A study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia took brain biomarkers into account for the first time to determine that the lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer's dementia varies according to age, gender, and whether any signs or symptoms of dementia are present, reports Medical Xpress . "What we found in this research is that people with preclinical Alzheimer's disease dementia may never experience any clinical symptoms during their lifetimes because of its long and variable preclinical period," notes Ron Brookmeyer from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health. "The high mortality rates in senior populations are also an important factor as individuals are likely to die of other causes." Following their review of existing scientific literature, the researchers generated a computerized mathematical model to determine a person's likelihood of progressing in the continuum of the disease. They based their estimates on the transition rates from the studies and from U.S. death rates data based on age and gender. As an example, Brookmeyer cites a 90-year-old female with amyloid plaques with only an 8.4 percent lifetime risk of Alzheimer's, versus a 65-year-old female with amyloid plaques with a 29.3 percent lifetime risk. The lower lifetime risk for the 90-year-old is explained by her shorter life expectancy, while the 65-year-old with amyloid plaques has a 10-year risk of Alzheimer's dementia of 2.5 percent. The researchers say the lifetime and 10-year risks offer an indication of the potential that someone will develop Alzheimer's dementia based on their age and screenings for amyloid deposits, neurodegeneration, and presence or absence of MCI or any combination of those three. Having all these biomarkers puts people at the highest risk of developing Alzheimer's.

New research to be released in June on postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) may clear up some of the mystery behind the phenomenon, reports the Washington Post . Although subtle, POCD symptoms such as memory problems and learning difficulties can last as long as a year and tend to affect older populations after surgical procedures. Estimates on the share of persons who experience POCD vary between studies, but the percentages are substantial. Other issues include how best to measure the complication and whether it can be prevented or treated, while the matter of anesthesia and its possible role in POCD also is relevant. Research has examined whether the choice of intraoperative anesthetic or depth of anesthesia have any relevance in terms of POCD, but findings to date have been inconclusive. Other studies point to the stress of surgery itself, rather than the anesthesia, as a trigger for POCD. For example, Stacie Deiner at Mount Sinai in New York City has been performing general anesthesia on healthy seniors who undergo cognitive testing and brain scans both before and after. She says preliminary results indicate "very good and rapid cognitive recovery in older adults after anesthesia," and she suggests "the surgery or the medical conditions surrounding surgery" are to blame for subsequent cognitive dysfunction.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Interview Survey estimated that the population of Americans with health insurance did not appreciate last year for the first time since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010, reports CNBC . Last year, 29.3 million people, or 9.1 percent of the U.S. population, were uninsured, versus 28.6 million people, or 9 percent, the year before. These numbers are still well below the 16 percent of the population lacking health insurance when the ACA was passed. However, this could be the start of a reversal as Republicans push to defang the law. The GOP succeeded in repealing the individual mandate requiring most people to have some form of health insurance or pay a tax penalty, as part of the broader tax law it approved in December. Experts predict this move will leave more people uninsured, as well as highly elevate premiums in ACA exchanges as healthier, younger people choose to skip coverage. Among adults between 18 and 64, 69.3 percent were covered under private plans, 19.3 percent had public coverage, and 12.8 percent were uninsured at the time of the 2017 interview. High-deductible plans, where consumers pay more costs out-of-pocket before their insurance goes into effect, continue to grow in popularity. In 2017, the number of such enrollees climbed to 43.7 percent from 39.4 percent in 2016.

Companies such as the British healthcare startup Virtue are using virtual reality (VR) technology to enhance "reminiscence therapy" for people with dementia, reports Wired UK . "It's only now that the phone in your pocket is advanced enough and VR headsets are reducing in price that we can really democratize access to this type of impactful therapy," notes Virtue co-founder Scott Gorman. Virtue's LookBack VR app provides a broad range of 360-degree VR content and filmed experiences that align with the memories of the target age group as categorized by destination, theme, activity, or decade. Users can select from many experiences, and their companion can see their VR headset's view on a companion app via tablet, as well as a series of suggested questions to help encourage relevant conversation about that time. "Our vision is for LookBack VR to become a global platform that can help people with dementia anywhere," says Virtue CEO Arfa Rehman. "We are starting to seek partnerships with organizations and individuals to gather content from around the world." Dementia Villages being developed across Europe have been a proving ground for reminiscence therapy, with a community in Kent being developed in the U.K. to open in 2020. These complete care villages are designed as enclosed sanctuaries that provide familiar surroundings and stimulation attuned to the memories and reference points of their residents.

Some employees are complaining that employers are using time-tracking systems to reduce their wages, reports the Wall Street Journal . Plaintiffs in federal and state lawsuits against American Airlines, Kroger, Montage Hotels & Resorts, and others allege that those companies are unfairly subtracting fractions of their hourly salaries using time-tracking technology. Their attorneys say thousands of dollars can be siphoned off paychecks because employers are counting breaks that workers never actually get to take, and rounding policies that favor companies. "These people are doing really important jobs, and we're not paying them for the time they're actually working," says University of Oregon School of Law Professor Elizabeth Tippett. Time-tracking systems can calculate employees' pay to the second, and attorney Chris Pace notes employers appreciate features like rounding and automatic time deductions because they help keep labor costs predictable and free managers and employees from having to record each break. He claims a manager installs rounding mechanisms, or programs systems to pay only for the hours of a scheduled shift, "to conform the system to his view of reality." Nine American Airlines employees filed suit in New Jersey federal court claiming their employer's rounding policy "consistently and artificially reduced the total time employees are credited with working," according to court records.

CNBC News reports that student loan assistance, which started as a niche offering by a handful of companies, is finding its way into the mainstream menu of workplace benefits. Earlier in the year, Fidelity Investments started to offer companies a way to contribute to their workers' education debt. Since then, over two dozen companies have signed up, a number that is expected to double by year's end. Asha Srikantiah, vice president of workplace emerging products at Fidelity, said, "We're seeing so many more people who have debt and who are overwhelmed by that." Indeed, seven in 10 college graduates have student loan debt, with the average person leaving campus $30,000 in arrears. Among the companies offering their employees student loan assistance are Millennium Trust Co., New York Air Brake, and Options Clearing Corp.

A study published in the Journal of Physiology found exercising for four to five days a week can help keep the heart young, which could represent an important step in developing regimens to slow aging, reports EurekAlert . A cross-sectional analysis of 102 people older than 60 featured a consistently logged lifelong exercise history. Measures of arterial stiffness were collected from all subjects, who were categorized as either sedentary, casual exercisers, committed exercisers, or master athletes. A lifelong history of casual exercise, about two to three times a week, led to more youthful middle-sized arteries, while those who exercised four to five times a week also had more youthful large central arteries. Larger arteries appear to require more frequent exercise to stay youthful, a finding that will aid the development of long-term exercise regimes. They also enable the researchers to now concentrate on whether or not aging of the heart can be reversed by exercise training over a long period of time. "Previous work by our group has shown that waiting until 70 is too late to reverse a heart's aging, as it is difficult to change cardiovascular structure even with a year of training," says study co-author Benjamin Levine. "Our current work is focusing on two years of training in middle-aged men and women, with and without risk factors for heart diseases, to see if we can reverse the aging of a heart and blood vessels by using the right amount of exercise at the right time."

The health of those who take care of people with Alzheimer's has become a focus in the Alzheimer's community, as they still need support to endure the ultimate deterioration of their loved ones, reports Nashville Public Radio . One such caregiver is Vicki Bartholomew, whose husband has Alzheimer's and who is part of a monthly support group of women in similar situations. "My husband's still living, and now I'm in an even more difficult situation — I'm married, but I'm a widow," she notes. The Abe's Garden community, where Bartholomew's husband is a resident, hosts support groups for caregivers. The Alzheimer's Foundation of America also is concentrating on caregivers, with an educational conference touring the United States. "I feel like a lot of times, there's a lot of — for lack of a better word — glory given to the whole idea of someone being long-suffering and staying at home and caring for their loved one and giving up their life basically," says April Simpkins, a member of the same group Bartholomew is part of. "It makes it harder for people who can't do that."

David Tuller with the University of California, Berkeley, notes in Kaiser Health News that medical and dental care coverage are segregated in many countries, including the United States. "Dental policies are more like prepayment plans for a basic level of care," Tuller writes. "They generally provide full coverage for routine preventive services and charge a small copay for fillings. But coverage is reduced as treatment intensifies." Medicaid covers pediatric dental services, but it is up to states themselves on whether to offer adults such benefits. "Many dentists won't accept persons on Medicaid, child or adult, because they consider the reimbursement rates too low," Tuller says. For example, in 2016 Kaiser Health News reported that Medicaid in Colorado pays $87 for a filling on a back tooth and $435 for a crown, versus $150 and $800 that private customers typically pay. Furthermore, many older Americans lose employer-based dental coverage when they retire, and basic Medicare plans exclude such coverage, although options exist for seniors to purchase it. Tuller notes in 2015, nearly 35 percent of American adults of working age lacked dental insurance, while only about 12 percent of adults under 65 did not have medical insurance. "That lack of coverage and treatment can diminish economic and social opportunities," he warns.

The AARP Foundation is requesting applications from qualifying organizations to develop and deploy projects using voice-assisted technology with the goal of informing the Foundation's strategy concerning voice-assisted technology. The mini-grant seeks to extend the foundation's continuing project using voice-assisted technology to enable and foster community in senior housing environments. Project recipients are expected to participate in requisite data collection, contribute to knowledge development, and get involved in building a body of tools for effective voice-assisted technology programming, to be integrated into the foundation's development of a voice-assisted technology intervention to help prevent and reduce social isolation among low-income persons 50 years and older. Award recipients will be expected to develop and execute an implementation plan for deploying Amazon Echo devices in the homes of at least 50 eligible participants, and training and supporting those participants in use of the device. Applications are due by May 31, 2018, and must be completed here .