Fox News reports that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance on coronavirus-related face masks to include protection for the wearers. According to the agency, research supports community masking to reduce virus transmission, especially with more than half of transmissions estimated to come from asymptomatic people. "Studies demonstrate that cloth mask materials can also reduce wearers' exposure to infectious droplets through filtration, including filtration of fine droplets and particles less than 10 microns," the CDC added. Masks with multiple cloth layers can more effectively inhibit tiny, potentially virus-laden particles from penetrating and exposing the wearer to infection. The CDC said these masks can "in some cases filter nearly 50 percent of fine particles less than 1 micron." The agency further cited a case in which universal mask wearing prevented two coronavirus-infected, symptomatic hairstylists from transmitting the virus to at least 67 clients. Moreover, 1,000 people in Thailand who wore masks during "high-risk exposures" reduced their odds of infection by 70 percent.

Science Focus reports that scientists have developed a technique to deliver drugs to the brain via nanoparticles, for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. They have demonstrated the method's viability in cultured cells and zebrafish. The researchers synthesized nanoparticles that can cross the blood-brain barrier produced from polylactic acid. "A layer of polyethylene glycol (PEG) covers these nanoparticles and makes them invisible to the immune system, so they can longer circulate in the bloodstream," said Professor Charles Ramassamy at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique in Canada. Containing the drugs in this manner means patients could be administered much smaller doses, boosting the efficiency and cutting the risk of side effects. Ramassamy said the tests on zebrafish were important, because "this species offers several advantages. Its blood-brain barrier is similar to that of humans and its transparent skin makes it possible to see nanoparticles' distribution almost in real time."

Kyodo News says Japan will prioritize the administration of coronavirus vaccines to its senior population over people with chronic diseases when they become available. Seniors are more vulnerable to contracting a severe form of the virus, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. The ministry said seniors are up to several dozen times more likely to develop serious complications from COVID-19 than healthy adults, while those with heart or chronic lung illness, cerebrovascular disease, or kidney failure are several times more susceptible. The government plans to obtain coronavirus vaccines for all people in the first half of 2021, and the ministry will decide which chronic ailments should be covered by preferential treatment, and whether to determine priority orders based on age after consultations with experts. The urgency of healthcare workers' need for vaccinations will be ascertained later, while those desiring a vaccine will receive free shots at healthcare centers by submitting special coupons to be distributed by local municipalities. The ministry added that they also will receive a certificate upon inoculation.

New research shows playing brain games prior to surgery may lower the odds of postoperative delirium among older adults, reports CBS Miami . Investigators at Ohio State University's (OSU) Wexner Medical Center studied people who engaged in preoperative exercises focusing on memory, speed, attention, and problem solving. Older patients who have some cognitive deficits before surgery, even mild ones, are at a significantly higher risk of developing postoperative delirium. Individuals who played such exercises five to 10 hours in the days leading up to their procedure cut their risk of delirium after surgery by more than half. "We did have some evidence come out of the data that show that the more brain exercise you do, the better your risk reduction is," said OSU's Michelle Humeidan.

Despite the closure of San Antonio's Morgan's Wonderland, KSAT reports that the theme park is launching MemorAbility, a virtual program for family members and caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease-related dementias. The park will hold a Zoom event on Nov. 19, with session presenters from the Alamo Area Council of Governments and the Down Syndrome Association of South Texas. The nonprofit Morgan's Wonderland offers a therapeutic, respectful, and accommodating setting for people living with dementia. Many park staffers are Dementia Friends-certified via Dementia Friends USA.

FOX 13 reports that the Books @ Work book club is helping isolated seniors connect during the current pandemic, by having organizers partner with professors to help facilitate the discussion. The club was started by the Ohio-based nonprofit, Literacy Cooperative, which reached out to seniors who wanted to participate through the Cleveland Department of Aging. "Because most of the folks who participated in this program don't have Internet access, don't have computers, we actually did this one by phone," said Books @ Work Executive Director Ann Smith. The program is currently seeking funding to support more rounds of participants, since the books were sent to seniors at no charge.

Medical Xpress reports that a study in The Lancet Psychiatry found loneliness to be the cause of 18 percent of depression cases among people over 50 in England, which suggests nearly one in five cases among older adults could be prevented with it eliminated. People's subjective experiences of loneliness played a role in depression up to 12 years later, independent of more objective gauges of social isolation. "We found that whether people considered themselves to be lonely was a bigger risk factor for depression than how many social contacts and support they had," said Gemma Lewis at University College London (UCL). "The findings suggest that it's not just spending time with other people that matters, but having meaningful relationships and companionship." Depressive symptoms also worsened over time among people with greater loneliness, suggesting that loneliness was causing future depression. "Health professionals working with older people who report being lonely should know that they are at risk of depression," said UCL's Siu Long Lee. "Interventions such as social prescribing, social skills training, and psychological therapies that target negative feelings of loneliness, may be important for the mental health of lonely older adults."

Consumer Affairs reports that a Pew Research Center analysis of monthly U.S. workforce data found baby boomers are retiring in record numbers, with 3.2 million more retiring from 2019-2020 than in previous years. This gain is more significant among Hispanic and Asian American boomers, and is mainly concentrated among those living in the Northeast United States — increasing from 35 percent in February to 38 percent in September. Pew researchers suggest job losses may be the primary driver, likely due to the COVID-19-induced recession. The number of retired boomers has increased by nearly 1.1 million since February, with Pew acknowledging that some of this could be caused by seasonal change in employment activity. Meanwhile, boomers have an average $152,000 in retirement savings, according to the TransAmerica Center for Retirement Studies' 19th Annual Retirement Survey of Workers . With the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating that adults between 65 and 74 spend $48,885 per year on average, that nest egg would be depleted in less than four years.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's proposal to lower the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 60 has met resistance from hospitals, reports Kaiser Health News . The hospitals are afraid that adding millions of people to Medicare will lead to billions of dollars in lost revenue. Medicare reimbursement rates for patients admitted to hospitals average half of what commercial or employer-sponsored insurance plans pay. Biden said the plan will help those who retire early and those who are unemployed or cannot find jobs with health benefits. "It reflects the reality that, even after the current crisis ends, older Americans are likely to find it difficult to secure jobs," he explained in April. Likely obstacles to Biden's plan are Republican congressmen, who will cite the nation's $3 trillion budget deficit and the dim outlook for the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund. Biden also wants Congress to pass a government-run health plan that people could buy into instead of purchasing coverage from insurers on their own or via Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

Two studies published in The Lancet found cholesterol-lowering statins can reduce the risk of heart disease in older adults, according to United Press International . One study found that for 80 people 80 to 100 years old who take statins, one heart attack will be prevented — while three times as many people between age 50 and 59 would have to take the drugs to gain the same benefit. The second study indicated that cholesterol-lowering medications cut the risk for heart attack and stroke in those 75 years and older by 26 percent for every one-point reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Statins reduced the risk for these heart-related health events by 15 percent for every one-point reduction in LDL cholesterol among those 75 and younger. "With the proportion of people living beyond 70 years of age worldwide rapidly increasing, there is huge potential for . . . strategies aimed at lowering LDL cholesterol levels," said Copenhagen University Hospital Professor Børge Nordestgaard. However, the researchers stressed that these findings should not encourage people to wait to initiate statin treatment until they are older.