The unseen health care workforce; health heading for the Oval Office; windows to the soul and maybe to sickness – Morning Medical Update

Family values

Family and friends who care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia are priceless. Until now. Their price actually would tally up to $114,000 a year if they were paid for their work. Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc. regional and state pay rates to calculate the value of typical daily tasks ranging from helping a person get dressed to cleaning to managing doctor appointments. Here’s a news release on the study, "Americas Unseen Workforce: What if Family Caregivers Were Paid a Salary?”

Presidential candidates’ health

How healthy are presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Kamala Harris? A group of more than 230 physicians, nurses and other health care professionals are calling on the former president to release his medical records, just as the current vice president did recently. CBS News has this report.

The eyes have it

There have been advances in using biological indicators in the blood to detect characteristics of various diseases in patients. There could be similar tell-tales in the eyes. Researchers at Indiana University are among those developing “oculomics,” the science of using the eye as a lens to detect diseases that affect other parts of the body, such as diabetes, heart disease, and sickle cell anemia. The National Institutes of Health is backing the science with $4.8 million to develop the needed scanner.