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Keeping Blood Pressure Low Reduces Alzheimer’s And Dementia Risk

by Richard Kuehn on 11/03/22

Scientists know that having high blood pressure, particularly between the ages of 40 and 65, increases the risk of developing dementia later in life.  Until now, it was not clear whether monitoring your blood pressure at home and then getting on meds to control it if it is high was helpful in reducing dementia in older adults.

"What is so exciting about our study is that the data shows that those people who were taking the blood pressure lowering medication had a lower risk of a dementia diagnosis than those taking a matching placebo," said Ruth Peters, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia, who is also a senior research scientist at Neuroscience Research Australia, a nonprofit research organization, told KSBW News.

The new study, which was published recently in the European Heart Journal, looked at 28,000 older adults (with an average age of 69) who all had a history of hypertension.  It found that a drop of about 10 mm/HG on the systolic and 4 mm/HG on the diastolic blood pressure reading at 12 months significantly lowered the risk of a dementia diagnosis.

In addition, as blood pressure dropped, so did cognitive risk, which held true to at least 100 mm/HG systolic and 70 mm/HG diastolic.  When sex, age or history of stroke were taken into account, there was no difference in outcome.

1 In 10 Seniors Have Dementia, New Study Shows

by Richard Kuehn on 10/24/22

A new study, which was published in the journal JAMA Neurology, found that one in 10 Americans over the age of 65 have dementia, while 22% experienced mild cognitive impairment.   It studied nearly 3,500 people via interviews and neuropsychological tests on a randomly selected sample of seniors between June of 2016 and October of 2017.  15% of those who identified as black tested positive for dementia, while 22% had mild cognitive decline.  10% of those who identified as Hispanic had dementia, while 28% had mild cognitive impairment.  This compares to 9% of white people who had dementia and 21% had mild cognitive impairment.

https://www.ksbw.com/article/1-in-10-americans-over-65-have-dementia/41754735?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email%20-%20Coronavirus&utm_source=6356f5ccad3dcd1328edeafa546475f8&brzu=cbd2b1a310c325a9dac49d86de69a91a6d69f6980ca8166044e7444b94298971&lctg=5e692834540c2869ac96668b

Alliance On Aging Offers Free One-On-One Computer Training For Seniors

by Richard Kuehn on 10/21/22

The Alliance on Aging has a wide array of services, including sessions on Medicare options, a market day where you can mingle with other seniors and get affordable farmer’s market quality produce.  In addition, they provide one-on-one computer training for seniors.  For more information, visit their offices called “The HUB” on 236 Monterey Street in Salinas, call 646-5050 or go to www.allianceonaging.org/hb/

Medicare Open Enrollment From October 15 To December 7 : Check Your Options!

by Richard Kuehn on 10/15/22

Medicare Open Enrollment arrives, with their Annual Election Period (AEP) running from October 15 to December 7.  Those who are in a standalone Part D drug plan should check and make sure that they have the best coverage possible for the prescription medication that they are on.  Coverage and plans change every year so getting the right plan could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year.  Similarly, if you are looking at a Medicare Advantage Plan should look at your likely health needs, including hospitals, doctors, durable equipment, as well as prescription costs.  Alliance on Aging has a number of free presentations on this topic.  Click here for the dates and locations.

https://allianceonaging.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Medicare-Update-2023-Seminar-List-Merged-003.pdf

Medicare Part B Bills To Decline 3% Next Year

by Richard Kuehn on 10/06/22

For the first time in a decade, Americans will be paying less next year for Medicare Part B.  The 3% decrease in premiums (a savings of $5.20 per month for most people) comes after a tough year with extremely high inflation.  “To millions of seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare, that means more money in their pockets while still getting the care they need,” President Biden said.

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