“Aging Americans fall prey to ‘brain-boosting’ supplements offering hope, hype and dodgy data,” by Suzanne Leigh, MedicalXPress “Americans are feeding the multi-billion-dollar ‘brain health’ dietary supplement industry in a desperate bid to stave off or reverse Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. But such treatments are ‘pseudomedicine’ and health care providers should discourage patients from pursuing them, say neurologists at UC San Francisco.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Snake oil for the brain.  
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“Report: 85% of Baby Boomers plan to work into their 70s (and even 80s),” by Sheila McClear, Ladders “There’s no doubt about it: many Baby Boomers simply aren’t ready to retire. Either they don’t have enough money saved up yet, or they simply aren’t ready to leave the working world behind. Deloitte Insights took a look at what this means for the workforce, which will now absorb five generations of workers. Some organizations will be more prepared than others for people working well past retirement age. Deloitte examined who our oldest workers are, what they need, what drives them, as well as how employers can create jobs
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“Simplicity Acquires LTC Distributor,” by Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor “An insurance distributor with private equity backing has announced another distribution company deal. Simplicity Group Holdings said Thursday that it has acquired America’s First Financial Corp. of St. Peters, Missouri. America’s First was founded in 1960. It now focuses on wholesaling long-term care planning programs based on use of life insurance policies and annuity contracts.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Evidently, their focus is on equity-based products.  
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“Scamming Grandma: Financial Abuse of Seniors Hits Record,” by Yuka Hayashi, Wall Street Journal “U.S. banks reported a record 24,454 suspected cases of elder financial abuse to the Treasury Department last year, more than double the amount five years earlier, according to government data. … Meanwhile, people over 50 represent one-third of the population but account for 61% of bank accounts and 70% of bank deposits, according to 2017 research by the American Bankers Association. … Bankers and senior-citizen advocates say many cases of elder abuse involve family members or caregivers. … Bankers attribute an increase in social media use by older Americans for
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“New Study Says Americans Flocking To Urgent Care Instead Of Their Primary Doctor Due To Convenience,” by Dr. Max Gomez, CBS “More and more people are choosing urgent care over their primary doctor. It’s a growing trend among millions of Americans that could be changing the health care industry, CBS2’s Dr. Max Gomez reported Tuesday. … Urgent care clinics can ease demand in crowded and expensive hospital emergency rooms. Plus, the clinics often refer complicated patients to the main hospital. Both are reasons many urgent care clinics are actually owned by major hospital systems.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President,
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“CMS announces new ‘innovations’ to Medicare Advantage plans,” by Marty Stempniak, McKnight’s LTC News “The federal government announced a broad array of changes to Medicare Advantage plans last week in hopes it will further pressure providers to up their game in caring for seniors. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services officials said Friday that those ‘innovations’ will include everything from customizing plans based on beneficiaries’ chronic conditions and socioeconomic status to increasing access to telehealth services. It also wants to up plans’ incentives for seniors to improve their health.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care
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