Almost 20 percent of older adults have one or more mental-health conditions, and their mental-health needs can be especially complicated on account of co-occurring physical health problems, writes University of Miami Professor Danny Jimenez in the Miami Herald . "Chronic mental and physical illnesses can be especially burdensome for older racial or ethnic minority adults who are disproportionately exposed to poverty and lower education, which are widely recognized as critical risk factors for both psychological distress and mental illness," he states. Older minority adults' difficulties are further compounded by fewer socioeconomic resources and less help and care from the mental-health system. "Furthermore, even when they seek treatment, older adults of color are less likely to receive adequate mental-health care and tend to drop out of treatment early," Jimenez writes. Despite this, new research related to health promotion can help ease older minority adults' depression and anxiety. "Health-promotion strategies are those that use counseling strategies to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to modify and sustain a healthy diet, increased physical activity, and/or improved sleep," Jimenez notes. "By treating mental-health problems through health and wellness, we are addressing the multiple mental- and physical-health disparities experienced by minorities. Such an approach could be an alternative for those who are who are concerned worried about prescription drug side effects or are uncomfortable talking to a mental-health specialist."

A study published in JAMA Neurology details a new method for directly quantifying synaptic loss in individuals with Alzheimer's, using positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging to scan for a particular protein in the brain linked to synapses, according to ScienceDaily . The researchers employed a specific radioactive chemical, 11CUCB-J, that adheres to the SV2A protein that nearly all synapses possess. The study involved 21 older adults with either early Alzheimer's or normal cognitive ability. They were each administered 11CUCB-J and then scanned with high-resolution PET technology to visualize "density" in different brain regions. The scans were analyzed, along with results from magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive evaluations for both cohorts. In comparison to individuals with normal cognition, those with Alzheimer's exhibited a 41 percent reduction in the SV2A marker in an area of the brain associated with memory. "We found that in early Alzheimer's disease, there is loss of synaptic density in the region of the hippocampus," says Yale PET Center Professor Ming-Kai Chen. The outcomes reveal the PET scan offers a direct measure of synaptic loss in adults with even mild cognitive impairment. "With this new biomarker, PET imaging for SV2A, we can measure synaptic density in the living human brain," Chen states.

A study published in JAMDA, the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine , found listening to music appears to be more effective in reducing agitation, behavioral symptoms, and anxiety for seniors with dementia than does active participation such as singing or playing along with music, reports McKnight's Senior Living . The study's authors also suggest this form of therapy could help reduce off-label usage of antipsychotic medications for individuals with dementia and save money compared with implementing interactive music therapy. The researchers reviewed 38 studies involving 1,418 persons with dementia. Participants resided in memory care units, assisted living, residential communities, senior apartments, and other environments. The team learned that seniors who received receptive music therapy had significant decreases in agitation and behavioral symptoms versus those who were administered the "usual care" without the therapy. They observed no significant difference in behavioral problems and psychiatric symptoms between seniors who experienced interactive music therapy compare to usual care.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found an association between a high-sugar diet and an elevated rate of frailty in older adults, according to the Medical News Bulletin . Over three years, the researchers studied 1,973 Spanish adults who were at least 60 years old, equally divided between men and women. No participants had dementia or Alzheimer's disease, and none were frail at the study's outset. During the study period, 140 study participants developed frailty. The third of participants with the highest consumption of added sugar were 2.3 times more likely to develop frailty than those in the lowest third. Of the five possible frailty criteria, only unintentional weight loss and low activity levels were connected with a greater consumption of added sugars. The third of participants with the greatest consumption of added sugar were 1.5 times more likely to have low levels of activity and were twice as likely to experience unintentional weight loss. Finally, those consuming more added sugars were not more likely to be overweight or obese, yet obese participants with more added sugar in their diet were almost four times more likely to develop frailty than obese adults consuming less added sugar.

Concerns about identity theft are being prompted by Medicare issuing new identification cards to 59 million Americans this year and early next year, reports Reuters . The old cards use Social Security numbers as identifiers, while the new cards use a unique, randomly assigned number. Phone scammers are exploiting the replacement program to go after seniors, most often by calling enrollees and telling them they must pay for their new cards, then asking for their bank account information or Social Security numbers. The new card is free, and it does not change coverage in any way. In addition, seniors should know Medicare will never call beneficiaries about this. However, a March AARP poll determined 76 percent of men and women 65 and older had not seen, read, or heard "much of anything at all" about the new cards, or were unsure if they had. Furthermore, 75 percent could not correctly identify the key change coming with the new numbers. Almost 66 percent of respondents were unsure or incorrect in thinking that Medicare would charge a $25 processing fee for the new cards, while 56 percent were unsure or incorrect in assuming that Medicare would call to confirm their Social Security number before they could receive the cards.

East Orange, N.J., has approved a statute banning landlords from hiking the rent of all seniors, ages 65 or older, or persons with disabilities by more than 2 percent annually, according to NJ.com . The city says this law is the first in the state to apply to all seniors, irrespective of income, as well as to persons deemed "100 percent disabled" by the U.S. government. "Seniors have a fixed income and it's not fair for their rent to increase when their income isn't increasing," says East Orange Mayor Ted R. Green. "We don't want to push our seniors out of their community." The ordinance, which has been in effect since June 13, has only been applicable to lease renewals so far. "People elect us to represent them," Green says. "We have to be the voices for them and we are very proud to bring some relief to our seniors and the disabled. We want to do the best we can to keep them here and let them know we're fighting for them."

Companies such as SenCura are deploying robots in seniors' homes as caregivers, reports Voice of America News . One robot, called Rudy, is the brainchild of INF Robotics founder Anthony Nunez. He says his mother's experiences in caring for her own aging mother inspired Rudy's creation. "As I grew older, I realized we weren't the only family facing this problem," Nunez notes. "There are thousands of families facing the same issue — most cases even worse, where they have a loved one that they're taking care of and the cost becomes an issue. So what we wanted to do was design a robot that's easy to use, designed specifically for seniors, but also affordable." SenCura's Cliff Glier says INF's robotic technology is quite new to seniors, "so there will be some closer looks at it. People, I would say, are interested once they learn more and we have the opportunity to show them Rudy and the capabilities." Glier notes the robot does not compete with human caregivers, but supplements what in-home caregivers do for the growing population of seniors who prefer to age in place.

Immobility in one's senior years can lead to lower independence and quality of life and increased risk for falls and chronic disease, reports Newswise . In the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) study, researchers determined that a regular program of structured physical activity performed in the clinical setting could reduce mobility loss in older men and women. In a pilot study conducted at the Somerville Council on Aging in Somerville, Mass., researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University for the first time attempted to translate the physical activity benefits of the LIFE clinical trial to a community senior center setting. The pilot study revealed that bringing the physical activity intervention from a controlled clinical environment into a community-based setting for seniors, with minimal study exclusions, was both safe and feasible. Participants who attended at least 25 percent of the scheduled weekly physical activity classes showed sustained improvements in their mobility over the six-month program. The researchers also noted that the physical activity program was associated with increases in executive cognitive function and a significant reduction (approximately 60 percent) in the occurrence of falls.

Caregivers at 20 nursing communities in Wisconsin are being trained to use poetry as a method of reaching residents with dementia, reports the Associated Press . The National Alzheimer's Poetry Project has so far been taught throughout 32 states and seven countries, and project founder Gary Glazner says staffers learn different methods and techniques to create poetry sessions and for other activities. "It's a privilege to be able to be part of their lives and hopefully have some effect, make it a little bit funny and humorous," he notes. "Ultimately, it helps us re-frame the story of dementia because we see that they will learn and they will get better at this, and that's not the story we tell with dementia." River Pines Activity Director Karen Park believes the program is a great way to get residents to connect with one another, as well as for staff to touch their lives. "Arts can always just enrich their lives," Park concludes. "It brings in different emotions and feelings, and gives them something else to look forward to in their day."

A commentary published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests antiherpetic medication has a dramatic impact on dementia risk, reports Medical News Today . The authors cite two studies implying that acute herpes zoster infection increases the risk of dementia, and another demonstrating that aggressive treatment with antiherpetic medication drastically lowers dementia risk. The third study involved 8,362 people aged 50 and older who received a diagnosis of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, and a control group of 25,086 age-matched healthy people. Both were followed between 2001 and 2010, with the risk of dementia more than 2.5 times higher in the herpes group than in the control group. Aggressive antiviral treatment was found to reduce the relative risk of dementia by a factor of 10. "Not only is the magnitude of the antiviral effect remarkable, but also the fact that — despite the relatively brief duration and the timing of treatment — in most individuals severely affected by HSV1 it appeared to prevent the long-term damage in the brain that results in Alzheimer's," says University of Edinburgh Professor Richard Lathe.