HomeCare Editors’ Top 5: Week of October 10

Rats that Reminisce May Lead to Better Tests for Alzheimer’s Drugs
Researchers are reporting evidence that rats possess “episodic memories,” the kind of memories that allow us to go back in time and recall specific events. These memories are among the first to disappear in people who develop Alzheimer’s disease. (Jon Hamilton/NPR Health Shots)

Can We Conquer All Diseases by the End of the Century?
Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, pediatrician Priscilla Chan, announced last month that they plan to invest $3 billion over 10 years to begin tackling everything from Alzheimer’s disease to the Zika virus. (Anna Gorman/Kaiser Health News)

Top 10 Home Care Franchises
Home health care companies continue to carve out their place in the franchise market, as the annual Franchise Time’s Top 200+ list names 14 home care franchises as some of the best-performing in the world. (Anna Stramowski/Home Health Care News)

She Needed Treatment to Save Her Life. Instead, She Chose to Live It
Instead of seeking medical intervention, or choosing to spend her remaining days in a care facility, Norma Bauerschmidt decided to travel with her son, Tim Bauerschmidt, and her daughter-in-law, Ramie Liddle (and their dog), crisscrossing the country in an RV. Their journey together has been chronicled on the Facebook page, Driving Miss Norma, which has more than 453,000 likes. (Sarah Larimer/The Washington Post)

Has the Human Life Span Hit the Ceiling?
Human life spans have been increasing for decades thanks to advances in treating and preventing diseases and improved social conditions. In fact, longevity has increased so much in recent decades that some researchers began to wonder: What is the upper limit on human aging? (Rob Stein/NPR Health Shots)