07/21/2026
Editorial
PLOS Aging and Health: Integrative Science of Aging Across the Lifespan
Read about the vision for PLOS Aging and Health from the founding Editors-in-Chief.
Image credit: Pawel Czerwinski
September 17, 2026
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09/10/2026
Research Article
Prevalence and determinants of self-reported all-cause dementia among middle-aged and older adults in the United States: Results from a nationally representative survey
Dementia includes several different categories, such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. However, many large national surveys do not collect information on the specific type of dementia a person has.
Image credit: Boateng and Osei Duah Junior
09/09/2026
Opinion
Is dementia really a brain disease?
For over a century, dementia has been seen as a brain disease. Yet this brain-centric model has delivered limited clinical success. An alternative, plausible explanation is that dementia is the late-life clinical manifestation of a progressive systemic energy dysregulation. If this view is correct, treating dementia by targeting isolated molecular features within the brain may be fundamentally misdirected.
Image credit: Tian et al
09/11/2026
Research Article
Feelings of isolation and being ignored associated with functional dependence beyond traditional risk factors among older adults in Mexico
Social support networks play an important role in the aging process when it comes to preventing dependency. In this study, we analyzed 9,500 older adults in Mexico. We examined whether they experienced feelings of isolation, loneliness, and a sense of being ignored.
Image credit: Nenad Novaković
07/21/2026
Opinion
The Inevitable Integration of Health and Long-Term Care Systems
Population ageing and the reduction in the availability of traditional family caregivers are fundamentally exposing the population worldwide to either face unmet needs, or the financial risk of needing long-term care (LTC). Unlike acute medical care, LTC needs were not part of early welfare state designs in most high-income countries.
Image credit: Rodion Kutsaiev
07/21/2026
Research Article
Trauma outcomes following exercise-related injury versus ground-level falls in the United States: A nationwide cross-sectional study
Physical activity confers health benefits and injury risk. Risk-averse guidelines contribute to fear of injury and exercise avoidance, reinforcing sedentary lifestyles. This study evaluates the balance of activity-related benefit and injury risk in older adults.
Image credit: Serhii Tyaglovsky
07/21/2026
Opinion
The Missing Metric: Why Dignity Must Be Measured in Chronic Illness and Long-Term Care
Person-centred care has become a widely endorsed principle across healthcare policies, professional standards, and service reforms. Yet despite this broad commitment, one of the concepts most frequently associated with person-centred care remains insufficiently operationalised and rarely measured in routine practice: dignity.
Image credit: MyMind
07/21/2026
Research Article
Balancing Caregiving and Professional Roles: A Qualitative Study of Ontario Regulated Healthcare Professionals Caring for Aging Adults
The rapid aging of the global population has intensified reliance on unpaid family caregivers.
Image credit: Hermes Rivera
07/21/2026
Research Article
Compensation Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis (CRUNCH) of Electrocortical Data during Walking on Uneven Terrain
Mobility limitations are common in older adults, but how aging affects the brain's control of walking remains unclear
Image credit: Pliner et al
09/09/2026
Opinion
Deep leverage points for ethical and responsible AI in long-term care
With the rapid development of AI technologies, enthusiasm for AI applications in long-term care (LTC) is evident across policy, research, and commercial sectors.
Image credit: Steve A Johnson
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