The risk of older adults' quality of life declining due to various illnesses and the side effects of medications for treating them is elevated in cases of "polypharmacy," or the use of multiple drugs by one person, reports MedShadow . "Some of the most common and serious effects of polypharmacy are sleepiness or dizziness, which can result in falls and fractures, and interactions between two or more medicines," warns Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center's Robert A. Murden. Research found nearly 50 percent of older men and women are taking at least one medication that is unnecessary for treating their condition, which can lead to negative consequences. Such individuals are more prone to the effects of polypharmacy, because they receive more medications for diseases that commonly affect people as they age. "The more medications you take, the greater the risk of a significant drug interaction that could cause harm to the individual," says University of Georgia College of Pharmacy Professor Christopher M. Bland. He adds that seniors often have reduced liver and kidney function compared to younger, healthier peers, "therefore a 'normal' dosage of a medication for a younger person may be too high for an older person, resulting in an adverse effect." Murden also stresses that seniors are "more likely to suffer the consequences of polypharmacy . . . and they are more likely to have the medical conditions, such as arthritis or memory problems that medication side effects can worsen."

An Experian study of U.S. seniors found they average more than $70,000 in total debt, with those in the District of Columbia having the highest debt average at more than $132,000, while Massachusetts seniors are in 10th place with $83,915, reports the Boston Herald . MetLife estimated the average retirement cost at $738,400, while Northwestern Mutual determined 33 percent of Americans have less than $5,000 saved for retirement, versus 21 percent with no savings to speak of. Experian found older New Englanders fared poorly with outstanding debt, with Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire making the top 20. West Virginia seniors had the least debt with an average sum of $38,358, comprising more than a third of the national average and nearly 50 percent less than the average consumer older than 60. Fidelity's Ken Hevert cited three key consumer recommendations from the study: "First, see if you can get lower interest rates, and strongly consider paying as much as you can on your debt, more than the minimum monthly payments. Second, build your savings so you have money for emergencies or unplanned expenses. Just a little bit each pay period will help. Third, limit your credit card spending as much as possible."

The Kershaw County Sheriff's Office in South Carolina has implemented a system to help first responders identify vehicle occupants who may not respond well to verbal commands, reports WDBJ7 . The office has issued four types of stickers for cars: for diabetics, for autistics, for people with dementia or Alzheimer's, and for the hearing impaired. The sheriff's office recently displayed the stickers on their Facebook page. The online post stated: "We would like to thank Harry Little (VitalCare and Carolina Motorsport EMS) for his assistance in making this available to the citizens of Kershaw County. Harry is now the proud owner of the very first sticker."

Research presented at the recent American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting determined estrogen therapy in women 50 to 63 years old has demonstrated an effect on the metabolic processes linked with later Alzheimer's development, which could offer an opportunity to prevent or delay the disease, reports Healio . "We are starting to see this concept of timing and when estrogen is introduced in terms of cognitive health," said University of California San Francisco Center for Reproductive Health Director Marcelle I. Cedars. "While the data are mixed, there have been studies that have suggested that estrogen therapy as short as two to three years may have long-term benefit decreasing cognitive impairment five to 15 years later by up to 60 percent." Cedars noted the study also suggested women who take estrogen between the ages of 50 and 63 can sustain this benefit, but it loses effectiveness after age 64. She added that a prospective randomized control trial of the effect of estrogen therapy in early menopause on Alzheimer's outcomes is neither feasible nor cost-effective, so clinicians and researchers will have to continue to rely on animal studies, basic science, translational studies, and investigations into surrogate markers for Alzheimer's.

A movement is spreading across the United States to establish dementia-friendly communities, with trainees learning to identify cognitive impairment and help people living with such impairment, reports CityLab . Everyone from business owners to police officers to bank tellers are taking part in the training. In 2014, Middleton, Wis., passed a resolution to become dementia-friendly, working with the Alzheimer's and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin. The town trained employees, and more than 50 businesses joined the program soon after. The movement gained momentum the following year with the rollout of Dementia Friendly America at the White House Conference on Aging. Meanwhile, the Dementia Friends USA initiative involved nearly 40,000 volunteer "friends" receiving training to become more responsive to people with dementia. Funding for community programs varies, with a combination of public and private funds covering training and technical support costs. "No one has found a metric, let alone the resources to measure the movement's impact," said Splaine Consulting Principal Michael Splaine. In the end, he noted that impact is founded on raising awareness.

A new U.K. movement aims to make music freely accessible on streaming services for people with dementia, reports Billboard . Music for Dementia 2020 will launch by urging streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music to offer free subscriptions for such individuals and their caregivers. "A song has the power to instantly transport us to a different place and time, and can have the most profound effect on people living with dementia and their carers," says Grace Meadows, senior music therapist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and program director at Music for Dementia 2020. BBC Radio disc jockey Lauren Laverne is the campaign's newly-appointed ambassador, with funding from the Utley Foundation and support from Health Secretary Matt Hancock. "This is a generation who paid their music taxes by buying records and CDs and made the music industry what it is today," Laverne notes. "We'd love to see streaming services make music free for everyone living with dementia." International Longevity Center U.K. CEO Baroness Sally Greengross says attempts to improve music accessibility for people with dementia are falling short, in spite of mounting evidence of its benefits. "We hope that . . . Lauren Laverne and Music for Dementia 2020 will shine a light on the value of music as an intervention," she remarked.

Research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found a strong connection between loneliness and poor health and mortality risk in older adults, reports Reuters Health . "Loneliness is a public health issue that impacts older people from many different perspectives, making it an important cross-cutting issue," noted the University of Toronto's Paula Rochon. The study authors said loneliness is not a classified disease or mental disorder, and is distinctive from other mental states like anxiety and depression. However, it can cause feelings of desperation, tedium, self-deprecation, hopelessness, and a negative attitude toward self and others. The researchers suggested doctors could treat loneliness via social prescribing, in which health workers "prescribe" community resources for social support like volunteering, visiting local museums, or joining a home-visiting service. Rochon recommended using the Three-Item Loneliness Scale to evaluate loneliness. If subjects respond "some of the time" or "often" to two or more items on the scale, they may be considered lonely.

Research from Hasselt University published in Environmental Science & Technology suggests that pollution can speed up cellular senescence, reports Earth.com . Exposure to pollution has demonstrated effects on mitochondrial DNA content and telomere length, which are key elements in human aging. Certain contaminants cause mitochondria to discharge more reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage DNA, fats, and proteins, subsequently causing the mitochondria to malfunction and generate even more ROS. Telomeres form the DNA-protein caps on the ends of chromosomes that allow them to maintain their division, and shorter telomeres are typical of aging while abnormally longer telomeres are frequently found in cancer cells. The Hasselt team assessed these two factors in blood samples, and also used multi-pollutant models for concurrent pollutant analysis. Study participants with higher levels of urinary copper and serum perfluorohexane sulfonic acid exhibited less mitochondrial DNA content and shorter telomeres. However, certain pollutants were associated with either more mitochondrial DNA content or longer telomeres.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, adults 65 and older will outnumber children by 2035, while almost 25 percent of Americans will be 65 and older by 2060, reports Forbes . The population of those 85 and older will triple by then as well, leading to concerns about how they will spend their retirement years. Finding employment is often the only option for people who have not saved a large enough nest egg. But there are positives. For one, the social exposure of working can combat the loneliness many seniors are vulnerable to. Also worth factoring in is the fact that the country is not producing sufficient younger workers to fill currently existing jobs, as well as jobs that will continue growing in the future. Life extension creates a pool of older workers available for either part-time or full-time employment, who are not necessarily expecting a benefits package and who have few career ambitions. Finally, columnist Carolyn Rosenblatt writes that a sense of accomplishment provided by employment can appeal to people who are too proud to rely entirely on younger family members for support or for those whose families cannot afford them.

The next episode of CBS's 60 Minutes to be broadcast on May 5 will showcase frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a particularly devastating disease known to strike in middle age and even earlier in some cases, reports CBS News . FTD's effects include the destruction of the victim's personality, judgment, empathy, and even speech. An especially pernicious aspect of the disease is its ability to take away the power of self-recognition. "This is profound as anything that can happen to a human being," says FTD researcher Bruce Miller. "It robs us of our very essence of our humanity, of who we are." People with FTD can exhibit dangerous or impulsive behavior, which in certain circumstances can force their relocation into assisted-living communities. Some people with FTD are not aware that they have the disease, but certain victims with a form of the disorder that destroys speech and communication can be cognizant.