The Chicago Tribune reports on a new study that has shed light on a possible risk factor for Alzheimer's disease in females: unemployment. Dr. Elizabeth Mayeda, assistant professor of epidemiology at UCLA, conducted a study on later-life cognitive health in women. She and her team found that working females showed a slower decrease in memory than their non-working counterparts. Mayeda's study was in collaboration with researchers at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, the University of California, San Francisco and Boston College. Mayeda used data from the National Institute on Aging's Health and Retirement Study to examine the memory function patterns of over 6,000 women born between 1935 and 1956. Respondents reported each year between the ages of 16 and 50 whether they were working for pay or had children. They were subsequently grouped by their work and family patterns to examine changes in memory for females over the age of 50, with memory performance measured using standardized tests about every two years. According to Mayeda's findings, there were no noticeable differences in memory between working and non-working women before the age of 60. However, after age 60, females who took part in the paid labor force showed slower memory decline than those who did not. Mayeda concluded that she hopes to see policies implemented that encourage women to join the workforce, such as equal pay and paid family leave, as a way to encourage higher late-life cognitive function.

Recent studies in the Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences point to health benefits associated with blueberries, which have the most antioxidants, as well as other phytochemicals that may reduce blood pressure, improve memory, and augment aging, reports SlashGear . One study found consuming about a cup of blueberries daily may lower systolic blood pressure and also improve blood vessel function. Also noted was an association between blueberries and improved cognitive function and memory in older adults. One study cited the polyphenols found in the fruit as the catalyst for better episodic memory in seniors with poor memory performance. Other research linked blueberries to a reduction in inflammation, potentially helping some people age without developing diseases typical of later years.

Walking soccer is finding favor among older Americans, with teams and leagues emerging across the United States and Canada, reports Considerable . According to promoters, walking soccer can improve balance, strength, and stamina in able-bodied seniors. A player might log four to five miles — 10,000 steps — in a single game. Walking soccer matches are an hour long compared to 90 minutes for traditional soccer matches, and the ball can go no higher than six feet and the offsides rule that keeps players from hovering in front of the opposing goal is inapplicable. "It's more of a social event, if you like," said Terry Youll, founder of the U.K.'s South Shields Saints walking soccer team. "It's one of those events where it doesn't really matter if you win or lose ... although, of course, you like to win."

The Associated Press confirms that the University of Nebraska Medical Center has received a five-year, $3.7 million grant to address the looming shortage of physicians who specialize in the care of older adults. The U.S. Health Resources Services Administration estimates a need for 33,200 geriatricians in the United States by 2025, which is nearly 27,000 more than the current projected supply of around 6,200. According to the medical school, a way to solve the problem is to expand the access of primary care professionals to resources that aid them in treating seniors' complex health issues. The grant will provide education to teams including doctors, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, social workers, and mental health professionals. The central idea is to care for patients as a team when they are ill, but also keep them well.

Australia's National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has awarded scientists about $1.2 million to study the role of a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) and exercise in preventing the onset of dementia, reports Olive Oil Times . A clinical trial at Swinburne University will explore the underlying factors of why a MedDiet regimen combined with regular exercise could reduce cognitive decline and help stave off dementia. "As it's extremely difficult to find a cure and treat those in the later stages of the disease, focusing our efforts on helping those at risk of developing dementia to stay healthy is one way to ensure Australians stay well in future," said Swinburne's Andrew Pipingas. The researchers also will investigate the cost-effectiveness of a MedDiet intervention, which is expected to mitigate the social and economic onuses associated with dementia care in a growing senior populace. With the NHMRC funding, Swinburne and its Australian and international partners will build on earlier research on a MedDiet's effects on the brain over time.

Instead of marrying or living together, many older couples live separately and see each other several times a week, or three times a month, reports the Wall Street Journal . A doubling of the divorce rate among those 55 and older has created a larger population of single adults desiring long-term partners, but who want to make their relationship work without mixing finances or relationships with adult children. A Bowling Green State University survey of 2,166 adults age 50 to 65 found nearly one-third of respondents currently in an unmarried relationship were in a committed long-term relationship, but living separately. Meanwhile, University of Missouri Professor Jacquelyn Benson found unmarried partnered adults between 57 and 85 years old were twice as likely to have separate residences as to live together. This arrangement appeals to men who want to preserve their leisure time, and to women who want to retain their autonomy.

DDI's Center for Analytics and Behavioral Research analyzed data from more than 25,000 leaders across industries and regions with the Conference Board and Ernst & Young to examine leadership advancement by generation, reports the Harvard Business Review . Surprisingly, 66 percent of Generation X leaders had received only one promotion or none at all in the past five years, versus two or more promotions handed out to 52 percent of millennials and 58 percent of senior baby boomers. Underlying factors include boomers opting to stay in the workforce longer than previous generations due to financial insecurity and rising healthcare costs. Meanwhile, millennials are pushing to catch up in terms of employment and salary because of mounting student loan debts, with Gen Xers often going unappreciated for the vital role they fill, especially in bridging the digital divide. The analysis further found that Gen X leaders also are more loyal to employers than their millennial counterparts. Retention or cultivation of Gen X leaders can be achieved by personalizing their learning and development and infusing objectivity into hiring and promotion practices.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D.-Calif.) has proposed a plan to transform the U.S. healthcare system into a federal one, with a limited role for private insurers, reports the Wall Street Journal . Harris' vision of Medicare for All would invert the current system for a federal healthcare program to cover a wide range of benefits — including long-term care and hospitalization. However, private health plans could offer Medicare Advantage. Harris' proposal also calls for transferring people into the federal program over 10 years instead of the four that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has outlined in his plan. She also calls for hiking funding revenue with taxes on higher-income families and Wall Street trades, without raising taxes on the middle class. "Seniors transition into Medicare every day, and people keep their doctors and get care at a lower cost," Harris noted. "Let's not lose sight that we have a Medicare system that's already working." Under Harris' proposal, new federal regulations to improve plan quality, cost, and access would be implemented, with employers paying into either Medicare for All or Medicare Advantage during the transition period to get coverage for their workers.

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society explored the potential risk for falls and fainting among older adults taking medication for atrial fibrillation, reports ScienceDaily . The team used Spanish health data to identify persons 65 to 100 when they were first diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. The records of 100,935 individuals 65 or older with atrial fibrillation who filled prescriptions for heart rhythm medications were analyzed. Prescriptions were for beta-blockers, certain calcium channel blockers, and digoxin, while other drugs included amiodarone, flecainide, and propafenone. Analysis estimated 40,447 deaths without a fall-related injury or fainting episode among this population, comprising 40.1 percent of study participants. Amiodarone was significantly linked to higher fall risk, whether it was prescribed alone or with other heart rhythm medications, while digoxin was slightly associated with fall-related injuries. People also were at higher risk for an injury within the first 90 days of treatment, and especially within the first 14 days.

Global Coalition on Aging CEO Michael Hodin issued a call to action to tackle vision health challenges among the aging population at the recent Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health National Summit in Washington, reports Healio . "The latest data across all OECD countries, which includes the United States, is that 73 percent of those who are surveyed between ages of roughly late 50s and early to mid 60s, around what had become traditional retirement in the last century, wanted to keep working," he said. "With vision impairment that becomes harder, but let's make sure that all of us are producers in society rather than costs." He went on to urge a focus on earlier detection, better prevention strategies, and better treatment. Prevent Blindness' Kira Baldonado added that infrastructure needs to be diversified, and age-friendly cities must be developed, to meet vision health requirements. "We have to make vision health part of our vernacular in our society," she stressed. "When there's a diagnosis of a vision impairment that cannot be helped, we need to make sure that the rest of the system is engaged and we connect people to the care, to the resources, the adaptive devices that are going to help them maintain a higher quality of life."