A study by the Oregon Health Authority published in Vaccine says high-dose flu vaccines are much more effective at keeping seniors healthy, to the degree that they are 30 percent less likely to end up hospitalized, reports The Oregonian . The high-dose shot is four times more powerful than the standard, as it has more antigens that trigger an immune response to a virus. The Oregon Immunization Program's Steve Robison recommends seniors get a flu vaccine that is best tailored to boosting their immune response. The study analyzed more than 144,000 Portland residents who received the flu shot before Dec. 11, 2016, a timeframe that allowed those vaccinated to develop antibodies. Both Medicare and insurance cover the flu vaccine. The study was conducted during an especially severe flu season. All age groups tracked by the federal government had high numbers who visited outpatient clinics and emergency departments and were hospitalized for the flu.

A study published in Immunity suggests probiotics might be a safe and effective tool for combating bone loss that leads to osteoporosis, reports Medical News Today . The investigators administered oral Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supplementation to a group of mice over a four-week period. The probiotic was found to stimulate the growth of gut bacteria that produce a particular metabolite called butyrate, which subsequently spurred T cells in bone marrow to produce the protein Wnt10b, which is essential for bone growth. "Because their mechanism of action in bone is unknown, probiotics are regarded as some kind of alternative, esoteric, unproven treatment," notes Emory University's Roberto Pacifici. He not only believes the study's results indicate that probiotics can have a beneficial effect on bone structure, but also that the number of bacteria contained in the probiotics may be as vital as the probiotic that is used. Pacifici says the validation of these findings by human studies could clear the way for an inexpensive and well-tolerated treatment to help optimize skeletal development in young people and perhaps help prevent osteoporosis in older men and women.

Caregivers need to be aware that falls among older adults can be traced to a number of causes, such as a new illness or a new medication, reports Forbes . Falls often are symptoms of an underlying general weakness, which can include urinary tract infections, pneumonia, heart disease, strokes, dehydration, or anemia. With medications also considered a likely culprit for falls, caregivers should learn whether the victim has just changed or added a drug. Sometimes a new pharmaceutical can cause these problems by itself, or it can interact with a medication the individual was already on. Over-the-counter medications and supplements can be just as problematic as prescription drugs. Medications such as Ativan, Valium, Ambien, Lunesta, or Seroquel can lead to falls, of course. But more common products such as antihistamines or medications for an overactive bladder or nausea also can be associated with greater fall risk. Finally, low blood pressure is often a cause of falls, which means drugs to control high blood pressure may raise the risk.

The Mohave County Sheriff's Office in Arizona is planning to create a registry of people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia to help authorities locate them more quickly if they go missing, reports the Associated Press . According to Sheriff Doug Schuster, it would be worthwhile for his office to offer Mohave County a registry that covers a range of diseases and characteristics. He said he would like to begin organizing such a registry by next spring. "What we would do is come up with a feasible mechanism to put in place and encourage cities to participate," Schuster noted. "We don't want to step on any toes. We believe it's important to afford families the opportunity to reach out in every one of the cities." The sheriff has been examining existing registries in other cities, such as Phoenix's Chandler suburb. That city's Return Me Safe program is designed to help locate people who wander due to various conditions. "People with Alzheimer's ... tend to focus on certain things when they go missing," says Chandler Police Department spokesperson Seth Tyler. "Having that information aids in our searches."

AARP has announced the launch of a new advocacy campaign urging Congress to resist the pharmaceutical industry and protect seniors from attempts to hike patient drug costs by reversing the Medicare Part D doughnut hole deal, reports Benzinga . The multimedia push includes national TV, radio, digital, and print ads scheduled to run in Washington, D.C., and certain battleground states around the country. "AARP strongly supports the deal reached around Medicare Part D doughnut hole coverage in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, providing financial relief for millions of seniors who find themselves saddled with high drug costs," said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. "Despite what the pharmaceutical lobby would like Congress to believe, going back on the deal is not a 'technical fix.' It's time the industry put people over profits." Older Americans who depend on Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage take 4.5 prescription medications on average and are particularly hard-hit by rising costs. The new Part D doughnut hole provisions are designed to save beneficiaries billions of dollars in out-of-pocket costs on drugs by processing them through the drug coverage gap faster and reducing co-payments.

Seniors and retired baby boomers are finding conditions for part-time employment more favorable as businesses change their hiring strategies, reports Forbes . The U.S. census estimated that 10,000 baby boomers retire every day, while Merrill Lynch and New Wave noted more than half of baby boomers plan to earn some income following retirement, either for the money or for social interaction. Most said they plan to work only part-time, and many seniors feel the need for extra money to help offset costs. Grocers and retailers are seeking employees in new places, and often taking a broader view on whom they are willing to employ, with particular interest in seniors and retired baby boomers. Higher-paying part-time positions cover many job categories, including freelance work, tutoring, food demonstration, drivers or nannies for children, and fix-it shops. Senior and baby boomers interested in part-time employment are urged to actively network and talk to friends, as well as check out employers' websites and places that they might focus on, such as AARP and senior communities.

With more Americans expecting to live longer and in better health after retirement, the pathway that aging takes may cause senior communities to undergo a transformation, reports the New York Times . A senior community under construction in Florida is an aspirational-lifestyle experiment. Dubbed Margaritaville, it is offering retirement inspired by music that legendary recording artist Jimmy Buffett described as "drunken Caribbean rock 'n' roll." D2 Architecture President David Dillard says his company designs community environments "to diminish any icons of this being a senior place." In addition to senior communities organized around faith, military service, and civic fraternities, there are now retirement cruise ships being planned for the superwealthy. More and more developers are partnering with schools like Arizona State University, which recently broke ground on a 20-story senior-living building it calls "the world's coolest dorm." "There's a lot of experimentation with models," observes Bob Kramer, the founder of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care. "There's no model that's really caught on yet." That said, existing senior communities have been notoriously slow to innovate. The big question is whether redesigning the physical environment where seniors live will redefine the way we experience aging itself.

New evidence suggests a complex but clear connection between dementia and domestic abuse, with a case-control study by the University of Toronto indicating that spousal abuse could be associated with the development of Alzheimer's, reports The Conversation . Most abuse tends to occur in the home, with anywhere between 5 percent and 20 percent of seniors worldwide physically abused; up to 55 percent may suffer other forms of abuse. Dementia's intellectual impairments can be problematic for unprepared caregivers and family members, and this frustration can sometimes lead to abuse. However, on some occasions the person with dementia is the perpetrator of the abuse instead of the recipient, as the onset of the disease is known to coincide with the provocation of aggressive and angry tendencies. A study published in the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias estimated that almost 20 percent of individuals who have recently developed dementia have acted aggressively towards caregivers, including loved ones. Motivators could include the loss of the person's pride or sense of self, which can sometimes manifest as unusually aggressive or hostile behavior. Dementia also can spark violent mood swings and outbursts.

A study published in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry detailed how chemists synthesized a range of biologically active molecules known as chromones and demonstrated their use in the treatment of Alzheimer's, reports Medical Xpress . Reduced levels of acetylcholine are one of the symptoms of Alzheimer's, and its decline is influenced by acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), with the latter's activity increasing in the course of Alzheimer's. Reducing BChE activity could decelerate acetylcholine disintegration, and researchers from the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) used chromones to accomplish this. "We found chromones interesting because of their pharmacological activity," said RUDN's Larisa Kulikova. "Their derivatives appeared to have anti-cancer, anti-viral (including anti-HIV), anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and antioxidant properties. It was especially important for our studies that chromones and their derivatives played an important role as antioxidants and acceptors of radicals." The chemists used kinetic methods and modeling to assess the pharmacological activity of the obtained substances, and screening outcomes showed that these substances efficiently slowed down BChE activity. The team plans to enhance the synthesis method and obtain chemical compounds with antioxidant- as well as BChE-suppressing properties.

A survey from Clover Health estimated that 18 percent of 1,000 adults over age 60 have skipped necessary medical treatment, reports Becker's Hospital Review . The poll found 24 percent of seniors with an annual household income of less than $35,000 have avoided seeking medical attention, along with 17 percent of individuals in the $35,000 to $74,999 income bracket and 12 percent of those whose annual income topped $75,000. Meanwhile, 20 percent of women avoided seeing a physician despite a health issue, versus 16 percent of men. The most frequently cited reasons for skipping necessary medical care were high costs, worries about the diagnosis being too complex, and the inability to find a physician that respondents liked or were comfortable with. "It is very concerning that 18 percent of U.S. seniors reported not seeking medical care even when they felt they needed a doctor's attention," said Clover Health's Kumar Dharmarajan. "Older adults are particularly vulnerable to complications from chronic conditions and illnesses like the flu, making it crucial that they get the medical care they need."