Latest news with #USAging
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Dementia: are younger generations really less likely to develop the disorder, as a recent study has claimed?
Dementia affects over 57 million people worldwide – and this number is only projected to grow. By 2030, 78 million people are estimated to have dementia. By 2050, it's projected that number will reach 139 million people. Despite this, a surprising new study has suggested that dementia risk has actually declined with each generation. However, there are good reasons to be sceptical of this finding. The researchers analysed data from 62,437 people aged 70 and over. Data was collected from three longitudinal cohort studies on ageing, including one conducted in the US, one in Europe and one from England. To conduct their analysis, the researchers compared probable dementia diagnoses from people born in eight different generation cohorts. The people in the first cohort were born in 1890-1913, while those in the most recent cohort were born in 1944-48. Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK's latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. The researchers employed an algorithm that suggested probable dementia diagnosis. This was based on participants' demographic characteristics, as well as their cognitive performance and everyday functioning skills (including how well they were able to perform daily functions, such as washing and feeding, and how well they could remember things). These are standard assessment tools used in clinical practice to diagnose dementia. To then validate the algorithm's projections on probable dementia cases, the predictions were compared against a sub-sample of participants from the US Aging, Demographics and Memory study who had a clinical diagnosis of dementia. The participants in this study had undergone a rigorous three- to four-hour cognitive assessment. The algorithm used to create dementia projections showed an over 85% agreement with clinical diagnosis data from that sub-sample data. Once dementia status was calculated, the authors computed two models to ascertain the relationship between age, cohort and dementia onset. They also included gross domestic product (GDP) in their analyses, as there's a correlation between GDP and health – with research showing that people in higher-income nations tend to be healthier than those living in lower-income nations. Their findings revealed that dementia cases decreased for each subsequent generation. For instance, in the US, the algorithm indicated that 25% of people born between 1890-1912 developed dementia, while only 15% of those born in the most recent cohort (1939-1943) developed dementia. In England, almost 16% of people born between 1924-28 were indicated to have developed dementia, compared with around 15% in those born between 1934-38. This effect was also apparently more pronounced for women than for men. It remains unclear why dementia cases fell across the generations, with more recent cohorts having reduced dementia cases. What does this mean? And how does this compare against existing projections? While the authors used a large sample from three established ageing research cohorts, the findings are based on data from high-income countries only. It's well known that dementia can be better diagnosed and cared for in high-income countries, where there are more and better healthcare services and professionals. Dementia is hugely stigmatised in low- and middle-income countries as well. As a result, many people are not as aware of dementia as people living in high-income societies. This means people in lower-income countries may know less about the associated risk factors for dementia and are less likely to receive a diagnosis and support. This is particularly relevant given the fact that most people with dementia reside in low- and middle-income countries. With a lack of cohort data on older adults and dementia cases in low- and middle-income countries, the findings from this study do not provide representative projections on dementia diagnoses globally. It's also important to consider the methods the authors used in their study. The authors used a prediction model. Although this model had high agreement with clinical diagnosis, there are still cases of dementia that will have been missed out as a result. Similarly, the authors did not distinguish between dementia subtypes in their modelling. Dementia is just an umbrella term. About 60-70% of dementia cases are actually Alzheimer's disease. But there are also many rarer subtypes – such as Lewy Body dementia or semantic dementia. Each subtype brings with it different symptoms. A generic model is unlikely to pick up each subtype dementia case correctly. All these factors may possibly explain how the study came to their conclusions. Dementia cases worldwide are actually predicted to increase. As such, the findings from this study should be considered with caution. It may not be the case that dementia prevalence continues to fall for more recently born generations. Part of the reason for these projections is due to the fact that people are living longer and growing older. Dementia primarily affects people aged over 65, so with more people living to be over 65 this means that more people will be at risk of developing the disorder. The world population is growing, too. So naturally we're going to see more people living with dementia – particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where people may have less knowledge of dementia symptoms and may be less able to address the modifiable risk factors linked to greater risk, due to poor healthcare infrastructure. We know that overall, people from more socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds experience greater health inequalities – and these health inequalities may contribute to increased risk of dementia. But as this factor was not taken into account in the study, it's difficult to know whether there really will be any differences in the projected number of dementia cases in younger generations. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Clarissa Giebel receives funding from the ESRC and the NIHR. She sits on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Lewy Body Society.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
USAging Announces New Public Awareness Campaign to Raise Visibility of Area Agencies on Aging
Washington, DC, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USAging is celebrating 50 years as the national organization that represents Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and Title VI Native American Aging Programs. As part of the 50th anniversary, USAging has launched a new public awareness campaign—Area Agencies on Aging: Helping You Live Long and Stay Strong. The goal of this campaign is to make the public aware of AAAs as a vital community resource and to educate consumers about the range of important services that AAAs offer to older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers. There are more than 600 AAAs serving every community across the country ready to help them to age well where most want—at home and in their community. All people hope to enjoy a long and healthy life—but many find that they need a little help as they go through the aging journey. 'Research has shown that two-thirds of older adults will need some support to age well at home,' said USAging CEO Sandy Markwood. 'But people often don't know about AAA services or seek them out until they are in crisis—thereby missing the opportunity to connect to the range of services that are available to help them age well.' Services Provided by AAAsFor Older Adults: Home-delivered and congregate meals: Nutritious meals at home or in group settings. In-home support: Assistance with daily tasks like bathing, cleaning and dressing. Transportation: Rides to medical appointments, stores and community activities. Health and wellness programs: Fall prevention, chronic disease management fitness classes. Benefits counseling: Help understanding and enrolling in Medicare, Medicaid and more. For Caregivers: Respite care: Short-term relief to prevent burnout. Training and support: Educational tools and support groups for caregivers. Information and referral: Guidance to local programs, services and community resources. 'By 2035, older adults are expected to outnumber children under age 18 for the first time in the history of this country,' said Markwood. 'By 2040, a full 22 percent of the American population will be 65 years or older. Currently, there are more than 53 million unpaid family caregivers in the United States. There has never been a more crucial time for people to learn about AAAs and the services that are available to them to help them live long and stay strong.'For more information, visit or connect with your local AAA by contacting the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 or CONTACT: Bethany Coulter USAging 202.872.0888 bcoulter@ in to access your portfolio
Fox News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
USA Gymnastics assessing transgender policy after deleting rules on letting males in women's category
USA Gymnastics (USAG) could be the next major American sports governing body to change its policies on allowing trans athletes to compete with women. The organization provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing why its website pages for its transgender eligibility policies and resources were deleted. "In May, USAG removed its policy to assess compliance with the current legal landscape," the statement said. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 5 to ban trans athletes from women's sports, and USA Fencing has already faced federal scrutiny over its rules that let males compete with females. USAG's previous policies were highly permissive to biological males who wished to compete in the women's category. One of the deleted webpages was a November 2020 announcement stating that the organization would no longer require trans athletes to undergo sex reassignment, legal gender recognition and hormone therapy in order to compete in the gender category of their choosing. The organization also previously had resources and guidelines for trans athletes on its website, but those pages have also been deleted. USAG was thrust into the spotlight this past weekend after Olympic legend Simone Biles garnered mass backlash for attacking former NCAA swimmer and conservative influencer Riley Gaines. Biles called Gaines "truly sick" and suggested Gaines is the size of a male after Gaines pointed out that a Minnesota high school whose softball team won a state championship Friday with a transgender pitcher, and that Minnesota's high school league disabled comments on an X post of the announcement. Biles has since issued a public apology for her comments against Gaines. Generally, the American public has become more universally opposed to allowing trans athletes to compete in women's sports over the last year. A New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, do not think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democratic, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women. Other major Team USA sports governing bodies have quietly amended their transgender policies amid rising opposition to trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports. USA Track and Field (USATF) official transgender eligibility policy now references the World Athletics guidelines on its official webpage. USATF previously referenced the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s policy, as seen in an archive via Wayback Machine. The IOC allows biological males to compete in the women's category, while World Athletics bans any athlete who has undergone male puberty from competing as a woman. USA Fencing announced in April that it is preparing to change its gender-eligibility policy, after a viral protest by women's fencer Stephanie Turner sparked mass backlash and federal intervention by protesting a trans opponent. The organization said it is preparing to amend its current policies that allow biological males to compete with women and girls in the event that it is "forced" to change them. "In the event that USA Fencing is forced to change its current stance in accordance with oversight bodies or federal legislation, the new policy states athletes competing in USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments must compete according to their biological sex," the announcement read. The proposed updated policy ensures that the women's category "will be open exclusively to athletes of the female sex." The men's category "will be open to all other athletes who are otherwise eligible for competition." Now, USA Gymnastics is getting in on the wave of changes, as Team USA as a whole could have a very different set of rules in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics compared to years past. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
USAging and 50+ National Groups Call on Congress to Protect the Older Americans Act
Washington, DC, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USAging and more than 50 other national aging and health-focused organizations and enterprises have called upon Congress to protect the federal Older Americans Act (OAA) in a letter sent today to the leaders of the committees of jurisdiction for the OAA. The letter calls attention to a proposal to break apart OAA services under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reorganization. 'We're pleased that so many other national advocates for older adults and caregivers are raising their concerns about this grave mistake,' said USAging CEO Sandy Markwood, 'and we look forward to working with the Trump Administration, Secretary Kennedy and Congress to ensure that the OAA stays unified and is appropriately administered at the federal level by a human services agency.' The OAA creates and funds critical supports and services that help older adults stay healthy, safe and able to remain living independently in their homes or communities. These services include in-home help with dressing, bathing and eating; rides to medical appointments; case management; adult day care; home-delivered and congregate meals; and many more. 'We are concerned, however, that the HHS reorganization threatens to disrupt this efficient, effective delivery system and leave older adults and caregivers stranded,' the letter says. 'A leaked copy of the HHS budget for Fiscal Year 2026 would splinter apart the programs that make up the Older Americans Act.' USAging and the other signers are concerned that the proposed HHS reorganization threatens to disrupt the OAA's effective federal, state and local delivery system and leave older adults and caregivers without the supports they need. Dividing up the different OAA programs and spreading them across two different HHS agencies, as has been proposed, will severely impact the ability of older adults to get the OAA services that are critical to enabling them to remain living at home and in the community versus facing placement in institutional settings, as well as drive cost inefficiencies through unnecessary and wasteful administrative burden on federal, state and local aging agencies. The signers are calling for members of Congress to ensure that the HHS reorganization does not break apart the OAA and instead keeps all of HHS' OAA programs together and administered at the Administration on Aging (AoA) under an Assistant Secretary on Aging, even if AoA is moved under the Administration for Children and Families. CONTACT: Bethany Coulter USAging 202.872.0888 bcoulter@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
