Companies such as Guidant Financial help entrepreneurs gain access to capital, and Guidant CEO David Nilssen says many of their clients are 48 to 50 years old, with an aversion to the corporate lifestyle as their primary motivator, reports Forbes . The advice of a financial professional when it comes to starting a new business can be beneficial to all entrepreneurs. A study from the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center at George Washington University (GW) found growing interest in flexible employment and the expanding possibilities for creating an individualized approach to retirement to be key drivers for entrepreneurship and self-employment among people older than 50. "Age can actually be helpful rather than an obstacle to starting a business," Nilssen notes. "Older people have more life experience, more professional experience, and financial stability. They're likely to understand how difficult it can be to manage different personalities." The GW study cited health and longevity, education, and affluence as key factors making the over-50 set more suitable and more attracted to self-employment and entrepreneurship. Prospective entrepreneurs should initially decide whether they want to start a new venture, purchase an existing business, or gradually transition from one career to another; financial pros can help by discussing each option's advantages and drawbacks with clients. The five leading businesses Nilssen's clients buy include business services, quick service restaurants, health or fitness businesses, bed and breakfasts, and personal services businesses.

A study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences suggests singing in choirs reduces loneliness in older adults, reports ANI News . The study authors randomized 12 federally-funded senior support centers in San Francisco into a weekly group choir program aiming to engage adults 60 and older cognitively, physically, and socially. Over three years, 390 English and Spanish speakers were enrolled in either a group that started choirs right away or another group that began them six months later. Two-thirds of participants were from diverse backgrounds, 20 percent were financially strained, and 60 percent had multiple chronic conditions. During the study, singers completed memory, coordination, and balance tests, and questionnaires about their emotional well-being. In general, older men and women who sang in a choir for six months had noticeable improvements in loneliness and interest in life, while there were few significant group distinctions in terms of cognitive/physical outcomes and healthcare costs. The six-month retention rate was 92 percent.

A study to be presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions conference found early dementia signs could be detected by scanning the individual's neck, with actual dementia symptoms observed up to a decade after these signs are visible on the scans, reports News-Medical . The team examined the strength of a pulse traveling to the brain via the neck from the heart; the intensity of this pulse from the heart to different parts of the body frequently varies. The large blood vessels are normally elastic and thus absorb the major pulse intensity from the heart, diminishing the pulse intensity that travels to the brain and preventing damage to the brain's blood vessels. The researchers observed some 3,200 middle-aged participants who were followed for an average of 15 years to see if they were at high risk of dementia. They received an ultrasound test of the neck in 2002, while memory functions and problem solving tests also were conducted at baseline. Results indicated that those who had the highest pulse intensity were 50 percent more likely to exhibit an accelerated or rapidly progressing decline in cognitive abilities over the following decade compared to those who had a lower intensity. The authors said the neck scan could predict the "risk scores" for dementia later in life, and elevated pulse intensity was associated with significant declines in memory, thinking, problem solving, and language.

A new study published in Acta Neuropathologica suggests genetics may predispose some people to both Alzheimer's and high levels of blood lipids such as cholesterol, reports ScienceDaily . The researchers analyzed genome-wide data from more than 1.5 million individuals, identifying genetic variants that confer risk of both cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's. The authors employed statistical methods that allowed them to integrate five multiple large-scale genome-wide association studies to analyze the combined impact of such genetic markers on both cardiovascular disease risk and Alzheimer's risk. They identified 90 spots in the genome where specific DNA variants heightened subjects' combined chance of developing both Alzheimer's and heightened blood levels of lipid molecules, including HDL and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Six of these 90 regions were confirmed to have very strong "genome-wide significant" effects on Alzheimer's and increased blood lipid levels, including several within genes that had never before been associated with dementia risk. These included regions within the CELF1/MTCH2/SPI1 region on chromosome 11, which had previously been linked to immune system biology. However, although subjects diagnosed with Alzheimer's also often display other cardiovascular risk factors, such as unhealthy levels of belly fat and type 2 diabetes, the researchers saw no clear overlapping genetics between Alzheimer's and these risk factors.

A study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery found older adults with untreated hearing loss spend tens of thousands of dollars on extra medical bills because of longer and more frequent hospital visits, reports the Washington Times . Approximately 38 million Americans suffer hearing loss yet only 20 percent wear hearing aids. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine researchers examined medical insurance claims for more than 154,000 U.S. adults over two-, five-, and 10-year periods. Of those, more than 4,700 people had hearing loss and incurred additional medical costs upwards of $22,000 over the 10-year period. These costs were 46 percent higher compared to the group without hearing loss. Persons with untreated hearing loss experience more inpatient stays and were at higher risk for readmission to the hospital within one month of discharge. Furthermore, people with hearing loss are at greater risk for cognitive decline, incident dementia, falls, depression, lessened quality of life, and more emergency department visits. "This study supports the need for future research to understand the role of hearing loss on patient-clinician communication and the potential influence of hearing care, including devices and services, in mitigating the overall association between hearing loss and healthcare cost," the researchers concluded.

A SunTrust survey suggests 33 percent of baby boomers expect to transition the ownership of their business in the next five years, while 36 percent have no specific transition plan and 21 percent are financially unready for retirement, reports AlphaWeek . With a high number of private equity firms looking for investments, the present is "a very attractive time for boomers to explore a sale of their business," says SunTrust's Jason Cagle. The poll implies boomers also are worried about the future of the their company after they exit, with 40 percent saying excessive operational disruption would prevent their acceptance of a buy offer. Boomers remain open to selling, with SunTrust estimating that 42 percent of business owners have weighed a purchase by a private equity firm or a third-party investor. "Many of the business owners we advise want to remain engaged in their business or their community," notes the SunTrust Business Transition Advisory Group's David Neubert. "Developing a thorough plan well in advance of a transition — ideally, three to five years in advance — can help ensure business owners have a plan for the next phase of their lives."

A new CareScout study suggests costs in Connecticut have declined for those who secure quarters in assisted living communities, reports Greenwich Time . The researchers calculated a 3 percent annual decrease over the past five years on average for a private room in an assisted living community in southwestern Connecticut, to $195 a day or $71,000 for a full year. Connecticut was one of just three states along with Delaware and Illinois to see a decrease in the cost of assisted living. On a national level, the National Investment Center says construction began in the third quarter on nearly 1,440 new assisted living communities. The new projects coincide with an 85.3 percent occupancy rate on average in assisted living communities, below an overall 89.3 percent occupancy rate across all forms of senior housing. The deflationary pressure on assisted living is happening even as costs climb, which CareScout describes as "a simple case of supply and demand" with not enough workers for an ever-expanding number of communities and residents, particularly those requiring help with Alzheimer's.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) have received a $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help them develop better hearing devices, reports NBCDFW.com . Their work will concentrate on creating new algorithms that could enhance the performance of cochlear implants in blocking out background noise. "Most implant recipients are only seeing a small percentage of the auditory stimuli that you and I get with full hearing capability," said UTD Professor John Hansen. His students will be able to test their new audio processing algorithms with a new mobile research platform in the lab or in natural settings where implant users face the most challenges. "This now allows people to test drive new algorithms on the fly," Hansen noted. The students are assembling many mobile research platforms to ship globally to other scientists similarly committed to helping the hearing-impaired.

A debate is being waged among scientists as to whether Alzheimer's may have a microbial cause, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer . A recent Mount Sinai-Arizona State University study found the brains of people with Alzheimer's contained more of two types of herpes viruses — HHV-6 and HHV-7 — than the brains of people without dementia. In addition, Harvard University researchers discovered that amyloid clumps are part of the body's innate immune system in lab studies and mice. Earlier studies by the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine's Brian Balin determined the presence of chlamydia disproportionately in brains of persons with Alzheimer's, and also implicated the herpes virus that causes cold sores. Judith Miklossy with the Prevention Alzheimer International Foundation and International Alzheimer Research Center in Switzerland says the pathology in brains of people with late-stage syphilis is virtually indistinguishable from that in Alzheimer's. "It is clear that there are more and more data being accumulated that point to a connection of some kind between viral sequences and Alzheimer's in the brain," admits National Institute on Aging Director Richard Hodes. However, he stresses that a correlation between the presence of microbes in the brain and Alzheimer's pathology does not prove one leads to the other.

The Asda supermarket chain is launching a new "inclusive hour" to help shoppers with autism and dementia as part of its support for Purple Tuesday, Britain's first accessible shopping day, on Nov. 13, reports the Manchester Evening News . From 10 to 11 every Tuesday morning, eight Asda stores in Manchester will pilot an hour where locals with autism and dementia can have a more relaxing shopping experience. Asda has collaborated with the Alzheimer's Society to create and deliver Dementia Friends Awareness Sessions to colleagues, helping them better understand the disease and cultivate a more pleasant visit for customers. By year's end, 200 Asda colleagues will have become Dementia Friends. The "Inclusive Hour" will include eliminating many electronic distractions, such as music and display TVs, lowering lighting levels, and not making announcements.