EverSafe Newsletter

Vitamin Deficiency and Dementia Risk

STUDIES FOCUS ON VITAMIN B12 AND VITAMIN D

Dementia persists as a disturbing global health issue. New cases will double by 2060, when one million US adults are projected to develop the condition each year, according to new study published earlier this year. But in hopeful news, recent studies suggest that taking an adequate level of certain vitamins may be significant in preventing the condition. One analysis, published last month, found that B12 is particularly important for brain health. And it found that those with lower levels of the vitamin, even when meeting the current recommended minimum requirement, may not actually be enough – particularly for older adults. Levels that are too low may even put individuals at an elevated risk for cognitive impairment. In earlier research, conducted for the Alzheimer’s Association in 2023, the effects of Vitamin D were examined on a cohort of 12,388 participants. It found that Vitamin D exposure was associated with a 40% lower dementia incidence as compared to no exposure. The Vitamin D effects were significantly greater in females versus males. Although these studies have not proven that vitamins prevent the advent of dementias like Alzheimer’s Disease, they do show promise in improving memory and brain health and delaying cognitive aging.

SCAM ALERT

WATCH OUT FOR CLOUD STORAGE FRAUD

The Cloud Storage scam has become quite popular among fraudsters. It works like this: scammers pretend to be legitimate cloud or file storage providers (e.g. iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive) and message the recipient that their storage is nearly full and they need to purchase more in order protect their files, images, or data – and enlarge their storage capacity. The recipient, concerned about the potential loss of his or her files, enters their log-in credentials and/or financial information on a phishing site. This scam is similar to the “Mailbox Full” scam, in which the recipient receives phony warnings about their email storage being full – along with a clickable link that directs them to log-in and provide other personal identifying information. To avoid this scam, which could result in the installation of malware, recipients should inspect the sender’s email address carefully as it often looks suspicious. If they hover their cursor over the link in the communication, it’s possible to see whether or not they are taken to an official website. The best course of action, should there be any doubt, is to look up the official domain and take steps to increase storage with directions from the legitimate provider. As always, any questions about these emails can be directed to EverSafe’s hotline at: hotline@eversafe.com.

GOVERNMENT / LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

HHS SECRETARY TO DISMANTLE AGENCY SERVING SENIORS

On March 27th, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new plan to reorganize its agencies and reduce its workforce. The announcement specifically calls for the dissolution of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the section of HHS that provides programs for older adults and people with disabilities. The press release announcing these changes states that the services ACL and the other eliminated agencies provide will be absorbed into other parts of HHS. HHS will be downsized from 82,000 to 62,00 employees.

March Madness Winds Down

FOR COACHES, ADVANCED AGE IS A WIN

Enjoying March Madness? Many folks feel that the older NCAA coaches have the “secret sauce” for winning championships. Who are they? The most senior coaches in the NCAA Division 1 tournament are 70 or older. Rick Pitino, of St John’s is 72, which makes him the oldest head coach in the Tournament. Rick Barnes of Tennessee and Tom Izzo, of Michigan State, are tied for second – at 70. MedicareAdvantage.com examined the ages of every head coach in the NCAA D1 men’s basketball tournament for the past 10 seasons and discovered an interesting trend: the older the coach, the more likely his team is to have success in the tournament. “In nearly every round of every tournament since the 2009-10 season, the average age of winning head coaches has increased with every round.” Moreover, in the last decade, NCAA head coaches who are under age 50 have gone just 254-308 (.452) and only two coaches under the age of 50 have won the tournament (Tony Bennett and Kevin Ollie). By comparison, over the last 10 tournaments, head coaches who are 60 and up over have gone a combined 183-115 (.614) with five national championships and made the Final Four 15 times! Consider the age of the coach the next time you fill out your March Madness brackets!