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A slower walk as you age has always been a warning sign of increasing frailty that could lead to falls and other disabilities, experts say. Emerging research in small groups of elderly subjects has also found that a slower gait from year to year may be an early sign of cognitive decline.

That may be due to shrinking in the right hippocampus, which is the part of the brain associated with memory, according to studies.

But not all signs of cognitive decline predict later dementia – only 10 per cent to 20 per cent of people age 65 or older with mild cognitive impairment or MCI develop dementia over the next year, according to the National Institute on Aging.

"In many cases, the symptoms of MCI may stay the same or even improve," the institute states.

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Now, a large, new study of nearly 17,000 adults over age 65 finds people who walk about 5 per cent slower or more each year while also exhibiting signs of slower mental processing were most likely to develop dementia. The study was published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open.

"These results highlight the importance of gait in dementia risk assessment," wrote corresponding author Taya Collyer, a research fellow at Peninsula Clinical School at Monash University in Victoria, Australia.

'Dual decliners' at highest risk

The new study followed a group of Americans aged over 65 and Australians aged over 70 for seven years. Every other year, people in the study were asked to take cognitive tests that measured overall cognitive decline, memory, processing speed and verbal fluency.

Twice every other year, subjects were also asked to walk 3 metres, or about 10 feet. The two results were then averaged to determine the person's typical gait.

At the end of the study, researchers found the highest risk of dementia was for "dual decliners," or people who not only walked more sluggishly but also showed some signs of cognitive decline, said Dr. Joe Verghese, a professor of geriatrics and neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York, who was not involved in the study.

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"Furthermore, dual decliners had a higher risk of dementia than those with either gait or cognitive decline alone," Verghese wrote in an accompanying editorial published Tuesday in the JAMA journal.

A dual association between walking speed and memory decline is predictive of later dementia, a 2020 meta-analysis of nearly 9,000 American adults found.

Yet despite those findings, "gait dysfunction has not been considered an early clinical feature in patients with Alzheimer's disease," Verghese wrote.

Exercise may help

There are things we can do as we age to reverse the brain shrinkage that comes along with typical aging. Studies have found that aerobic exercise increases the size of the hippocampus, increasing some aspects of memory.

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Buried deep in the brain's temporal lobe, the hippocampus is an oddly shaped organ that is responsible for learning, consolidating memories and spatial navigation, such as the ability to remember directions, locations and orientations.

Aerobic exercise training increased the volume of the right anterior hippocampus by 2 per cent, thus reversing age-related loss in the organ by one to two years in a 2011 randomised clinical trial. In comparison, people who only did stretching exercises had an approximate decline of about 1.43 per cent over the same time period.

Aerobic exercise means with "air," and is a type of workout where heart rate and breathing increase, but not so much that you cannot continue to function. Types of aerobic exercise can include brisk walking, swimming, running, biking, dancing and kickboxing, as well as all the cardio machines at your local gym, such as a treadmill, elliptical trainer, rower or stair climber.

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A second case of monkeypox has been identified in New South Wales.

A man in his 50s developed symptoms after arriving in Sydney from Queensland.

"He subsequently presented to his GP and then hospital with symptoms clinically compatible with monkeypox," NSW Health said in a statement.

EXPLAINED: What is monkeypox and what are its symptoms?

"Urgent testing is consistent with monkeypox, the second case in NSW."

The man is currently in hospital.

NSW Health added he lives alone and authorities haven't identified any high-risk contacts in NSW who need to isolate however some people who had low level contact will be advised to monitor for symptoms.

The case is not connected to the first which was reported two weeks ago.

"NSW Health is working with Queensland Health to identify potential transmission incidents," NSW Health said.

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NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the community does not need to be concerned about the risk of the virus.

"We will continue to work with GPs, hospitals and sexual health services across the state to provide advice on diagnosis and referral," Chant said.

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that does not spread easily between people and symptoms include fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said monkeypox symptoms are "very similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe".

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It is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, the WHO said.

The WHO said vaccines used to eradicate smallpox also provide protection against monkeypox.

More than 550 cases of monkeypox have been identified in 30 different countries, according to WHO.

The former girlfriend of a man gunned down on a rural winding road says his alleged killer began acting “a little bit erratic” in the months leading up to the incident.Bayden Williams’ former girlfriend, Chloe Randall, told the…

Sheryl Sandberg is stepping down as chief operating officer of Facebook-parent Meta, the company confirmed on Wednesday.

In a post on Facebook, Sandberg did not disclose the reason for her departure from the company, which will take place in the fall. Sandberg said she planned to focus on her philanthropic work going forward. She has worked for the company for 14 years.

"The debate around social media has changed beyond recognition since those early days. To say it hasn't always been easy is an understatement," Sandberg wrote.

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"But it should be hard. The products we make have a huge impact, so we have the responsibility to build them in a way that protects privacy and keeps people safe."

Sandberg will continue to serve on the company's board of directors, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a separate Facebook post.

Javier Olivan, the company's Chief Growth Officer, will become its next COO, but his role will be "different from what Sheryl has done" and "a more traditional COO role," Zuckerberg added.

"I think Meta has reached the point where it makes sense for our product and business groups to be more closely integrated, rather than having all the business and operations functions organised separately from our products," he said.

End of an era after a long partnership

Sandberg was already a high-profile figure in the tech industry when she joined Facebook, having been Google's vice president of global online sales and operations. Prior to Google, she had held senior roles at the World Bank and the Treasury Department under President Bill Clinton. In those early years at Facebook, she was often referred to as the adult supervision for a company run by a very young founder.

"When Sheryl joined me in 2008, I was only 23 years old and I barely knew anything about running a company," Zuckerberg said in his post. "We'd built a great product – the Facebook website – but we didn't yet have a profitable business and we were struggling to transition from a small startup to a real organisation."

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In partnership with Zuckerberg, Sandberg helped grow Facebook's revenue from roughly $150 million in 2007 to more than $3.7 billion in 2011, the year before it went public. She also gained new prominence as one of the most influential women in tech.

That reputation was burnished by her work launching the 'Lean In' movement, offering a plan for how women can succeed and achieve their goals.

"Sheryl architected our ads business, hired great people, forged our management culture, and taught me how to run a company. She created opportunities for millions of people around the world, and she deserves the credit for so much of what Meta is today," Zuckerberg wrote.

But Sandberg also presided over Facebook as it shifted from being one of Silicon Valley's most exciting new ventures to being a scandal-prone organisation, accused of everything from undermining democracy to abetting genocide. Along with Zuckerberg, Sandberg faced growing challenges from policymakers and the public alike on misinformation, allegations of political bias, and looming government regulation – forcing her to answer questions she may not have foreseen when she first agreed to join the company.

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To help manage the public policy part of Facebook's business, the company hired Nick Clegg as head of global affairs in 2018. While the former UK deputy prime minister reported to Sandberg, it also meant relieving Sandberg of a portion of her portfolio and reducing her profile – which, according to a 2021 report by the New York Times, partly highlighted a rift between Sandberg and Zuckerberg that had emerged during the Trump administration and only widened over time. (Facebook disputed the Times' characterisation of their relationship.)

Over the years, there have been rumors that Sandberg would leave. In 2018, Zuckerberg said Sandberg wasn't going anywhere and noted that he hoped "we work together for decades more to come."

In his post Wednesday, Zuckerberg said: "It's unusual for a business partnership like ours to last so long. I think ours did because Sheryl is such an amazing person, leader, partner, and friend."

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John Hinckley Jr., who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981, is “no longer a danger to himself or others” and will be freed from court oversight this month as planned, a federal judge said Wednesday, capping Hinckley’s four-decade journey through the legal and mental health systems.

U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman had freed Hinckley in September from all remaining restrictions but said his order wouldn't take effect until June 15.

Wednesday’s final hearing was scheduled to ensure Hinckley was continuing to do well in the community in Virginia where he has lived for years.

Hinckley did not attend the final hearing, and the judge made no changes to his plans to give Hinckley full freedom from court oversight.

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“He's been scrutinised. He's passed every test. He's no longer a danger to himself or others,” Friedman said at a hearing that lasted about an hour.

Friedman devoted much of the hearing to talking about the “long road” of the case, which he was randomly assigned two decades ago, the third judge to be involved in the case.

He noted that Hinckley, who turned 67 on Sunday, was profoundly troubled when he tried to kill the president, coming “very close to doing so.” But Hinckley has shown no signs of active mental illness since the mid-1980s, the judge repeated Wednesday, and has exhibited no violent behavior or interest in weapons.

“I am confident that Mr. Hinckley will do well in the years remaining to him,” the judge said. He noted that lawyers for the government and Hinckley have fought for years over whether Hinckley should be given increasing amounts of freedom.

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“It took us a long time to get here,” he said, adding there is now unanimous agreement: “This is the time to let John Hinckley move on with his life, so we will.”

Hinckley was confined to a mental hospital in Washington for more than two decades after a jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity in shooting Reagan. The shooting was fueled by his obsession with the movie Taxi Driver and its star, Jodie Foster. In the movie, the main character at one point attempts to kill a presidential candidate.

Starting in 2003 Friedman began allowing Hinckley to spend longer and longer stretches in the community with requirements like attending therapy and restrictions on where he can travel. He's been living full-time in Virginia since 2016, though still under restrictions.

Some of those include: allowing officials access to his electronic devices, email and online accounts; being barred from travelling to places where he knows there will be someone protected by the Secret Service; and giving three days’ notice if he wants to travel more than 120km from his home in Virginia.

https://twitter.com/JohnHinckley20/status/1532114211438051329

Prosecutors had previously opposed ending restrictions, but they changed their position last year. Prosecutor Kacie Weston said in court Wednesday that the government believes the case “has demonstrated the success that can come from a wraparound mental health system." She noted Hinckley has expressed a desire to continue receiving mental health services even after he is no longer required to do so, and said the government wishes “him success for both his sake as well as the safety of the community.”

Hinckley's longtime lawyer, Barry Levine, said the case had “started with a troubled young man who inflicted great harm” and but that, in the end, “I think we have salvaged a life.”

“John worked hard. He wanted to correct something that he was unable to erase, and this is the best outcome that one could imagine,” Levine said after the hearing, adding, "His regrets will always be with him with respect to the families of those he injured.”

Levine said his client hopes to pursue a career in music and has “real talent.” In July, Hinckley — who plays guitar and sings and has shared his music on a YouTube channel — plans to give a concert in Brooklyn, New York. Appearances in Connecticut and Chicago for what he has called the “John Hinckley Redemption Tour” have been cancelled.

Reagan recovered from the March 30, 1981, shooting, but his press secretary, James Brady, who died in 2014, was partially paralysed as a result. Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty were also wounded. Reagan died in 2004.

On Wednesday, Reagan's foundation issued a statement opposing the lifting of restrictions.

“The Reagan Foundation and Institute is both saddened and concerned that John Hinckley Jr. will soon be unconditionally released and intends to pursue a music career for profit," the statement read. It concluded, "We strongly oppose his release into society where he apparently seeks to make a profit from his infamy.”

In the 2000s, Hinckley began, with the judge's approval, making visits to his parents’ home in Williamsburg, Virginia. His father died in 2008, but in 2016 he was given permission to live with his mother full-time. Still, he was required to attend individual and group therapy sessions, was barred from talking to the media and could only travel within a limited area. Secret Service would also periodically follow him.

Hinckley's mother died in 2021. He has since moved out of her home. In recent years, Hinckley has made money by selling items at an antique mall and by selling books online.

Hinckley has said on his YouTube channel that he has started a record label, Emporia Records, and that his first release will be a 14-song CD of his music. He also promotes his music on Twitter.

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