Older husbands may devote just as much effort to caring for a sick spouse as their wives might do if the situation were reversed, according to a study published in Journals of Gerontology: Series B . Researchers followed 538 older couples from 2001 to 2015 to look for connections between declining health in one spouse and shifts in the amount of time devoted to caregiving or household duties for the other, reports Reuters . When a spouse became ill, men increased the amount of time they spent on caregiving each week by roughly the same amount as women did, resulting in similar care hours regardless of which spouse was sick. For men, the increase was much greater when their wives were seriously ill than when they needed less care. However, 30 percent of male caregivers had outside help, compared with 18 percent of female caregivers.

The U.S. House of Representatives may vote on a package of measures related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) employer health benefits requirements this week, reports Think Advisor . ACA currently requires "large employers" to provide full-time workers with affordable health coverage, with a minimum value, or else face the possibility of significant fines. The measures being considered would change the ACA employer coverage mandate threshold for a "full-time employee" to 40 hours per week, up from 30 hours per week. The measures would also delay the start date of the ACA excise tax on high-cost health benefits packages from Dec. 31, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2022. Another provision would require employers to provide Form 1095 coverage statements to individuals only when they ask for the statements, instead of having to send the statements to all employees, recently departed workers, and certain dependents every year.

Many companies, including Whole Foods and Samsung Electronics, have decided to simplify operations with fewer bosses. For example, this year Samsung has taken steps to reduce how much sway its Lee family founders have over the company, reports the Wall Street Journal . Meanwhile, human-resources technology company Peakon shifted from making business decisions as an executive group of six to a pair of co-CEOs, to finally a solo chief executive in January 2017. "As we grew we needed clearer division of responsibility," said James Young, Peakon's head of content.

Millions of older Americans are addicted to benzodiazepines (benzos), according to a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine , which found that one in four older adults who are prescribed the drugs never stop using them. Of the close to 50 million U.S. adults aged 65 or older, about 9 percent are prescribed benzos, such as Xanax and Valium, more than any other age group, and the rate of use only increases with age, reports the Daily Mail . Benzos are recommended for short-term treatment among older adults because they are easily flushed from the body. For the study, researchers looked at the use of the pills by low-income older adults who participated in the Supporting Seniors Receiving Treatment and Intervention (SUSTAIN) program in Pennsylvania, which helps seniors with drug costs. Close to 600 adults received their first prescription for benzodiazepine between 2008 and 2016 from either primary care physicians or other non-psychiatrists. The researchers found that around 26 percent of the group still had a current or recent prescription just one year later. For every 10 extra days the prescription was written for, long-term use risk doubled.

Tai chi may be better than strength training and aerobics for preventing falls among older adults, reports HealthDay . A modified senior-centered tai chi program reduced falls by nearly a third in a head-to-head comparison with an exercise regimen that combined aerobics, strength training, and balance drills, researchers wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine . Tai chi requires people to move in all directions, while traditional exercise programs focus more on forward and backward motion, the researchers said. Classical tai chi can involve upwards of 100 different movements, which can be challenging for seniors to learn. Therefore, the research team for this clinical trial developed a pared-down form of tai chi that focuses on eight fundamental movements most related to fall prevention.

Leslie Norins, who in 2017 launched Alzheimer's Germ Quest, is willing to give over $1 million of his own money to anyone who can clarify if Alzheimer's disease is caused by a "germ," reports NPR . In other words, Norins, a physician turned publisher, wants to know if Alzheimer's is infectious. This "germ theory" of Alzheimer's, as Norins calls it, has been fermenting in the literature for decades. If it gains traction, even in some Alzheimer's patients, it could trigger a seismic shift in how doctors and understand and treat the disease.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has opened a new research hub focused on veteran caregivers, reports Military.com . The Elizabeth Dole Center of Excellence will operate under the VA Health Services Research and Development program, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie announced Friday. The research center will work with department investigators and universities to develop agency policy for how veteran caregivers are supported and best practices for in-home and community-based care. The research center also plans to incorporate input from caregivers themselves.

People are living and working longer than ever, meaning that the incidence of people in the workplace with early-onset dementia will increase, Wendy Mitchell, author of "Somebody I Used to Know," writes in the New York Times . Employers can't just write this demographic off, says Mitchell. "Loyal employees are a valuable resource. They've been trained (presumably at the expense of their employer) and have probably, in turn, trained others. They have a valuable understanding of their jobs. Employers need to realize that knowledge doesn't just disappear overnight; this is a progressive, and often slow-moving, disease." Mitchell goes on to describe her efforts to stay in the workforce and keep busy otherwise after she was diagnosed as having Alzheimer's.

A minority of companies are getting good results from their employee engagement surveys, writes Fobes.com contributor Mark Murphy, author and the founder of www.LeadershipIQ.com. The reason is that most companies have the mistaken belief that the purpose of an employee engagement survey is to measure employee engagement. It's not, says Murphy. The purpose of conducting a survey is to actually improve employee engagement. The survey implies a promise that an employer is going to take action on whatever suggestions emerge. If the company follows through on that implied promise, not only will it have more engaged workers, but it will be a significantly more attractive place to work when it comes to recruiting.

From email and webcams that connect with family and friends, and games and puzzles that stimulate minds, to technology-enhanced rehabilitation programs that improve hand-eye coordination, senior living community residents with a wide range of physical and cognitive abilities are now enjoying technologies adapted just for them, writes Mike King, president and CEO of Jewish Senior Life, a continuing care retirement community in Rochester, N.Y. Through technology, residents are able to continue learning, socializing, and doing the things they enjoy doing, which helps them stay engaged, informed, in touch, and in control, says King. "These technologies also help foster relationships between staff and residents, who enjoy using them together."