By Lisa Feldman Barrett | The New York Times | December 31, 2016

Think about the people in your life who are 65 or older. Some of them are experiencing the usual mental difficulties of old age, like forgetfulness or a dwindling attention span. Yet others somehow manage to remain mentally sharp. My father-in-law, a retired doctor, is 83 and he still edits books and runs several medical websites.

Why do some older people remain mentally nimble while others decline? “Superagers” (a term coined by the neurologist Marsel Mesulam) are those whose memory and attention isn’t merely above average for their age, but is actually on par with healthy, active 25-year-olds. My colleagues and I at Massachusetts General Hospital recently studied superagers to understand what made them tick. Continue reading »

Click poster to RSVP.

As the American population ages, the medical and legal systems will have to balance concerns about protecting the elderly from fraud and victimization with fundamental autonomy rights. In this event, the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior will present a case that concerns a tragic trajectory caused by undetected brain disease and discuss both missed opportunities to intervene and the implications for legal and social policy. Weaving a narrative that highlights the subject’s personal life and neurological decline, experts in psychiatry, law, and neurology will consider: what can be done to protect the vulnerable, aging brain?

Examining everything from forensic reports, to medical records, to a literal brain, CLBB Co-Director Dr. Judith Edersheim and CLBB Faculty Member Dr. Brad Dickerson (of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School) will tell a story that exemplifies how vulnerable an ailing, elderly person can be. CLBB Co-Director Dr. Bruce Price will join as a discussant during the Q&A session with the audience.

This event will be held on Thursday, December 15, 2016, at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Bornstein Amphitheater, from 7:00-8:30 pm.

Make sure to RSVP before the event!

This event is free and open to the public. A brief reception will precede the event from 6:30-7:00 PM. Continue reading »

The states have long been concerned with caregiver qualifications for nursing home employees. The elderly, whose health is failing, are at high risk for abuse, neglect, maltreatment, and assault by staff and even other nursing home residents. Accordingly, each state has enacted screening procedure to conduct thorough background checks on staff, and in many cases residents, prior to granting them access to the facilities. Yet, as USA Today reports, this high degree of caution has failed to translate to office workers in nursing homes. Unfortunately, the lack of proper screening procedures, has resulted in thousands, if not millions of dollars, in fraud. Read the full story here.

This timely reminder of the vulnerability of elderly is just another reason that CLBB’s work on understanding decision-making by the elderly is essential. If you are interested in learning more, please attend our symposium on 12/12/13 on Capacity, Finances, and the Elderly: Brain Science Meets the Law.

Source: USA Today, December 1, 2013.