A study by Newcastle University published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found boosting the daily amount of protein intake can help older adults preserve the ability to perform daily activities and prevent their risks of disability, reports The Tribune . The researchers examined 722 participants in Northeast England, of whom 60 percent were female. Older adults were found to have a lower protein intake than younger adults because of poorer health, reduced physical activity, and changes in the mouth and teeth. The outcomes demonstrated that those who ate more protein were less likely to become disabled in comparison with people who consumed less protein. It is the researchers' recommendation that older adults should aim to eat about 1-1.2 grams of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight.

Brain experts at West Virginia University's (WVU) Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute have made a historic breakthrough with an Alzheimer's treatment that uses focused ultrasound, reports WVNews . In collaboration with Israeli medical technology company INSIGHTEC, WVU held the first American trials of the method, in which ultrasound waves were beamed through a specialized helmet with more than 1,000 probes targeting a precise spot in the brain, paired with microscopic bubbles. Imposing a different frequency on the bubbles caused them to osculate, opening up the brain-blood barrier. "It's protected on one end for us to function but also prevents larger molecules or chemotherapy or medications or antibodies or immune system cells or amino therapy or stem cells to get in," says WVU's Ali R. Rezai. The WVU team targeted the hippocampus and the memory and cognitive regions of the brain, which are affected by plaque clusters found in people with Alzheimer's. The trial's initial recipient was West Virginia healthcare worker and former WVU Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse Judi Polak, who was first diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's five years ago. The three-hour-long procedure safely and successfully opened her blood-brain barrier for an unprecedented 36 hours. The researchers say the potential benefits of the first and subsequent treatments will take several years to fully assess.

Several studies say B12 and other nutrients may or may not have relationships to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, reports the Reading Eagle . BioLogic Nutrition owner Freya Oostingh suggests an indirect relationship between B12 and Alzheimer's "because of the role B12 plays in lowering homocysteine levels in the brain, which has a direct correlation to brain impairment." However, both Oostingh and Nature's Garden co-owner Cindy Boyer concur that B12 is not necessarily the best or only nutrient in preventing dementia. "Gingko biloba is an herb that's helpful in aiding with memory loss, and there are plenty of clinical trials that show that," Boyer says. "Curcumin (extracted from turmeric) also helps protect against age-related brain damage, because it promotes the elongation of the telomeres." Studies by the National Institutes of Health have demonstrated that curcumin may help protect telomeres, although the research is ongoing. Oostingh cites studies showing that B12, in combination with B6 and folic acid, work well at reducing homocysteine levels in the brain. An Oxford University analysis revealed that high doses of folic acid and B6 and B12 reduced brain shrinkage by 30 percent to 53 percent by lowering homocysteine.

In an interview, author and Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner discusses how U.S. cities can become more attractive choices to older adults as places to live, reports Next Avenue . "We decided that we could take the nine evidence-based common denominators that we found in all the Blue Zones and implement them in communities across the United States," Buettner recalls. "Our goal was to make small adjustments to make the healthy choice the easy choice for people in their communities." Buettner stresses the importance of seniors having easy access to transportation or being able to walk to their desired destinations. "It's most important that we curate environments that encourage healthy lifestyles and diets," he argues. "If the healthy choice is the easy choice in our day-to-day lives, we will take that route over the unhealthy option." The Blue Zone project encourages people of all ages to volunteer and keep purpose in their day, while connecting with friends and neighbors also is recommended. "It is also important to surround yourself with the right people who share your values of health," Buettner says. "So, the social networks of long-lived people favorably shape their health behaviors."

A study published in PLOS One suggests high blood sugar medication may ease the symptoms of Alzheimer's, reports the New York Post . Earlier research found the brains of people with both Alzheimer's and diabetes had fewer lesions compared with non-diabetics, and the new study indicates a likelihood that the diabetes drugs those subjects took, such as metformin, protected them from the lesions. The team analyzed the tissue and brain capillaries of 34 people with Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes, comparing them with tissue from 30 brains of people with Alzheimer's who lacked diabetes, a control cohort of 19 brains without Alzheimer's or diabetes. Brain tissue from the diabetics had half the markers of Alzheimer's versus non-diabetics, and Mount Sinai's Vahram Haroutunian says researchers think these markers begin forming "years or decades" before symptoms manifest themselves in people with Alzheimer's. He notes the implication is that current diabetics with Alzheimer's should continue taking diabetes medications instead of changing their diet, although he advises against giving diabetes drugs to non-diabetics at this point. "Their blood sugar levels would drop, they might faint, there would be all kinds of nasty effects," Haroutunian warns.

A survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) estimates that this year 44 percent of U.S. employers are offering their workers paid time off to vote, reports CNBC . That is an all-time high, and last year 42 percent of employers offered paid time off to vote as a benefit. Meanwhile, between 2017 and 2018 the percentage of employers offering unpaid time off to vote fell from 33 percent to 29 percent, which SHRM's Vanessa Hill says is a likely reflection of companies shifting from unpaid to paid time off policies. "Paid time off to vote ticked up slightly from the previous year, while unpaid time off went down by 4 percent, indicating that paid time off to vote is on a slight upswing," she notes. "The big picture view of time off to vote is more complicated than combining our two stats. That's because there are many state laws about time off to vote, and many laws have different requirements. What the stats show is that some employers are going above and beyond their state laws to offer paid or unpaid leave to vote." This change also may signal a bigger trend of businesses making a deeper commitment to helping employees get to the polls.

The National Poll on Healthy Aging , which included 1,027 women between 50 and 80, found 43 percent of women in their 50s and early 60s said they had experienced urinary incontinence, as had 51 percent of those 65 and older, reports EurekAlert . However, 66 percent had not spoken to a doctor about it, and just 38 percent noted they perform exercises to strengthen the muscles that can help retain urine. Forty-one percent called urinary leakage a major problem or somewhat of a problem, while 33 percent of those with incontinence experienced an episode almost every day. Nearly 50 percent were concerned that the problem would worsen with age. The results suggest more doctors should routinely ask older women about incontinence issues they might be having. Among women who had followed coping strategies on their own, 59 percent said they had bought special pads or undergarments, 16 percent had reduced fluid intake, and 15 percent had changed what they wore to conceal accidents. "Urinary incontinence is a common condition that may not be routinely screened for in primary care, yet it can impact a woman's quality of life and health, and is usually treatable," says Carolyn Swenson at the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. "It's not an inevitable part of aging and shouldn't be overlooked."

The latest Housing Market Index from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) estimates that sales of single-family homes to persons older than 55 declined seven points to 60 in the third quarter, reports HousingWire . All three measurements of the single-family market for the 55-plus set experienced a decline, with present sales dropping seven points, expected sales for the next six months falling 12 points, and traffic for prospective buyers decreasing four points. NAHB's 55+ Housing Industry Council Chairman Chuck Ellison said one factor is builders having difficulty producing homes in the budget for prospective buyers in this age bracket.

A study published in the Health & Fitness Journal of Canada determined walking to be the most preferred physical activity of people with osteoporosis, while also being an ideal form of exercise for them, reports Medical Xpress . Brock University Kinesiology Professor Philip Wilson says physical activity's benefits include better fitness, weight loss, improved strength and quality of life, and "a substantial level of bone integrity when combined with the right medications." Wilson and colleagues analyzed data from the 2009 Canadian Community Health Survey, and found more than 60 percent of both men and women listed walking as their most frequent activity. "Gardening and yardwork were done by about 35 to 45 percent of respondents, depending on whether they were male or female, and 22 to 23 percent identified home-based exercises," Wilson notes. "Then the numbers drop off really dramatically." According to Wilson, this research offers insights to inform healthcare providers' design of exercise programs for people with osteoporosis. "The biggest recommendation is, if you want to get, or keep, these people active, you might want to start developing walking programs because it seems that is what this cohort is telling us they want to do," he says.

A study published in the British Medical Journal found pregnant women who develop preeclampsia more than triple their risk of developing dementia later in life than women who do not, reports Reuters . The researchers analyzed the records of 1,178,005 women in Denmark, and found the highest elevated risk for women with a history of preeclampsia was for developing vascular dementia. Even after adjusting for other factors that could influence dementia risk, such as heart disease and diabetes, the risk for late-onset vascular dementia was 6.5 times higher among women with a history of preeclampsia. Women with a preeclampsia history had about two times the risk of early-onset dementia compared to those with no history. They also had a 50 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer's and a 40 percent higher risk of other, nonspecific dementias. In addition, the researchers determined women who develop preeclampsia are also at an increased risk of later heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Heather Boyd of Statens Serum Insitut in Copenhagen advises women who have had severe preeclampsia, especially early-onset preeclampsia or preeclampsia with vascular complications, to at least undergo regular follow-up by their internists.