A new study from the American Society of Clinical Oncology published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends all persons age 65 and older get a geriatric assessment when considering whether to undergo chemotherapy, according to Provider Magazine . Analysis showed that fewer than 25 percent of seniors with cancer currently get assessments to examine functional abilities, psychological status, nutrition, cognition, social circumstances, and coexisting medical conditions. The researchers note as the baby boomer generation ages, so do the number of older persons with cancer. They say more evidence-based data is needed to better deal with the unique problems such individuals face compared with younger people with cancer. "The under-representation of older adults in clinical trials places them at risk of receiving inappropriate under- or over-treatment for their cancer, leading to disparities in outcomes," they stress. "For example, fit older subjects are less likely to receive an evidence-based standard of care cancer treatment than younger subjects, while older subjects with both cancer and comorbid conditions are too often treated with therapies with high toxicity rates and low likelihoods of benefit."

A recent Cigna survey of more than 20,000 American adults found while 46 percent of respondents noted they feel "alone," adults aged 18 to 22 were "the loneliest generation," according to ABC News . This plays into the business of Papa, a company that provides "grandkids on-demand," pairing college students with seniors who need help with transportation, filling prescriptions, household chores, or companionship. Papa founder Andrew Parker notes in Florida the company has about 300 student workers, and he plans to expand Papa into 10 new cities across the northeast, southwest, and northwest United States.

A survey of almost 150 seniors who had used medical marijuana for chronic pain, and received the drug from dispensaries in New York or Minnesota, found 91 percent would recommend medical marijuana to someone else, according to HealthDay News . Respondents' average age was 61 to 70, and 54 percent were women. Forty-five percent used a vaporized oil in an e-cigarette device, while 28 percent used a medical marijuana pill. Twenty-one percent said they used medical marijuana on a daily basis, and 23 percent said they used it twice daily. Another 39 percent said they used it more than twice daily. In about 50 percent of cases, medical marijuana had been recommended by a doctor, while 25 percent opted to try it at the urging of a friend or relative. When inquired about how medical marijuana affected their pain levels on a scale of 0 to 10, participants reported going from a 9 to 5.6 a month after starting the drug.

Biogen and Eisai have backtracked earlier study findings indicating that the top dose of an experimental Alzheimer's drug, BAN2401, was ineffective, and now say it has slowed progression over 18 months in people with milder, early stages of the disease, according to Forbes . The first clinical trial used Bayesian statistics as well as adaptive design, so that if a dose appeared ineffective, participants would be given another dose that was more likely to work. The 18-month analysis showed participants exhibited less decline on the very highest dose than on placebo, with the result statistically significant at six, 12, and 18 months. "Given the state of the field we have to be cautiously optimistic about a finding like this," says Ron Petersen with the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Amyloid-destroying drugs from Pfizer, Roche, and Eli Lilly have not outperformed placebos for people with Alzheimer's. Like BAN2401, these were antibody drugs designed to emulate molecules the immune system uses to attack disease. "We have two drugs either of which could be the very first disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer's," says Biogen Chief Medical Officer Al Sandrock. "To see it once is one thing, but to see it again with a very different antibody is like repeating the experiment twice and seeing the same result."

A study published in Science Translational Medicine suggests blood vessel changes associated with cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) can be reversed, according to Medical Xpress . The researchers determined SVD happens when cells lining small blood vessels in the brain become dysfunctional and secrete a molecule that halts production of the protective myelin sheath. The team treated rats with drugs that stop blood vessel cells from becoming dysfunctional, which reversed the symptoms of SVD and prevented brain damage. They say further studies will need to test whether the therapy also works when the disease is deeply entrenched, and if this method can reverse the symptoms of dementia. "The findings highlight a promising direction for research into treatments that could limit the damaging effects of blood vessel changes and help keep nerve cells functioning for longer," says Sara Imarisio with Alzheimer's Research UK.

A study published in Neurobiology of Aging shows a link between chronic inflammation and visible structural changes in the brains of people with poor cognition and dementia, according to Psych Central . "Individuals who had an increase in inflammation during midlife that was maintained from mid to late life have greater abnormalities in the brain's white matter structure, as measured with MRI scans," says Keenan Walker at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "This suggests to us that inflammation may have to be chronic, rather than temporary, to have an adverse effect on important aspects of the brain's structure necessary for cognitive function." The team analyzed data from 1,532 participants, 61 percent of whom were women and 28 percent of whom were African-American. Each participant had five visits with study coordinators, averaging every three years. Outcomes revealed that the 90 people who transitioned from low to persistently elevated C-reactive protein during midlife — suggesting increasing inflammation — had the greatest damage to the white matter in the brain. The team calculated that the brains of the people who had escalating C-reactive protein in middle age showed similarity to that of a person 16 years older.

A study by researchers at the University of Arizona published in PNAS has identified a common virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), that appears to fortify the immune system, according to Newsweek . The researchers note more than 50 percent of all humans carry CMV, which is generally contracted at a young age. The team first infected a group of mice with CMV and then infected both CMV carriers and non-carriers with listeria. "We assumed it would make mice more vulnerable to other infections because it was using up resources and keeping the immune system busy," says the University of Arizona's Megan Smithey. However, the researchers found the immune systems of the CMV-carrying mice were stronger than those of the non-carriers. Moreover, the animals infected with CMV had T cells — white blood cells that play a key role in immunity — that were nearly as variegated as young mice. "It's as if CMV is issuing a signal that gets the best defenses out onto the field," notes the University of Arizona's Janko Nikolich-Zugich. Smithey adds, "This shows that the ability to generate a good immune response exists in old age — and CMV, or the body's response to CMV, can help harness that ability."

The Trump administration could give fee-based medical practices a boost by making them more affordable for seniors, according to CNBC . Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asked healthcare providers to comment on how the administration could help fund access to certain fee-based practices for Medicare beneficiaries. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has suggested possibly giving some beneficiaries a stipend to help them access fee-based practices offering more personalized care. "They can offer the opportunity for seniors to receive convenient, accessible primary care from a physician they know at a predictable and affordable cost," Azar said in a recent address to the World Health Care Congress. It remains uncertain how the administration would structure a stipend program. For the moment, it has requested input from the industry and beneficiaries. CMS will likely outline a pilot program to trial the direct primary care model in the coming months.

A federal lawsuit filed by the Southwest Fair Housing Council states that undercover investigators determined at least 14 assisted living and nursing communities in Arizona unlawfully discriminate against prospective hearing-impaired residents, according to the Arizona Republic . Over two years, investigators inquired about the availability of qualified American Sign Language interpreters and other aids to allow residents to communicate effectively. Community employees almost always said they could not or would not offer interpreters, and deaf residents could either provide their own interpreters or communicate with staff via writing and lip-reading. Hearing disability-based discrimination is banned by state and federal statutes that require communities to make "reasonable accommodations" when they are necessary "to use and enjoy a dwelling."

Throughout the United States, older adults and retirees are serving as lifeguards amid a mounting shortage of teens looking for summer jobs, and an increase in seniors needing additional money to make ends meet, according to the Washington Post . "There's this idea out there among teens that work isn't such a cool thing anymore — and so who's replacing them in the workforce? Older Americans, 55 and up," says Drexel University Professor Paul Harrington. The American Lifeguard Association is recruiting seniors to counter a dearth of younger applicants, while pools and beach clubs are increasing salaries and easing physical requirements. Pool management companies have long relied on foreign students who work as lifeguards on summer visitor visas, but Jennifer Hatfield with the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals cites a "dramatic decline" in visa approvals this year.