Encore Creativity for Older Adults, the largest choral organization for adults over 55 in the United States, has remained committed to keeping older Americans singing and learning during the pandemic, reports PR Newswire . The nonprofit is offering a new winter-spring session of its 15-week Encore University virtual program of singing and enrichment courses. The initiative culminates with a virtual multimedia spring concert. New offerings include Great Choral Masterworks, A History of Black Classical Composers, Yoga for Singers, and the California Dreamin' nostalgic rock & roll history class. Five voice teachers will lead classes in vocal technique, and prestigious percussionist Tom Teasley will hold Rhythm Happy Hours. "Isolation looms large for older adults during this time," said Jeanne Kelly, the nonprofit's founder and artistic director. "Our goal is to keep them engaged with singing, classes, and activities that bring joy." The Encore University session runs from Jan. 25 to May 13.

The Washington Post reports that Florida, Texas, and other mostly Republican-led states have diverged from federal guidelines for second-tier COVID-19 vaccine distribution by making seniors first in line for inoculations rather than essential workers. Federal recommendations prioritize vaccines for grocery store employees, transit staffers, and other frontline workers, along with people 75 and older. The diverging states' prioritization reflects a patchwork distribution system that could undermine national containment of the pandemic, worsened as states face delays in the rollout of inoculations. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said fewer than 20 percent of the 11.5 million shots distributed by the federal government had been administered by the start of this week. Meanwhile, advisers to President-elect Joe Biden are urging more federal coordination. In justifying Florida's policy, Gov. Ron DeSantis said, "As we get into the general community, the vaccines are going to be targeted where the risk is the greatest, and that is in our senior population." The CDC estimated that 80.7 percent of deaths from COVID-19 have been among people 65 and older nationally, while people in frontline jobs who cannot work from home or keep a safe distance from others are at highest risk of work-related contagion.

A study published in JAMA Network Open indicates significant inequities in the use of telemedicine, especially by age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and when someone needed to use a non-English language, reports News-Medical . The researchers analyzed data for nearly 150,000 patients of a large, academic medical system. All had been previously scheduled to have a primary care or ambulatory specialty appointment between March 16 and May 11, which coincided with the first COVID-19 surge in the health system's region, and was also during stay-at-home orders in the area. The data indicated that 54 percent conducted their visits via telemedicine, while 46 percent of that population had visits conducted via video. Generally, patients older than 55 were 25 percent less likely than the average patient to participate in a telemedicine visit, with people older than 75 being 33 percent less likely. People identifying as Asian were 31 percent less likely to conduct a telemedicine visit, and non-English speakers were 16 percent less likely; using Medicaid for insurance also made patients less likely to successfully conduct a telemedicine visit by 7 percent. Meanwhile, those over 55 were at least 32 percent less likely to conduct a video visit, and those over 75 were 51 percent less likely. The researchers concluded that there has to be equal consideration for all types of telemedicine moving forward.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently issued a directive ignoring U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine priority by putting Floridians 65 and older ahead of essential workers, even as many healthcare employees in the state await their shot, reports USA Today . Since then, immunizations have been muddled by website crashes, long queues, and conflicting information as medical systems and counties scramble to establish distribution systems for groups they had not counted on vaccinating for at least a week or two. Florida's latest vaccination data indicates that 122,881 people received the first dose of a two-shot vaccine as of Monday morning, while Johns Hopkins University estimated that Florida had been allocated 546,400 doses as of Dec. 16. "We know there are broad-stroke ideas of how vaccinating the general population is supposed to work, but as the vaccine gets distributed deeper and deeper into the system, it's going to get more complicated," said Glen Nowak at the University of Georgia's Center for Health and Risk Communications. With that complexity increasing, he added that state and county health departments must be allocated additional time and funding. Also frustrating is the federal government's apparent inaction in setting up a vaccination infrastructure, according to Brown University School of Public Health Dean Ashish Jha.

Seniors in Minnesota are relying on Apple's iPads to keep them connected to loved ones during the pandemic, reports the Brainerd Daily Dispatch . "We love and care for them," said Angelique Hayes at Northern Lakes Senior Living in Baxter, Minn. "But we don't replace friends and family, and that's where the iPad has really been helping and certainly with their families that live far away." Crow Wing Energized procured 20 iPads with a $10,000 grant from the Central Minnesota Council on Aging to give to various assisted living communities in Brainerd, Baxter, Crosby, Crosslake, Nisswa, and Pequot Lakes, and to nursing communities that did not already have the devices. "Families can't get into those communities to see someone in person, so this has really opened up better communication," said Crow Wing Energized's Karen Johnson. The iPads' larger screens make it easier for seniors to see friends and family simultaneously on a video call than smartphones, while also allowing access to podcasts, free museum tours, and educational opportunities. "We also purchased for Northern Lakes a tripod so that they could mount that iPad for people experiencing memory issues," said Johnson. "They kept wanting to hit the device and they would hit it off, so this allows them to kind of be able to look at it and be hands-free."

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports five new discoveries in the field of Alzheimer's disease research this year. Although Biogen's Alzheimer's drug aducanumab grabbed a lot of attention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved or is considering/evaluating other drugs for treatment of the disorder, including insomnia medication Suvorexant, Pimavanzserin, and anti-amyloid compound BAN2401. Also promising is a blood test, with research presented at the virtual Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2020 noting that specific markers in the blood may be able to identify changes in the brain 20 years ahead of Alzheimer's symptoms. Also detailed at AAIC 2020 was the finding that flu and pneumonia vaccines appear to reduce the incidence and risk of Alzheimer's. Meanwhile, a global study on the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain is focusing on underlying biology that may play a role in Alzheimer's and other dementia. Finally, a study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association suggests that the effect of the APOE-e4 gene variant — the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's — may differ across different races and ethnicities.

Assisted living community group Benton House Senior Living has teamed with the nonprofit Canine Assistants to use COVID-19-sniffing dogs at five communities in the Atlanta metropolitan area, reports the Newnan Times-Herald . "I was impressed with how quickly the dogs learned to detect the virus, some in just a few days, and how the accuracy rivaled current nasal pharyngeal testing percentages," said Benton House CEO Mike Allard. Dogs identify the virus via sterile swabs that collect sweat samples from test subjects. Trials are expected to transpire over the next few weeks with the hope of placing the dogs in homes after Jan. 1. "The extra layer of protection is just one more way we can serve our residents and team," Allard said. "Best of all, the dogs will live in the communities and just be part of the family."

A study in PLOS Medicine suggests that a healthy heart in middle age reduces the risk of dementia in later years, reports the Daily Mail . The researchers investigated 1,449 people as part of a long-term study begun in 1972 in Finland, confirming earlier theories that modifiable habits like exercise and quitting smoking can benefit brain health in old age. Participants with intermediate or ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) scores from midlife onwards, especially for behavioral factors, had a lower dementia risk later in life than participants with poor scores. There also was no significant overall association between heart health scores measured in late life and dementia risk. "We observed that having the ideal CVH metrics, and ideal behavioral CVH metrics in particular, from midlife onwards is associated with a reduced risk of dementia as compared with people having poor CVH metrics," said Karolinska Institutet Professor Yajun Liang. Yet when biological factors were under consideration, ideal scores in late life were associated with greater risk of dementia. This may be because some biological signs of dementia might overlap with ideal scores on these factors, like lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports that older adults with a cardiovascular condition can modify their diet to manage their condition most effectively. For this demographic, 25 percent to 35 percent of daily calorie consumption should come from fat, with less than 7 percent from saturated fats and as little as possible from trans fat. Current evidence indicates that following these eating habits can lower cholesterol by 9 percent to 16 percent, which reduces the risk for heart disease. Choosing unsaturated fat over saturated fat can lower "bad" cholesterol while maintaining "good" cholesterol, with olive oil and nuts, like almonds, typical sources for unsaturated fat. Omega-3 fatty acids have an anti-inflammatory effect, and two weekly servings of foods like salmon and trout can reduce the risk for heart disease. Anchovies, sardines, flax seeds, and chia seeds also contain omega-3 fatty acids. Older adults also are recommended to eat antioxidant-rich foods, mostly from plants (colorful fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, green tea, and whole grains) to counteract inflammation. Meanwhile, the American Heart Association recommends less than 36 grams of sugar daily for men and 25 grams or less for women. Recommended sodium intake is less than 2,300 milligrams per day, while potassium, calcium, and magnesium also should be included.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Utah residents 75 and older will be the first people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the next phase of the state's rollout, according to Governor Gary Herbert and the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) — while "essential workers" in food and restaurant services have been removed from the list. "It simply makes the most sense to vaccinate those who are at the highest risk for hospitalization and death first," Herbert stated. UDOH officials said the numbers support a policy to inoculate seniors first. They noted that the hospitalization rates of people 65 to 84 years old are more than three times the rates for people 45 to 64, while the rates for people 85 and older are five times greater. People 65 and older also constitute 77 percent of the 1,219 Utahns who, as of Monday, have died from the coronavirus. "If we vaccinate those people first, we're probably saving more lives and easing up the hospitals' burden so that they're not overwhelmed," declared Arlen Jarrett, regional chief medical officer for Steward Health Care.