TransUnion Healthcare's annual patient survey found the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact have raised anxiety about healthcare and insurance affordability, reports Healthcare Dive . Generally, this anxiety is more pronounced as patients skew younger. Thirty percent of baby boomers said the current economic situation is shaping how they shop for healthcare services, and 36 percent said they are selecting their insurance providers based on cost. "Due to the pandemic, larger percentages of younger generations deferred non-essential care and had their insurance coverage impacted," noted TransUnion Healthcare Principal Jonathan Wiik. "At the same time, the industry has reported only modest shifts in payer mix despite the economic and financial impacting these individuals, going against expectations and signifying a gap in coverage."

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters Wednesday that all seniors, healthcare workers, first responders, and vulnerable individuals in the United States could be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of January, reports Live Science . However, this hinges on having sufficient data to know that the vaccine is safe and effective. Azar said the exact time "will really be dependent on events in the trial." To obtain this information, enough people enrolled in the trial must be exposed naturally to the virus. Pfizer, which is testing one of the leading vaccine candidates, currently expects to have enough safety and efficacy data by the third week of November. Assuming the results are positive, the drugmaker will apply for emergency use authorization in the United States, according to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. Even when the general public has been vaccinated, the vaccines will likely not be 100 percent effective as the Food and Drug Administration requires that the vaccine be at least 60 percent effective. "I think the public will be dismayed to know that even though they've received the vaccine, they'll have to keep wearing a mask and social distancing" until the spread of the virus is substantially reduced, cautioned Vanderbilt University's William Schaffner.

The North Pointe of Archdale assisted living community in Archdale, N.C., recently started allowing outside visits to lift residents' spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports WXII 12 . Visitors can only come two at a time, and must remain behind a fence and fill out a screening questionnaire before visiting. "We have to make sure they're not touching, that they remain six feet, everyone has a mask on at all times," said North Pointe Executive Director Rachel Reynolds. She admitted that the safeguards staff must continue to uphold are affecting residents, and her team is carefully monitoring for anyone who may be having difficulty. The community also initiated a pen pal program, with a social media post widely circulating the Internet and bringing letters to North Pointe from around the country.

The city of Boulder, Colo., hopes its new Bridging the Digital Divide program will help improve technological access for older adults and schoolchildren, which has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the Daily Camera . The program is being funded with $100,000 in federal funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The Boulder Public Library and the Housing and Human Services Department will offer the program to adults 55 and older and school-age children, giving them free Chromebooks or iPads, and hotspots. The costs of the hotspots are paid for through the rest of the year, after which participants must cover them. "To be able to expand this to older adults has been super-important for us because it's a huge part of our community, and we want to make sure they're taken care of right now and not feeling isolated," said Boulder Public Library's Aimee Schumm. Seniors are more likely to be socially isolated given their vulnerability to the virus, "and so with many programs going on online, we really want to make sure that any older adult that wants to connect digitally has that opportunity," said Eden Bailey, Boulder's older adult services manager. Boulder spokesperson Julie Causa added that older adults often are most likely to participate in and find connection via live programs hosted by the city. Providing devices enables people to maintain a sense of connection while everything occurs virtually.

Japanese data analysis company Fronteo is planning to kick off clinical trials as soon as early 2021 on a diagnostic tool for dementia that uses artificial intelligence (AI), reports the Nikkei Asian Review . This would make it the first company in Japan to conduct clinical trials of such a system. The tool analyzes five- to 10-minute conversations between patient and doctor, with diagnosis itself taking 60 seconds. It transcribes these conversations into written text, using AI to analyze the structure and words in the text. The doctor makes the final diagnosis according to the results of the AI analysis. Basic testing indicated that the product accurately diagnosed dementia 85 percent of the time, a rate similar to that of medical specialists. The system is engineered to minimize stress on both doctors and patients, and help with early dementia diagnosis. Fronteo aims to initiate commercial sales of the system in 2022.

Results from a new study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia add credibility to findings that noise may influence individuals' risk of developing dementia, reports ScienceDaily . Investigators studied 5,227 participants 65 years or older, 30 percent with mild cognitive impairment and 11 percent with Alzheimer's disease. Those living with 10 decibels more noise near their residences during the daytime had a 36 percent higher risk of mild cognitive impairment and a 30 percent higher likelihood of having Alzheimer's disease. "These findings suggest that within typical urban communities in the United States, higher levels of noise may impact the brains of older adults and make it harder for them to function without assistance," said University of Michigan School of Public Health Professor Sara D. Adar. "This is an important finding since millions of Americans are currently impacted by high levels of noise in their communities." Adar continued that "although noise has not received a great deal of attention in the United States to date, there is a public health opportunity here as there are interventions that can reduce exposures both at the individual and population level."

A Charles Schwab survey estimated that 82 percent of polled baby boomers believe their savings will get them "all the way" or "most of the way" to reaching their retirement goals, and that they will enjoy a better retirement than both previous and subsequent generations, reports USA Today . More than 84 percent of respondents expect their quality of life in retirement to exceed that of their parents, while over 80 percent also expect their retirement will be better than their children's. Respondents hold an average $920,400 in retirement savings, and believe they require an average $135,100 annually to live their ideal life in retirement. "The reality is that they boomers may come up short considering an average savings of $920,400 will only last about seven years at their expected spending rate," said Charles Schwab's Rob Williams. "The good news is that these boomers may have other sources of income like Social Security, but the only way retirees can be sure the math adds up is by putting pen to paper and having a plan in writing." Meanwhile, more than 33 percent of aspiring retirees are more likely to plan to be employed in retirement, while just 2 percent of current retirees plan to do so. Aspiring retirees also expect to retire later than current retirees.

The emergence of senior-age gamers is one of the more intriguing developments in the gaming world, reports HeadStuff . Gaming can have potential health benefits for older hobbyists, while popularity on streaming services is another advantage. One possible reason for growth in senior gamers could be related to advancements in healthcare technology. With telehealth becoming more popular and accessible, seniors are spending more time at home and engaging in hobbies. Western Governors College estimated that telemedicine resulted in "38 percent fewer hospital admissions, 31 percent fewer hospital re-admissions, and 63 percent of patients spent less time in the hospital." Telehealth has likely helped seniors break into the gaming world and commit more time to their new hobby. Experts at Healthline also said new research suggests games may even help detect symptoms of cognitive decline, which can help lead to an early diagnosis of dementia. In terms of improved wellness, gaming could help older adults stay connected to others, try out new things, and feel more positive overall.

Research published in the early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicates that COVID-19-associated deaths occurred primarily among older adults and in certain racial and ethnic minorities from May to August 2020. According to Medical Xpress , there were 114,411 COVID-19-associated deaths reported during the study period, and, 78.2 percent and 53.3 percent of the deceased were 65 or older and male — and 51.3 percent, 24.2 percent, and 18.7 percent were non-Hispanic White, Hispanic or Latino, and non-Hispanic black, respectively. COVID-19-associated deaths declined from 37,940 in May to 17,718 in June, followed by a surge to 30,401 in July and a reduction to 28,352 in August. "These results can inform public health messaging and mitigation efforts focused on prevention and early detection of infection among disproportionately affected groups so as to minimize subsequent mortality," the authors concluded.

Researchers at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in New York are investigating how excessive alcohol consumption leads to Alzheimer's disease, reports Medical Xpress . It is based on the suspicion that binge drinking contributes to the alteration of tau protein into a biological rogue prevalent in Alzheimer's disease. The scientists are exploring how tau can become phosphorylated with binge drinking. "It has been reported that alcohol consumption correlates with Alzheimer's-like cortical atrophy in individuals at high risk of developing the disease as well as younger age of onset," said Feinstein Institutes Professor Max Brenner. "In addition, chronic alcohol exposure caused neural tau phosphorylation in the hippocampus and memory-impairment in Alzheimer's-predisposed mice." The researchers hope their investigation will yield insights on specific proteins that apparently play key roles in the spread of tau, by analyzing the activities of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) and its associated configuration, extracellular cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (eCIRP). eCIRP plays a critical role in mediating memory impairment induced by exposure to excessive alcohol consumption.