Germany has pledged extra financial support to Holocaust survivors worldwide — including roughly 58,000 to 60,000 American seniors — amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Newsweek . The agreement between the German government and the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany is worth $663 million. Under the agreement's terms, a total of 240,000 survivors will qualify to claim $2,800 each over the next two years, to be received in annual payments of about $1,400. "In the face of a devastating global pandemic, it was vital to secure larger increases for survivors while also seeking immediate funds to help them through these extremely challenging times," said Claims Conference Special Negotiator Stuart E. Eizenstat. The commitment comes as talks between the White House and Capitol Hill Democrats over a further round of stimulus checks for Americans have hit one stalemate after another.

According to the Administration for Community Living , the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is teaming up with the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) to provide a free, one-hour webinar on Oct. starting at 2 p.m. Eastern. NAC will share findings from its joint study with AARP on caregiving. For its part, the CFPB will share free resources for financial caregivers of older adults, with a focus on tips and tools that can be used during the coronavirus pandemic to manage someone else's money. Among the presenters will be CFPB's Kate Kramer and NAC's Gabriela Prudencio.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' Aging & Adult Services Agency has announced a partnership with GetSetup, an education technology company focusing on older adults, reports WILX 10 . The alliance has established a new free resource for Michiganders 60 and older as the state continues to face the pandemic. Through the program, older adults will be able to receive free help on navigating technology like videoconferencing and telemedicine. Older Michiganders can access over 150 free online group classes designed for and led by older adults. Classes focus on topics like using a smartphone or tablet, Gmail, Facebook, and grocery delivery, along with virtual social hours. Accessing GetSetup requires an Internet connection. GetSetUp will run online classes 10 hours a day as part of the initiative, with courses available for free for the next six months.

A new oral COVID-19 test currently used for ESPN film crews that have to be tested regularly will be made available to some Louisville, Ky., sites this week, reports WAVE-TV 3 . The oral rinse from Lucid DX Labs may be a better screening option for children and older adults. Testers swish the rinse for a minute like a mouthwash, then spit it into a tube. People taking the rinse also took a nasal swab test to help validate the results. The rinse is deemed more reliable than some rapid tests that use a single saliva sample. "It causes you to salivate right so you're not collecting saliva," said Lucid DX Labs CEO Greg Ingle. "You're collecting back the oral rinse which has the viscosity of water. It makes it very easy to scale in the laboratory." The test may be a better option for seniors with dry mouth or those who do not like the nasal swab test.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it has partnered with CVS Health and Walgreens to provide free coronavirus vaccines to seniors and staff in long-term care communities, reports CNBC . Beginning Monday, long-term care communities will be allowed to choose which pharmacy they prefer to have on-site. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Jay Butler said they can opt-in to the program via the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network. Should a community elect to not opt-in, there will be the possibility of administering vaccines through other sources. HHS said CVS and Walgreens will schedule and coordinate on-site clinic dates directly with each community, and the pharmacies expect three visits in all over two months to administer both doses of vaccine to residents and staff. Long-term care communities have no obligation to participate. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma said the agreement will guarantee that nursing communities "are at the front of the line for the COVID vaccine and will bring their grueling trial to a close as swiftly as possible." The announcement coincided on the day states must submit their draft plans to the federal government on how they will distribute a COVID vaccine if and when one is approved for public use.

Late last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released data showing that 21 percent of Medicare beneficiaries report forgoing non-coronavirus disease 2019 care because of the pandemic. Researchers also found that almost all of beneficiaries — 98 percent — have taken preventative measures to keep themselves safe from the virus. The survey shows that the most common type of forgone care because of the crisis was dental care (43 percent), followed by regular check-ups (36 percent) and treatment for an ongoing condition (also 36 percent). The No. 1 reason cited for forgoing care was "not wanting to risk being at a medical facility" (45 percent). Regarding preventative health behaviors, almost all beneficiaries cited at least one or more actions they have taken to safeguard themselves, with regular handwashing/hand sanitizer use topping the list (98 percent).

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) reports that Generations United and The Eisner Foundation are set to present a virtual briefing on the value of intergenerational shared sites in serving young and old throughout the pandemic and beyond. The one-hour briefing will take place Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. Eastern. Register here for it, if interested. "Recognized in the Older Americans Act, intergenerational shared sites — or settings where children, youth, and older adults participate in services and/or programs concurrently in the same space — have proven to increase well-being for people of all ages while enhancing organizational and community resources," according to ACL. The program will include an overview of what has been learned from shared sites during the COVID-19 crisis. Speakers will include Donna M. Butts, Executive Director of Generations United, and The Eisner Foundation CEO Trent Stamp.

Research finds that existing medication can slow and reverse aging and immune system decline in older adults, reports The Conversation . These effects were first seen 11 years ago in mice treated with low doses of the antifungal drug rapamycin, which inhibits mTOR — a protein that functions as the major cell nutrient sensor and regulates protein synthesis. This inhibition makes it easier for cells to recycle damaged proteins, and mice receiving rapamycin lived 15 percent to 25 percent longer than those not taking the drug. In 2012 researchers used a variant of rapamycin (everolimus) administered to senior volunteers, whose immune response to flu vaccinations improved by about 20 percent. Another study treated primates with interleukin-7, then vaccinated them against the flu. They had enhanced responses to flu vaccines. The new imperative for researchers is to test these drugs on a large scale to determine if they are just as effective in enhancing immunity in large populations and specific subgroups.

A study in Neurology showed severe apathy in cognitively normal older people can be a forerunner of future dementia, reports MedPage Today . Compared with older adults with low levels of apathy, those with severe apathy were almost twice as likely to develop probable dementia over nine years of follow-up. The researchers followed 2,018 white and black community-dwelling older adults, mean age 73.9: 768 people were categorized as having low apathy, 742 moderate apathy, and 508 severe apathy. Those with greater apathy at baseline were significantly more likely to be male, black, and less educated. During the follow-up period, 381 participants developed probable dementia, and severe apathy was associated with a higher risk of dementia compared with low apathy. Moderate apathy also was linked to elevated dementia risk versus low apathy, but this relationship was not significant after adjustment. Increased apathy was associated with worse cognitive score at baseline, but not the rate of cognitive change over time. "While depression has been studied more extensively as a predictor of dementia, our study adds to the research showing that apathy also deserves attention as an independent predictor of the disease," said the University of California, San Francisco's Meredith Bock.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health has announced the winners and finalists of the first phase of the MENTAL Health Innovation Challenge to combat social isolation. Launched earlier this summer, the challenge will award $750,000 for development of an easy-to-use online system that offers suggestions for activities, programs, resources, and technologies that can assist people in connecting to others and engaging in their community. Out of 38 proposals, eight were invited to present their solutions to a panel of judges. No Wrong Door Virginia's Social Health Connector and United Way Worldwide's You Connect were chosen to advance to the competition's second phase. "Each was awarded $75,000 to support continued development and testing of their solution as they compete for a first-place prize of $450,000 and a second-place prize of $100,000," notes ACL. The winning system will be announced and demonstrated in January at the annual CES trade show produced by the Consumer Technology Association.