A new forecast from the U.S. Census Bureau predicts people 65 and older will soon outnumber children for the first time in American history, reports the Daily Mail . The agency estimated that one in every five Americans will be retirement age by 2030, while deaths will "rise substantially" between 2020 and 2050, signifying naturally slow population growth. Bureau researchers expect older adults to outnumber children by 2035. Other projected trends include the shrinkage of the nation's non-Hispanic white-alone population from 199 million in 2020 to 179 million in 2060.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week announced that uninsured Californians in Butte, Los Angeles, and Ventura counties qualify for no-cost replacements of critical medications lost or damaged by current wildfires. The Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) managed by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response is administering this relief. Uninsured citizens requiring certain prescription medications during an emergency can freely obtain a 30-day supply at any EPAP participating pharmacy through Dec. 31, with most prescription drugs covered under the program. They also may employ EPAP to replace specific medical supplies or medical equipment, like canes and walkers, damaged or lost due to the wildfires or while in transit to an emergency shelter. There are more than 200 participating EPAP pharmacies statewide. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has temporarily waived or altered certain Medicare and Medicaid mandates to give healthcare providers, communities, and suppliers the flexibility needed to deliver continued access to care during the emergency.

Two Johns Hopkins studies published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery suggest seniors with untreated hearing loss could rack up bigger medical bills and fall prey to other medical problems, reports Health 24 . One study of 77,000 U.S. seniors with untreated age-related hearing loss, compared with healthy individuals, determined the former averaged total healthcare costs that were 46 percent higher over a decade. That amounted to more than $22,000 per person, with about $20,000 covered by a health plan and $2,000 in out-of-pocket costs; approximately $600 was due solely to hearing loss-related care. Moreover, subjects with untreated hearing loss had 50 percent more hospital stays, a 44 percent greater risk for rehospitalization within 30 days, a 17 higher likelihood of visiting an emergency department visit, and 52 more outpatient visits. The second study found over 10 years, persons with untreated hearing loss had a 50 percent greater risk of dementia, a 40 percent higher risk of depression, and a nearly 30 percent higher risk for falls versus healthy persons. Neither study proved that hearing loss causes other health problems.

A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found adults with dementia exhibit similar rates of falls and major fractures with the antidepressant trazodone and atypical antipsychotics, reports Psych Congress Network . The researchers reviewed 6,588 adults with dementia in long-term care communities in Canada who were administered trazodone for the first time between 2009 and 2015. Also studied were 2,875 first-time recipients of an atypical antipsychotic. Trazodone was associated with similar rates overall of falls or major osteoporotic fractures compared to atypical antipsychotics. The weighted HR was 1.03 for major osteoporotic fracture, 0.91 for falls, and 0.92 for hip fractures. However, trazodone was associated with a lower mortality rate. Suggested strategies for treatment include medications, non-medication options, or both medication and non-medication options, according to Jennifer Watt of St. Michael's Hospital. "Non-medication options to alleviate symptoms include modification of subjects' environments and daily activities to be more tailored to their needs," she noted.

Both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives will likely confront the future of Medicare and funding for senior services next year, according to Forbes . House Democrats are expected to pass legislation aimed at curbing Medicare drug prices. "I think you need negotiated prices under Medicare, and I think you need the Creates Act and other initiatives that will aggressively bring generics to market," says Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) "There's an area where the President agrees with me and the Democrats, so why not?" Meanwhile, it remains uncertain as to whether House Democrats will try to expand Medicare eligibility, as they are currently considering several "Medicare for all" proposals. Two proposals would make Medicare available to those younger than 65, while the third would establish a universal single-payer government health plan for all. Prior to this, Congress will have to respond to the White House's attempts to reduce Medicare payments to providers and reorganize the payment system to one based on quality of outcomes instead of number of services that doctors and hospitals provide. Democrats have previously backed the migration from nursing communities to community- and home-based care for Medicaid recipients receiving long-term care benefits.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found aspirin carries no benefits for older adults and may even lead to significant damage, reports WorldHealth.net . The researchers enrolled 35,817 adults 65 and older in Australia and the United States. Aspirin was found to ultimately offer zero health benefits to healthy seniors, and instead appeared to elevate risk of cancer and overall risk of death. Another study involving more than 9,000 participants who took painkillers like aspirin to treat respiratory infection were more than three times as likely to experience a heart attack than those who did not. Other reports indicated that aspirin does not prevent heart attacks, even in targeted populations, and it may cause more health issues. The National Institute on Aging's Evan Hadley advises seniors on aspirin to reconsider, as such studies give pause and reason for doctors and older men and women to think carefully about the choice of low-dose aspirin on a regular basis.

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found a lack of care preference knowledge by health surrogates can lead to harmful decisions for older adults, reports Medical Xpress . The investigators enrolled 349 participants 55 and older from the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, as well as their health surrogates. Sixty-six percent of surrogates rated themselves as "extremely confident" in their knowledge of what health states the recipient would find acceptable in the event of a serious illness, but only one in five actually knew what they wanted. "Recipients and surrogates need help to see the importance of more communication," said Yale University Professor Terri Fried. This help might include, for instance, interventions like a formal assessment of surrogates' knowledge of their relative's preferences in terms of specific health consequences. "That could increase the motivation for having the conversation," Fried concluded.

A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found middle-aged adults with lung disease may have a higher risk of developing dementia or cognitive impairment later in life, reports EurekAlert . The researchers noted both restrictive and obstructive lung diseases were associated with dementia, including Alzheimer's and mild cognitive impairment. This connection was stronger for restrictive lung diseases, like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis, than it was for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The team analyzed data from more than 14,000 participants who received spirometry and were asked about their lung health. The cohort was followed for 23 years on average when they were evaluated for dementia or cognitive impairment, which occurred in 1,407 cases. In comparison to those without lung disease, the odds of dementia or mild cognitive impairment were 58 percent higher among those with restrictive lung disease and 33 percent higher among those with obstructive lung disease. Furthermore, low results on forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were linked to dementia; FEV1 is the amount of air a person can forcefully exhale in one second, while FVC is a measurement of lung size. Possible explanations include lung disease's production of low blood oxygen levels, which in turn may have induced inflammation, stress, and damage to the brain's blood vessels.

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found older breast cancer survivors exhibiting aging-related phenotypes and genotypes may be at increased risk for cognitive decline, according to Healio . "Our study suggests that for most older adults with breast cancer, chemotherapy and hormonal treatments do not have major adverse effects on cognitive function, at least as measured by our current tests," says Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor Jeanne Mandelblatt. The team assessed the effects of treatment and aging on longitudinal cognitive function among 344 survivors of newly diagnosed nonmetastatic breast cancer compared with 347 healthy controls. They compiled data during presystemic treatment and control enrollment, and via biospecimen collection at one- and two-year follow-up. The outcomes showed women treated with chemotherapy had poorer scores on neuropsychological tests that measured attention, processing speed, and executive function. Moreover, women who initiated hormonal therapy had worse learning and memory scores at one-year follow-up. Group-by-time differences varied by status of apolipoprotein E (APOE4) gene, a risk factor for Alzheimer's that also may be connected to cancer-related cognitive decline. Survivors who tested positive for the APOE4 gene and underwent hormonal therapy had lower adjusted learning and memory scores at one-year follow-up. Meanwhile, two-year scores were significantly lower for survivors who were APOE4 positive and exposed to chemotherapy versus APOE4 positive controls.

A study published in Nature suggests certain HIV drugs could be repurposed for people with Alzheimer's, based on new findings about the disease's origination, reports the Lompoc Record . The researchers determined in most cases, Alzheimer's is not inherited, but develops through non-random genetic rearrangements in neurons. The team combined single and multiple-cell analytical methods to examine 13 donated human brains, some normal, some with Alzheimer's. The results were consistent with epidemiological data from older adults with HIV, who were treated with reverse transcriptase inhibitors for decades, and almost never developed Alzheimer's. "The authors carefully demonstrate that there are extensive modifications to genetic material in the Alzheimer's disease brain," says the University of Southern California's Paul Aisen. "These are changes that occur with aging, rather than inherited genetic characteristics. While this is an intriguing idea, the actual contribution of this age-related genetic change remains uncertain."