“International dementia experts have expanded their list of risk factors that, if reduced or eliminated, could prevent or delay 40% of dementia cases worldwide.”

International experts have identified 12 modifiable risk factors that could prevent or delay dementia.

by Bridget M. Kuehn, MSJ

“In its 2017 report, The Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care identified 9 preventable risk factors for dementia: having little or no education, hypertension, untreated hearing impairment, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, and low social contact. Since then, the commission has reported that emerging evidence points to 3 more preventable dementia risk factors: head injuries or excessive alcohol consumption in midlife and air pollution exposure in later life.

“To prevent or delay dementia, the commission recommended that countries provide primary and elementary education for all children, take steps to prevent obesity and diabetes, and reduce air pollution and secondhand smoke exposure. They also recommended programs to prevent smoking initiation, hearing loss, and head injuries, and to encourage hearing aid use and smoking cessation. Additional preventive measures include maintaining systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg or lower in midlife, limiting alcohol to fewer than 21 servings per week, and maintaining an active lifestyle.

“’Interventions are likely to have the biggest impact on those who are disproportionately affected by dementia risk factors, like those in low- and middle-income countries and vulnerable populations, including Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities,’ Gill Livingston, MD, chair of the expert panel and professor of psychiatry of older people at University College London, said in a statement. It’s time to ‘begin tackling inequalities to improve the circumstances in which people live their lives,’ she added.”

Click here to read this article at JAMA Network in its entirety.

by, Ashton Applewhite

“A terrific special section of July 25th’s New York Times was devoted to the 30^th anniversary of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. There is no mention of age or ageism. It would be convenient to attribute that omission to the fact that most older people are not disabled (true but complicated). But you sure wouldn’t know it from the way the media and public health advisories turn the vast and varied 60+ population into ‘the [frail/vulnerable/dependent] elderly.’ And it’s not the real reason. The real reason is that we act as though people with disabilities don’t grow old and olders never become disabled—and an ageist and ableist culture gives us cover.

“That has to change. Aging and disability are not the same. But they overlap in ethically and tactically important ways:

“There are a lot of us, and our numbers are growing. As modern medicine saves people who once would have died, more disabled people are reaching adulthood and beyond. One out of four American adults has some type of disability. Disability rates rise steeply after age 75—the fastest-growing age cohort. Population aging is a permanent, global, demographic trend. Some impairment awaits us all.”

Continue reading this article at Changing Aging, click here.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice

by Sherry Levi, Ph.D,

“We mourn the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who was a giant champion of equality and fairness and who fought stereotypes and discrimination. RBG was no stranger to stereotyping and discrimination, as she was often unfairly judged through labels such as woman, working mother, Jew, older adult, and older woman.

“RBG is fondly remembered for her immense accomplishments, including challenging age discrimination and becoming a role model who defied ageism and gendered ageism.

“For over 20 years, RBG faced blatant ageism with persistent public calls to step down as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, a position that uniquely has a lifetime appointment. Justice Ginsburg would aptly point out that Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens retired at 90. Why should an active and leading justice such as RBG be expected to retire before 90?”

Continue reading this article in its entirety at Psychology Today magazine.

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI2GS1ROAQm5zH7luA_JKG847a2QxytU2Qm3rc6xJmHSSVlw/viewform

Older adults are at an increased risk for financial exploitation due to health changes which occur during the natural aging process, as well as their  steady income, accumulated wealth, and retirement savings over their lifespan.

“In response to Governor Wolf’s Executive Order on protecting vulnerable populations, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging has released a study on the impact of financial exploitation of older adults in Pennsylvania. 

“The study reviewed financial exploitation cases in 14 Pennsylvania counties during the period July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018 to examine the types of financial exploitation that occurred, the combined amount lost, and the financial impact of these losses on the victims, the economy and the commonwealth. The study also reviewed financial exploitation studies conducted by three other states, as well as academic literature published on the topic.”

Click here to download the complete report, including the Department of Aging’s recommendations for how the commonwealth can strengthen prevention efforts.

“Since the pandemic set in, Grace Riario and Melissa Morrone have witnessed a similar phenomenon at the libraries they work at in New York: people gathering around to try to catch the wifi outside their doors because indoor service is largely shut down. ‘People sit in the parking lot and on the benches outside, and they sit there for hours trying to do work,’ Riario said.

“Riario oversees nine libraries in the Catskills region, where some areas don’t have access to broadband internet at all. Morrone is a supervising librarian in Brooklyn, where even if people do theoretically have access, many can’t afford it. They’re both seeing the real-life manifestations of the so-called ‘digital divide.’ The divide is both rural and urban and tied to both access and inclusion.

“According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 21 million Americans don’t have access to quality broadband internet, though some estimates suggest that number is much higher, even double.”

Continue reading this article at vox.com.

Is your team overwhelmed by technology? | “Questions that can help your team manage technology overload“ – SmartBrief