1,000 beneficiaries to $2,673 per 1,000. MS drugs collectively cost Medicare $4.4 billion in 2016, compared to $397 million in 2006. Beneficiaries' annual share climbed from $19 million to nearly $150 million. "People with MS, Medicare, and our healthcare system cannot continue to face these types of increases, where prices more than quadruple over a 10-year period," warned the National MS Society's Bari Talente.

According to studies, one in five people aged 60 to 65 has hearing loss, reports the New Indian Express . One type of hearing loss, presbycusis, is the result of natural and gradual aging of the auditory system, initially affecting the ability to hear high pitch sounds. Presbycusis generally impacts both ears, and can hinder speech intelligibility more than the ability to hear surrounding sounds, especially when the impaired hearing is within a very noisy environment. The condition is common to people older than 65, as well as people who typically have been exposed to loud sounds throughout their lives. Medications that can damage the ear over time could be another cause. Smoking, high blood pressure, and diabetes mellitus are linked to presbycusis, as are impairment of hair cells, continuous exposure to noise pollution, and genetic predisposition. Experts recommend consulting with an audiologist and a course of rehabilitation, as a lack of treatment can lead to depression, anxiety, and stress.

A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal determined the vaccination of older adults for shingles in Canada is likely cost-effective, reports EurekAlert . The researchers compared the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of recombinant subunit (RZV) and live attenuated zoster vaccines (LZV) in persons 50 and older in Canada. The population requiring vaccination to prevent one case of shingles was lower for RZV than for LZV across all age groups. "Our model predicted that the recombinant subunit zoster vaccine is likely cost-effective in Canada for adults 60 years or older and that it provides greater health benefits than the live attenuated zoster vaccine for all age groups," noted the researchers.

A study in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B found married people are less likely to experience dementia as they get older, reports ScienceDaily . However, divorcees are about twice as likely as married people to develop dementia, with divorced men especially vulnerable. More than 15,000 people aged 52 and older in 2000 were assessed for cognitive function every two years through 2014. The researchers observed differing economic resources play only a partial role in higher dementia risk among divorced, widowed, and never-married respondents, but failed to account for elevated risk in cohabiters. Health-related factors, like behaviors and chronic conditions, exerted a slight risk among divorced and married subjects, without apparently impacting other marital statuses. "These findings will be helpful for health policymakers and practitioners who seek to better identify vulnerable populations and to design effective intervention strategies to reduce dementia risk," suggested Michigan State University Professor Hui Liu.

Studies published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society noted the U.S. Chinese population is rapidly aging, with memory loss and dementia major problems in this demographic, reports Medical Xpress . The Chinese American population that is 65 and older expanded at a four times higher rate than the overall U.S. senior population between 2000 and 2010, and 14 percent of the approximately four million Chinese Americans were 65 and older by 2016. Analyses revealed that older Chinese American women have higher rates of cognitive impairment, which is associated with depression, chronic conditions, and disability. Moreover, lower education levels raise the risk of cognitive impairment, and problems performing functional and instrumental activities of daily living are predictive of this risk. Chinese Americans who endure increased stressors from linguistic and cultural difficulties exhibit poorer cognitive functioning and faster cognitive decline, while 41.5 percent of Asian Americans reported not receiving yearly oral health examinations, which is tied to decreased quality of life, depression, hypertension, poor cognition, and cognitive decline. "A thorough understanding of Chinese Americans' cognitive risk factors is necessary to guide the development of policy and interventions to delay the onset of memory loss," concluded Rutgers University's XinQi Dong.

A multi-institutional study is investigating how video games could help treat older adults with depression, reports WSHU . "If you stimulate their prefrontal cortex through brain games, through training and a cognitive ability called executive functioning, that might actually improve their depression," suggests the University of Connecticut's (UConn) Kevin Manning. He stresses that the games are specifically engineered to strengthen brain function. "Meaning, I'm going to ask you whenever you see a ball flash green, to press it, but don't press the ball if you see it turn red," Manning explains. "So practicing those abilities again and again are thought to potentially generate new pathways in the brain." Changes in participants' brains are then tracked during game play by magnetic resonance imaging. "One potential benefit of this study is, 'Can we actually show increased activation in the prefrontal lobes in older adults with major depression?'" Manning speculates. The UConn researchers have had promising initial results, with plans to jointly conduct a larger clinical trial with a University of Utah team.

A study by the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation (SDSCF) found that San Diego County's senior center network may not be ready for projected surges in the older adult population, reports KFI A.M. County residents 60 or older could exceed 1 million by 2030. "This influx will strain the already fragile network of existing services for seniors, increasing the risk of social isolation and many other concerns," noted SDSCF Board Chair Ted Chan. "Society is not ready to deal with the reality that the national and local infrastructure is inadequate and ill-equipped to effectively serve a burgeoning senior population." According to the study, most senior centers need repairs and lack funding, with 21 of the 28 surveyed centers built at least 30 years ago. Moreover, many centers are understaffed, six lack full-time staffers, and 20 are supervised by just one or two full-time employees. "The objective of this report is to call out and inspire community leaders, politicians, and philanthropists to take action now and create solutions to improve and enrich the lives of San Diego's older adults," said SDSCF President Bob Kelly.

Juniper Communities has announced a partnership with Music Theatre International (MTI) for the launch of Broadway Senior, a new slate of adaptations of popular Broadway musicals for older adults, reports Broadway World . The effort is a follow-up to Broadway Junior, which adapts and condenses musicals for performances by elementary and middle school students. The initiative was started by MTI co-Chair Freddie Gershon and Juniper co-founder Lynne Katzmann. "So often in senior living, we focus on what somebody used to do — what they did professionally, what their hobbies were, or who they were in their family," says Juniper's Katie Kensinger. "This is something totally new that people are discovering and being celebrated for now. The focus of Juniper is to help people to live life vibrantly in their third act. Broadway Senior gives our residents a sense of pride and accomplishment, and they have renewed self-esteem, and a sense of purpose. They're also building new friendships and are more engaged."

The Sunshine Home nursing community in China is offering recent college graduates inexpensive housing if they will volunteer to socialize with senior residents, reports Considerable . To be allowed to live in a low-rent environment, young tenants must spend at least 20 hours a month interacting with older residents so they feel less lonely. "In most cases, they just want me to be in their room while they are doing their own thing," says one 26-year-old resident, Situ Keren. Senior Sunshine Home resident Liu Cuiyu says she especially appreciates younger residents' knowledge and ease with technology. Intergenerational housing is not new, and it has proven to help improve many older adults' social well-being and general mood.

A new University College London (UCL) study found a robust social calendar in ages 50 to 60 may play a key role in warding off dementia later on, reports Being Patient . "One in three cases of dementia are potentially preventable," said UCL's Andrew Sommerlad. "We've found that social contact, in middle age and late life, appears to lower the risk of dementia." The researchers learned that, even accounting for factors like education, employment, marital status, and socioeconomic status, people who saw friends almost daily at age 60 were 12 percent less likely to develop dementia compared to persons who only saw one or two friends every few months. These findings are critical for developing a clinical understanding of dementia and ways to prevent it. Both study authors and U.K. health officials are recommending individuals enjoy more outdoor activities with family and friends.