A review published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society analyzed studies to measure the harmful effects of antidepressants for treating major depressive disorder in adults 65 years or older, reports ScienceDaily . The researchers looked at serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) used to treat the acute phase of major depressive disorder. Administering SNRIs resulted in a greater number of harmful events compared to people who took a placebo. Subjects who took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) experienced about the same number of adverse events as did those who took a placebo. Taking either drug also led to a higher number of people discontinuing the study due to harmful events, while the SSRI duloxetine also elevated the risk of falls. "Future research in this field is critical to better inform how the safety profiles of different antidepressants compare in older adults," concluded University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy Professor Diana M. Sobieraj.

A study published in Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology found regular fast food consumption, combined with little exercise, elevates the risk of dementia, type 2 diabetes, and declined brain function, reports Medical Daily . Australian National University (ANU) researchers estimated that people currently eat an extra 650 calories more daily compared to 50 years ago. ANU Professor Nicolas Cherbuin noted such unhealthy lifestyle choices can accelerate brain deterioration and lead to dementia and brain shrinkage. He also cited the additional daily calories as indicative that people eat more unhealthy choices such as fast food than healthy ones, resulting in lower nutrient intake and greater susceptibility to diseases such as dementia.

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Professor Sabrina Pickens is using a $120,000 grant from the Alzheimer's Association and help from Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) to lead a six-month pilot study to measure the effectiveness of over-the-phone care for Meals on Wheels clients with dementia and their caregivers, reports the Houston Chronicle . "For Meals on Wheels, with home delivery, we service about 800 seniors and disabled adults in northwest Harris County," said NAM's Grace Jackson. Volunteers distribute fliers about the study while on their Meals on Wheels route. Interested recipients and their caregivers can call Pickens, who can enroll them via phone. The program recognizes the unmet needs of seniors with dementia and their caregivers through baseline evaluations, with short-term and long-term goals outlined to meet those needs. "Enrollees receive a minimum of once-a-month calls to see if your need was met; see if they met the goal or not, and if they didn't, we kind of brainstorm as to why they didn't and what other services they may need to help them with that goal," Pickens noted.

Although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported in April that only 4 percent of persons with measles were older than 50, health authorities are worried that older people who were never vaccinated or received an earlier, less effective vaccination could be hit hard by the disease, reports the Boston Herald . Tufts Medical Center's Brian Chow said if any adult has an uncertain immunization status, a simple blood test can help. "If you're not sure, there's no risk to getting the vaccine again," he stated. Billerica Council On Aging Director Jean Patel Bushnell said she intends to notify her members about this public health risk "as quickly as possible." Brigham and Women's Hospital's Paul Sax said persons born before 1957 are "pretty much guaranteed to be immune," but cautioned that "it makes sense for older adults to do a double check of their vaccine history."

Scientists are speculating about a link between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer's, according to U.S. News & World Report . "I think that what is pretty well established is that if you have too much aluminum in your brain, that's not healthy," says Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center's Douglas Scharre. "Aluminum can be a neurotoxin, and if you ingest it or get it into your brain, it can cause a dementia-like condition." Analysis of the brains of people who had aluminum toxicity revealed abnormal structures that bore a close similarity to the neurofibrillary tangles of tau proteins that are a telltale symptom of Alzheimer's in the brain. However, Scharre notes the aluminum tangles are somewhat different from those observed in Alzheimer's. If aluminum infiltrates the brain and becomes snarled in an amyloid plaque, it is more difficult for the brain to purge it as it normally would remove a toxin. Scharre suspects this partly explains why postmortem analysis of brains with Alzheimer's often finds higher concentrations of heavy metals and other toxins. "It doesn't make sense that a toxin is the cause of Alzheimer's because it runs more in families than in local areas where there's higher exposure to aluminum or other toxins," he adds.

A study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences evaluated for the first time the link between biomarkers of vitamin K status and the manifestation of mobility limitation and disability in older adults, reports News-Medical . "We're building on previous studies that found that low levels of circulating vitamin K are associated with slower gait speed and a higher risk of osteoarthritis," said Tufts University's Kyla Shea. The researchers investigated circulating levels of vitamin K (phylloquinone) and a functional measure of vitamin K (plasma ucMGP). Older adults with low levels of circulating vitamin K were more likely to develop mobility limitation and disability, while the plasma ucMGP biomarker did not show clear connections to mobility limitation and disability. Older adults with low circulating vitamin K levels were almost 1.5 times more likely to develop mobility limitation and nearly twice as likely to develop mobility disability, versus subjects with sufficient levels. This finding was consistent in both men and women.

A study published in Aging Cell explored the effects of aging on molecular mechanisms, reports ScienceDaily . The researchers determined vital molecular "programs" known to promote longevity stop functioning beyond midlife. "Surprisingly . . . humans appear to stop using these pathways from about 50 years of age onward," said University of Miami Professor Claes Wahlestedt. "Therefore, how long and how 'hard' each person regulates these pathways may influence human lifespan." The researchers gained these insights using a new technique for measuring comprehensive gene expression patterns, applied to carefully curated sets of tissue samples from humans at various ages. "Our study revealed that the complexity of regulation of aging programs may be much greater in humans as compared to other species," noted Wahlestedt. "This is related to our more complex genome, which may have evolved to allow for longer and healthier lifespan. But perhaps humans were not really meant to last beyond their 50s."

GoGo Grandparent is a company that offers transportation services like Lyft and Uber for seniors, reports azfamily.com . "We cater to people that might not have a smartphone, like an older adult who might not feel comfortable or maybe someone who is visually impaired," says GoGo Grandparent's Darren Hsu. "Our fares would go from the Lyft and Uber costs and on top of that it would be $0.27 per minute of whatever the ride would be." In one example, GoGo Grandparent agents will send the user's family tracking links and the ratings of drivers. The company also is striving to add food and dining smartphone apps to its services so people can benefit from Postmates, Grubhub, and similar apps.

The Neurotrack startup develops cognitive tests for identifying impairments in the hippocampus, the first structure in the brain region affected by Alzheimer's, and it announced $21 million in series C financing, reports VentureBeat . Neurotrack now has $50 million in total capital, including more than $7 million in grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The firm says the investments will be used to fuel adoption of its memory health program, forward its goal of changing how people manage cognitive health, and maintain development in global markets. Neurotrack's browser- and app-based platform sets a memory health baseline by tracking users' eyes for five minutes as they view a series of onscreen images. Every three to six months, Neurotrack conducts another assessment to track changes over time, recommending exercise and sleep regimens, diets, and brain games to preserve and augment memory. The company claims its test can reliably track the onset of Alzheimer's within three years and six years with 89 percent accuracy and 100 percent accuracy, respectively. In addition, a preliminary study released this past autumn saw "observable improvements" in cognition among at-risk individuals who used the startup's tools and services.

Research indicates that the frequency of divorce among older adults has risen, reports Considerable . According to a study in the Journals of Gerontology , divorce rates among people 50 and older climbed from one in 10 in 1990 to nearly one in four in 2016. An AARP-commissioned report on "gray divorce" suggests women's economic independence may help them choose to leave these unhappy marriages. Some older adults end these marriages because they have grown apart, with marriage and family therapist Crystal Hemesath describing this phenomenon as a lack of sexual attraction, emotional connectedness, or sense of relationship togetherness. Among couples 50 and over, there may be irreconcilable differences with how one chooses to live the rest of their life and the type of love and companionship they want.