A review published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society describes the signs and risks of medical marijuana use for older adults, reports EurekAlert . Although the drug appears useful for the treatment of pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, it has neuropsychiatric side effects. However, medical marijuana's positive and negative effects on older adults have not been rigorously studied. "There is a dearth of evidence supporting the use of cannabinoids for medical indications in older adults," says Duke University Medical Center's Dr. Joshua Briscoe. "Common sense practices are applicable here though, including performing a thorough assessment for side effects and expecting that lower doses will have a greater impact. As younger generations age, it is also important to expect that they have experience using marijuana in recreational contexts, which will affect their approach to its use in a medical setting."

A study published in Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences found that medication use increases in people newly diagnosed with dementia, especially the use of unnecessary or inappropriate drugs, reports ScienceDaily . "Our study found that following a diagnosis of dementia in older people, medication use increased by 11 percent in a year and the use of potentially inappropriate medications increased by 17 percent," says Dr. Danijela Gnjidic at the University of Sydney. Potentially inappropriate or unnecessary drugs included sleeping tablets, pain relievers, depression drugs, and acid reflux drugs. "A number of reasons may account for the drugs' long-term use by people with dementia, including inadequate guidelines, lack of time during physician patient encounters, diminished decision-making capacity, difficulties with comprehension and communication, and difficulties in establishing goals of care," Gnjidic notes. "These findings are of major concern and highlight the importance of weighing up the harms and benefits of taking potentially unnecessary medications as they may lead to increased risk of side effects such as sedation or drowsiness, and adverse drug events such as falls, fractures, and hospitalization." Gnjidic recommends Australians living with dementia and their caregivers communicate closely with general practitioners, pharmacists, and other health professionals to make informed decisions and practice good medicine management.

Two reports from San Diego County estimate that more than 84,000 county residents are living with Alzheimer's and related dementias, and they should number 115,000 by 2030, reports the San Diego Union Tribune . Meanwhile, the lifetime cost of care for such residents currently tops $38 billion and should exceed $52 billion by 2030. Alzheimer's is the third-leading cause of death in San Diego County, while 10.7 percent of those 55 and older are living with dementia across the county. One study found nearly 17 percent of almost 131,000 East County residents had Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia in 2015, and Supervisor Dianne Jacob notes, "Clearly, we're facing an epidemic, and we're not prepared." Caring for people with dementia will demand about 300,000 caregivers in the county by 2030, and relatives usually fill this role. Healthcare costs to unpaid caregivers in San Diego County totaled about $134 million in 2015, and they could rise to $183 million by 2030. The studies stress three strategies to follow in view of the lack of a treatment to halt or slow the cognitive decline, including preparation to help deal with the mounting burden, prevention via maintenance of healthy brain habits associated with a lower risk of dementia, and research to find new treatment and prevention approaches.

Companies recently demonstrated products designed to improve the lives of both people with Alzheimer's and their caregivers at Caring Kind Headquarters in New York, reports CBS New York . Among the devices showcased were gravity straws to make it easier to hydrate, inexpensive hearing aids to keep users connected, smart insoles to monitor movement and foot ulcers, and virtual reality to help people visit places or even weddings and birthdays of loved ones. Also highlighted were specialized sensor pads to help predict urinary tract infections. Meanwhile, simple technologies such as an iPod with a custom music playlist can bring people with dementia tremendous joy. "In absence of a cure, the best treatment is good care," says Caring Kind Executive Vice President Jed Levine. "Unless you've done it you don't know how demanding, how draining it is to care for someone with dementia, and anything we can do to make that journey a little bit easier, a little bit lighter, that's great."

A new bill called the Choose Medicare Act would let businesses and Obamacare customers buy into Medicare, reports the Washington Examiner . The proposal, which has 10 Democratic co-sponsors and no Republican sponsors, is a kind of "public option" that would be sold alongside the option to buy private health insurance. It would be known as "Medicare Part E." The bill offers Medicare plans both to individuals who do not receive coverage through a job and to employers. Medicare covers adults 65 and older and people with disabilities. Under the new proposal, the same benefits would be offered, but the government would be permitted to negotiate drug prices. The Choose Medicare Act also could make government subsidies more generous than Obamacare. It would enable individuals who make up to 600 percent of the federal poverty level to receive subsidies that reduce the cost of premiums to them, compared to the current cap of 400 percent, or about $48,240 per year for an individual. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) believes that many consumers would select Medicare rather than buy private plans, and that offering Medicare would encourage private health insurers to offer more competitive prices. Other Democrats have supported a different proposal called the Medicare for All Act, which would bring every U.S. citizen onto the Medicare program regardless of whether someone has employer coverage or is on Medicaid. Senators have framed the Choose Medicare Act as a possible, smaller step in that direction.

Experts informed a Senate Aging Committee hearing on Wednesday that most senior financial abuse by guardians is preventable, reports Forbes . Their recommendations include enacting state laws to provide more frequently for less restrictive arrangements than guardianship; notifying individuals under care and family members that a guardian has been appointed, what that guardian's responsibilities are, and how to report guardian abuse; and requiring that guardians tell the courts when people under their care have become able again to make their own decisions. Syracuse University Professor Nina Kohn argued a guardian should be appointed only when a person cannot make their own decisions and is in danger of harm without the help of someone to manage their affairs. Meanwhile, Senate Aging Committee Chair Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said less restrictive care can lower the probability of senior abuse. "Persons under guardianship should enjoy supported decision making whenever possible and have their rights restored in part or totally with all deliberative speed," said Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Gerontology Center Director Pamela Teaster.

Following an incident at a Starbucks in Philadelphia that prompted charges of racial prejudice, Executive Chairman Howard Schultz called Demos President Heather McGhee to discuss the use of anti-bias training to prevent employees from making similar errors, reports the New York Times . Starbucks then announced that it would close all of its U.S. stores on May 29 to offer such training for 175,000 employees. Starbucks referred to unconscious or implicit bias, which occurs when people make decisions based partly on stereotypes while unaware that the stereotype has influenced them. The University of California, Berkeley's Jason Okonofua says anti-bias training "allows people to just think in a more mindful way when interacting with other people. It's putting yourself in the other person's shoes, seeing humanity in that person." Others caution that such training is a sensitive exercise that can be ineffective or backfire if managed incorrectly. American University's Seth Gershenson warns any training that involves explicitly telling people to set aside their biases is likely to fail as it demands so much mental energy it can exhaust people. "In the moment of stress, we tend to forget our training," says Mursion CEO Mark Atkinson. Some specialists contend the best way to eliminate unconscious bias is limiting the extent to which people engage in automatic, reflexive thinking, which can be done by steering employees toward more thoughtful and deliberative decision-making.

The single best strategy for retaining employees is managerial attention, writes consultant Bill Conerly in Forbes . "Tell the employees they are valuable," he recommends. "Offer feedback on how they are doing. Very few employees get enough feedback, and it really helps with retention." Conerly also says senior leaders at big companies should get their first-level supervisors conversing with rank-and-file workers, but they are typically very busy. "The alternative is to tell the manager that the company is losing too many workers, and in this tight labor market it's hard to hire good people," he says. "Then say that the best solution is for managers to talk to employees more often, providing encouragement and offering feedback. Then ask the manager, 'How can we free up time for you to do this?'" Conerly points out that salary is one area to focus on to boost employee retention resources, "but unless your compensation is below the competition, the better way is to put more management time into talking with employees."

Major companies have instructed recruiters not to ask job candidates about salary or benefits in their previous employment, as more employers stop using past wages as a guide for setting their future salaries due to new laws designed to close wage gaps in the workforce, reports the Wall Street Journal . In 2016, New York City and Massachusetts passed rules barring employers from pressing job seekers to report salary history, and more than 12 additional cities and states have done the same since then. Advocates say withholding information about past pay encourages employers to assess the value of a job instead of the applicant. Employers say providing candidates with a salary range based on skills and experience can help fix inconsistencies in how different employees were valued in another role or setting. "These new laws have created a great opportunity for employers to do some self-reflection," says Fisher & Phillips partner Cheryl Pinarchick. She also notes many are considering whether they can warrant differences in the salaries that their current workers make. Pay disparities for employees often linger when people are hired at lower salaries early in their career and then that compensation becomes the basis of future salary negotiations. This gap can widen due to differences in candidates' willingness to negotiate and success rates in those discussions. A U.S. Court of Appeals recently ruled that businesses may be held liable for discrepancies in their workers' wages even if the imbalance is rooted in a previous employer, adding further pressure to correct pay gaps based on gender, race, or other nonperformance-related variables.

In preparation for Older Americans Month (OAM), the Administration for Community Living has posted sharable social media images on the official OAM website to help participants promote and celebrate. ACL also has posted links to logos , online and print posters , Web badges , information and tip sheets , and a sample article and proclamation .