Many companies and leaders have not developed plans for the employee who has progressed in their career but may see few opportunities remaining, reports the Harvard Business Review . Ways for employers to combat this include cultivating lateral challenges for mid-career professionals who are comfortable with their level of responsibility or are not interested in taking on managerial work, but who also are bored or in need of stimulation. Companies should offer additional training or skill development, or shadowing opportunities and mid-career internships. Possibly the most compelling opportunity is giving them first crack at developing new divisions or roles that their existing knowledge would benefit. Another option is developing an internal mission for employees who need a deeper sense of purpose, such as a partnership with a charity, founding a philanthropic branch, or seeking pro bono work. Also viable is encouragement of mentorship roles, which requires employers to determine which workers would be suitable and desire more interaction with others, set up a structured program for mentoring/succession planning so employees can self-select or be nominated by their bosses, and provide ongoing training or touchpoints with mentors so they feel supported while they support others. Offering relocation or remote work for employees needing a change of scene could be advantageous, with a relocation involving a new or broader role for employees.

Major employers are hiring workers because of what they can do, or what the company thinks they can teach them, instead of the degrees they hold, reports the Wall Street Journal . States as well as the federal government are seeking alternative routes from high school to employment, taking students who might otherwise go to a four-year college, worsening a process that is dividing colleges into winners and losers. Manufacturing, technology, and healthcare sectors are moving fastest to concentrate on skills over degrees because they are the industries struggling the most to fill jobs. Some employers have encouraged dependence on bachelor's degrees as a proxy for skills, says Harvard Business School Professor Joseph Fuller. However, such degree requirements are limiting the number of job applicants and hiking costs for companies and employees. They also frustrate workers, since fewer than 50 percent who go to college end up graduating and getting a job that utilizes their degree. Employees at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories take classes in algebra, physics, and writing in the factory complex and can borrow books from a company library. Company founder Ed Schweitzer prioritizes education at the firm, fostering an atmosphere where assemblers regularly are promoted to technicians and work alongside engineers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the unemployment rate for people 55 and over is only 3.2 percent as of February 2018, versus the current unemployment rate of 4.1 percent for the entire U.S. population and 14.4 percent for teenagers, reports CNBC . Whereas 20 years ago less than 33 percent of people 55 and over had jobs or were seeking employment, today the share is 40 percent, says the St. Louis Federal Reserve. Boston College's Matt Rutledge notes that many baby boomers are worried they do not have enough savings to retire at 65, and they also are better educated and tend to remain in the workforce longer because they usually enjoy their jobs. Tufts Health Plan's Lydia Greene stresses it is essential to support a climate attractive to older workers in a tight labor market. Her firm's 401(k) program features a 3 percent supplemental match annually on top of the standard 4 percent match for employees contributing 6 percent or more of their income. Individuals 50 and over comprise 34 percent of the company's workforce, and they are hired at all levels. "They're very stable and very reliable and help us develop and mentor our younger workers," Greene says. AARP Foundation Litigation's Laurie McCann notes although there are some "enlightened" companies that understand the value of experience, ageism remains rampant.

A study published in Cell Metabolism found calorie restriction decreases systemic oxidative stress, which has been associated with age-related disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, reports Medical Xpress . The Comprehensive Assessment of the Long-Term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE) was the first randomized controlled trial to assess the metabolic effects of calorie restriction in non-obese people. The second phase of CALERIE tested 53 healthy, non-obese men and women between ages 21 and 50 who reduced calories by 15 percent over two years and received additional measurements for metabolism and oxidative stress. Subjects in the calorie restriction group lost an average of nearly 9 kilograms, although they did not follow a specific diet. Adverse effects including anemia, excessive bone loss, or menstrual disorders were not observed. "The CALERIE trial rejuvenates support for two of the longest-standing theories of human aging: the slow metabolism 'rate of living' theory and the oxidative damage theory," says Pennington Biomedical Research Professor Leanne M. Redman. "The latter ties overproduction of free radicals to oxidative damage to lipids, proteins, and DNA, leading to chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, cancer, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis."

Recommendations to help healthcare professionals recognize and assess levels of pain in older people have been published in Age and Ageing , reports Careinfo.org . The British Geriatrics Society notes there is growing evidence showing that chronic pain is more prevalent among the older population, and pain that interferes with everyday activities grows with age. The guidelines aim to address areas in which improvements can be made. Areas identified as presenting a particular challenge when managing older people's pain included "stoicism," which can result in the underreporting of pain; the perception that increasing pain is a natural part of aging; and 10-minute consultations in the U.K. general practice which often limits seniors from engaging in meaningful conversation about their pain. Pain in nursing community residents also often goes undetected. The guidelines recommend education and training of personnel to identify pain and act on their findings. They also urge healthcare professionals to be aware of the wide variety of available pain measures and have a solid understanding of how and when to use them.

A just-unveiled $37 billion government funding bill increases funding for medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $3 billion, reports The Hill . The new funds include another $414 million for Alzheimer's research, an additional $40 million for universal flu vaccine research, and $140 million more for brain research. "Investments in medical research will pave the way for new treatments and cures, lower costs, and, most importantly, give hope to people and families battling incurable diseases," said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.). Costs for treating Alzheimer's especially consume millions in federal spending each year, which lawmakers said could be prevented if the NIH can develop a cure. "People across the country are waiting for cures and treatments that could make a difference in their lives and the lives of their loved ones, and I am glad Republicans and Democrats could work together to invest in giving them more reason to hope," said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) has named University of Maryland School of Medicine Professor Robert Redfield director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports Scientific American . Redfield, a virologist, can assume the position without Senate confirmation. He is renowned for his extensive AIDS research, and supervises clinical programs offering HIV care to thousands of people around Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Redfield also oversees international care and treatment programs under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. He advocated for mandatory HIV testing in the 1980s, and has helped deploy an HIV-screening program at the Department of Defense. Forthcoming challenges for Redfield will include navigating this season's spike in flu cases, and any related work on flu vaccine research. Other key responsibilities will include implementing the White House's plan to combat the opioid crisis and stay ahead of emerging infectious diseases. HHS Secretary Alex Azar says Redfield's background as a clinician running a treatment network for HIV and Hepatitis C patients in Baltimore will enable him to "hit the ground running" with the opioid epidemic.

A poster presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Session suggests middle-aged and older adults who consumed high quantities of sugar-sweetened beverages had a higher risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality versus those who consumed fewer sugary beverages, reports Healio . The researchers analyzed data from 17,930 people at least 45 years old. Following adjustment for behavioral and sociodemographic risk factors, HRs rose for coronary heart disease (CHD), CVD, and all-cause mortality with growing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. In comparison with people in the lowest quartile for sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, those in the highest quartile had increased risk for CVD-related mortality, CHD-related mortality, and all-cause mortality after further adjustment for body mass index, total energy intake, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Results were similar when comparing the third quartile with the second quartile. Mortality risk did not climb with sugar-sweetened food consumption.

A study presented at the 255th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society determined the beetroot-derived compound of betanin could potentially slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease, reports Newsweek . Betanin can inhibit certain chemical reactions in the brain associated with Alzheimer's progression by helping to reduce protein accumulation. The researchers monitored beta-amyloids by themselves and in a betanin mixture, and measured their oxidation levels. Results showed that oxidation was reduced by as much as 90 percent when these proteins were exposed to the beet compound. "Less oxidation could prevent misfolding to a certain degree, perhaps even to the point that it slows the aggregation of beta-amyloid peptides, which is believed to be the ultimate cause of Alzheimer's," says University of Florida researcher Darrell Cole Cerrato. The results are preliminary and do not prove that the beet extract completely prevents protein misfolding.

A study published in the Journals of Gerontology found as people age, they may be more likely to rely on schematic memory to recall the gist of an event, and their inability to remember details could lead to false memories, reports Medical Xpress . The researchers employed functional magnetic resonance imaging to monitor brain activity of 20 older adults after they memorized certain scenes and were asked to remember what objects were in the scene. The scenes were displayed for about 10 seconds. Later, they were shown pictures of objects that were either in the scene, or related to the scene, but not actually in the scene. They also were asked to look at images of objects not commonly associated to the scene. The researchers then asked the subjects which objects were in the picture to determine if they had recalled correctly, or were creating false memories. "When we look at brain activity during memory retrieval, we see increasing activity in the middle or superior temporal gyrus, which tracks increases in false memories," says Pennsylvania State University Professor Nancy Dennis. "This suggests that older adults who make the most false memories tend to show more activity in this region."