In what scientists are calling the first study of its kind, CNN reports that new Mayo Clinic research published this week in the journal JAMA Neurology shows that excessive daytime sleepiness in cognitively normal seniors leads to a build-up of a plaque in the brain called amyloid. Depositing amyloid in brain tissue is the first known preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease and occurs well before any obvious symptoms of dementia start. "While further research is necessary, this study adds a new question that doctors can ask patients to assess risk and potentially intervene," remarks Dr. Richard Isaacson, Director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, who was not involved in the study. "I will now proactively ask about excessive daytime sleepiness as one of the many potentially modifiable risk factors for the disease." The Mayo researchers reached out to individuals 70 and older who were enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. For inclusion in the study, participants had to have a baseline scan and a later scan of their brains on file, complete a sleep quality questionnaire, and be certified free of dementia by a team of specialists. That process whittled down the initial sample of 2,172 individuals to 283 people with an average age of 77. Test subjects who were most drowsy during the day were found to have greater amounts of Alzheimer's-causing amyloids over the study's two-year period, particularly in the areas of the brain responsible for emotion, memory retrieval, and behavior.

King5.com reports that a dementia-friendly improv class now being offered at the Edmonds Center for the Arts in Seattle is helping people with memory loss. Held every Monday, the class is part of a series of programs, including folk dance, film screenings, and sing-alongs, designed for the memory-impaired. Instructors actively encourage the group to think, act, and react on their feet and in the moment, because yesterday — or even a few hours ago — might be hazy. "That playing off of each other, the laughter that comes out of that, all of that's good for the brain," states Pam Nolte, one of the teaching artists.

A new study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association suggests a blood test may one day be able to gauge a person's risk for developing dementia, reports Newsweek . The researchers analyzed blood samples from 22,623 people from five countries. A total of 995 developed dementia, and analysis determined certain lipoproteins that ferry cholesterol throughout the body were associated with higher dementia risk. In addition, people with higher concentrations of branched-chain amino acids, creatinine, and two types of lipoproteins had a lower risk. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston's Dr. Sudha Seshadri sees a glimmer of hope that further work in this area could enable blood tests to evaluate dementia risk. However, she adds that it still remains uncertain as to whether a causal relationship exists, or if these biomarkers are early indications of dementia.

NASUAD.org is reporting that The National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging (NRCNA) is hosting an upcoming webinar in celebration of National Nutrition Month. Sponsored by Meals on Wheels America, the one-hour webinar is set for March 14 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Partially titled "The OAA Meal Is Part of the Equation," it will feature a conversation with Lance Robertson, ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging. The Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Programs represent the biggest federally funded nutrition program exclusively for older men and women, providing participants with much more than just a meal. Those interested can register here for the webinar.

A study published in JAMA Surgery found the arthroscopic partial meniscectomy procedure to excise damaged cartilage in the knee offers little to ease pain or improve mobility in older men and women, reports Reuters . Nevertheless, more than 12,000 surgeons conducted nearly 122,000 such procedures for Medicare beneficiaries in 2015. "This study shows that it remains extremely common in seniors," says Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Professor Martin Makary. "However, its benefit is limited to a small subset ... who are usually younger." The study also determined about 66 percent of the operations involved this procedure alone, irrespective of whether surgeons conducted a low or high volume of knee operations. Thirteen percent of high-volume surgeons never performed additional repair work when they conducted arthroscopic partial meniscectomies, and 7 percent never performed this surgery on its own. The researchers suggest the possibility that some doctors and seniors are as yet unaware of recent randomized controlled experiments that reveal a lack of benefit to arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. "Despite evidence, there is still a very strong belief by many surgeons and seniors that the surgery is effective," notes Jonas Bloch Thorlund from the University of Southern Denmark.

A study published in JAMA Ophthalmology determined strong social networks among older men and women improve the chances they will get cataract surgery, reports Medical Xpress . Analysis of 9,760 Medicare beneficiaries older than 65 found those with none, one, or two family members were 40 percent less likely to receive cataract surgery than those with three or more family members. "A nuanced understanding of the impact of social support networks is important to develop as we implement strategies to improve access to cataract surgery for a rapidly growing older population," says the University of Michigan's Brian Stagg. The researchers suggest primary care physicians and ophthalmologists may need to ask older adults if transportation and support is available following surgery. A social worker could assist seniors in navigating care, as well. Finally, the team found adult children influenced older adults' decision to have cataract surgery much more than friends, spouses, or partners.

A study by Kaiser Permanente's Institute for Health Research scientists published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society sought to examine food insecurity among older adults, reports ScienceDaily . The team studied information from a survey administered to more than 50,000 older adults between 2012 and 2015. More than 50,000 people answered the question about food insecurity, and more than 2,950 said they sometimes lacked enough money to buy the food they needed. The researchers found food insecurity was least common among people 85 years old or older, and most common in people between 75 and 84 years old. In addition, more than a quarter of people with both Medicaid and Medicare said they had food insecurity. Food insecurity also was more frequent among women, people without a spouse or partner, those who used tobacco or alcohol, and people with high blood pressure, diabetes, or diagnosed depression. Furthermore, people who had been hospitalized, visited an emergency department, or had lived in a nursing community in the year before the survey had food insecurity. Food insecurity also was reported by at least 10 percent of people who had fair or poor general health or quality-of-life, oral or dental problems, difficulty with activities of daily living, a poor diet, and no one to call for help. The team concluded that ways to identify food insecurity in older adults needed to be integrated with techniques to connect older adults with community-based food resources.

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) on March 1 introduced the Bipartisan HSA Improvement Act, designed to make healthcare more affordable under updated Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), reports the Ripon Advance . "With so many people increasingly choosing HSA plans, it is important that federal rules allow employers to provide the best benefits possible for their employees," Kelly says. "By modernizing HSA policy, this bipartisan bill will promote flexibility, encourage innovation, and expand access to these cost-saving plans for many more Americans." The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services notes using untaxed HSA dollars to pay for deductibles, copays, and other costs allows people to reduce their healthcare expenses. Kelly says more than 20 million Americans are currently enrolled in HSA-qualified plans, which places them "in the driver's seat of their healthcare, helping them save money and stay healthy." The bill also would let HSA plans offer HSA dollars that people could use for wellness benefits such as exercise, and offer pre-deductible coverage for drugs and services to help manage chronic conditions as well as health services provided at both onsite employee clinics or retail health clinics. "Health savings accounts are popular and effective tools for employers striving to provide affordable coverage to working families," notes American Benefits Council President James Klein.

As of September 2017, the number of monthly users on Instagram topped 800 million, reports Forbes . Not surprisingly, more companies and brands are using the social network as a tool for appealing to prospective employees. Employers are using it to build and broadcast their branding to the target audiences they believe would be the best possible for their companies. TripAdvisor, Zendesk, and other firms are sharing photos of happy employees at work, giving followers a glimpse at company celebrations, showing volunteer initiatives undertaken by employees, and featuring offices and workplaces that are comfortable and inviting. Instagram works particularly well when used in tandem with other social media platforms. For instance, studies have shown that tweets with Instagram photos are more likely to be retweeted than others.