Risk Factors for Dementia Identified
STUDY FOCUSED ON MIDLIFE BEHAVIOR
A new study, published on August 5th in Neurology Open Access examined risk factors in midlife that appear to be associated with a higher risk of developing dementia later in life. The research, based on 12,409 participants with an average age of 56, found that the risk factors are: high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking. When these vascular risks are controlled, they can add approximately 13 years of dementia-free life, according to the study. The research also found that, no matter how many risk factors participants had, the women participants lived longer without dementia than men and Caucasian participants had more dementia-free years than Black participants. The findings demonstrated that vascular issues are highly correlative with cognitive health and highlight the need for early preventive measures to extend dementia-free years.
Government / Legislative Update
SENATE ESCALATES EFFORTS TO COMBAT ELDER FRAUD
The US Senate is currently addressing elder fraud through a number of hearings and legislative packages:
- AI and Deepfake Threats: Last month, the Aging Committee held a special hearing on how scammers are deploying synthetic voices, chatbots, and advanced digital impersonation to bypass identity verification to target isolated seniors.
- The SCAM Act: The Senate passed the bipartisan Scam Compound Accountability and Mobilization Act to dismantle foreign scam compounds (often operating out of China or Southeast Asia) that run large-scale cyber-fraud operations.
- The Senior Security Act: Introduced by a bipartisan coalition aims to protect investors over 65 by establishing a dedicated Senior Investor Task Force within the SEC.
- The GUARD Act: Backed by the AARP, the Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act expands the capacity of state and local law enforcement to track cryptocurrency and blockchain trails often left by romance and investment scammers.
- The STOP Scams Against Seniors Act: Proposed legislation to authorize federal funds explicitly for creating localized elder justice task forces to track down, report, and prosecute financial fraudsters.
Scam Alert
SHARK TANK MEMBER’S WARNING TO GMAIL USERS
Lori Greiner, a TV personality and entrepreneur, recently addressed her concerns about the lack of digital privacy for Gmail users. In a video posted on multiple social media sites, she Gmail photo illustrationwarns that Google has a default setting that enables AI to scan all of your emails. This may include financial data, tax information, and personal conversations. Users likely agree to this when accepting Google’s Terms and Conditions. By enabling Gemini, Google’s generative AI chatbot and virtual assistant, the AI engine crawls through your inbox to deliver smart searches, contextual replies and email summaries. It’s clearly a significant change and it is live for Gmail’s 1.8 billion users.
Here are instructions to turn off the smart features:
- Open Gmail on a computer browser.
- Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top-right corner, then select See all settings.
- Under the General tab, scroll down to Smart features and personalization and uncheck the box.
- Scroll further down to Smart features in other Google products and uncheck both boxes.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
- Keep in mind that if you turn off the ability for emails to be scanned, a few convenient automated features like package tracking and flight alerts will be disabled.
RIP Dolly Parton
COUNTRY MUSIC ICON PASSES AWAY AT 80
The passing of Dolly Parton earlier this month has brought a palpable wave of sadness across the country and around the world. The legendary “Queen of Country Music,” actress, and composer of songs like “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5” was also an impactful philanthropist. She shared her philosophy on life in her music and in interviews, always emphasizing unity and kindness over partisan politics. When asked about her views on aging, she famously stated: “I aint got time to get old” and that she did not measure her life by the years on a calendar, but rather by her experiences, accomplishments, and what she had ahead of her. The icon also shared that she didn’t think death is the end for any of us. Rest in Peace, Dolly Parton – you’ll be missed.
