Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by attending the Alaska Commission on Aging Legislative Teleconferences. Hosted by local agencies statewide, and available by toll-free call-in, the teleconferences provide a convenient forum for seniors and advocates across Alaska to share information about issues and specific bills of concern, including Medicaid, state budget and funding, senior assistance, retirement, Pioneer Homes and more. Teleconferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thursday and weekly...
AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center continues its series of “Age Smart – Let’s Talk” forums on Jan. 8, 2019, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. The January topic is “Medicare Basics”. Medicare is undoubtedly one of the most perplexing issues for people as they get older. What is it? What does it do and not do? Do I have to sign up, or how do I get it? What choices do I have? Will I like it? These questions and many more will be answered by Alaska’s foremost Medicare expe...
When the next Congress begins its work in January, lawmakers from both parties will try to work with the Trump administration to pass vital health care legislation. But getting a political advantage and maneuvering for the 2020 elections will help determine just how much cooperation can be found. Democrats and Republicans have significantly different political agendas they want to advance. The easiest issue on the health care agenda should be making sure people with pre-existing conditions do...
My daughter and I were visiting Dad and Mom in Homer one weekend in early January 20 years ago when I was startled awake by the phone. The clock showed it was almost midnight when I picked up the line. It was the Alaska State Troopers. "Is this the home of Al Clayton, and is he interested in a moose roadkill?" the voice on the other end asked. After Dad got on the phone, I listened to see how he would respond. With the accident site only a quarter-mile from his house, how could he say no. I was...
The question of limiting the profits of health insurance companies is sparking renewed national debate. The nation’s biggest health insurers have reported robust growth in recent years, due in large part to Medicare. All of the “big five” insurers, United Health Care, Anthem, Aetna, Cigna and Humana have seen increases in enrollment growth and revenues, with profits rising. At the same time, a growing number of Medicare beneficiaries report that Medicare premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs are consuming an increased share of their...
On Nov. 8, 2018, in more than 150 locations across the U.S. and the globe, thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and allies gathered as part of the intergenerational LGBT initiative SAGE Table. The event, which had a successful debut last year with the help of many high-profile stars, including Whoopi Goldberg, Zachary Quinto and Sarah Paulson, was created to address the prevailing challenge of loneliness for older LGBT people as they age. SAGE Table encourages...
Welcome to 2019! There are a number of changes in Medicare this year of which you will want to be aware. New Medicare cards The New Medicare card mail-out for Alaskans began April 1, 2018 and ended June 30. If you have not received your new card, please contact the Medicare Information Office (800-478-6065) or 1-800-Medicare, so that they can determine why your card has not arrived. It is possible an address update is needed. However, you do not need to panic, as the old card is still usable unt...
A series of online geriatric health care trainings will be available via virtual classroom on the internet beginning in January. The series is sponsored by the Alaska Center for Rural Health & Health Workforce -- Alaska’s AHEC and The Alaska Training Cooperative. The series is a partnership with the Northwest Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Center and will offer 10 weeks of trainings from Jan. 8 through March 12, 2019. Only the Winter Series will be offered in Alaska for 2019. The series is designed to give community-based providers working i...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in January. This month’s training features a DVD presentation with Teepa Snow, “Progression of Dementia: Seeing Gems, Not Loss.” Teepa Snow explains the appropriate levels of care needed during different stages of dementia, which types of behaviors to expect, appropriate activity and much more. Jan. 1, no meeting at Sterling Senior Center due to holiday. Jan. 8, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 15, Caregiver suppo...
Pulsed radiofrequency may help relieve back pain and sciatica A minimally invasive procedure in which pulses of energy from a probe are applied directly to nerve roots near the spine is safe and effective in people with acute lower back pain that has not responded to conservative treatment, according to a new study presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Lumbar disk herniation is a common, often debilitating condition that affects the disks that act as cushions between the...
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake took Southcentral Alaskans by surprise the morning of Nov. 30, 2018. The quake is the second largest the area has seen since the Good Friday earthquake of 1964, a magnitude 9.2 quake that destroyed parts of Anchorage, sunk trees into the earth and killed over 125 people statewide. Wild tales of the most recent shake abound for many, with seniors that survived the Good Friday earthquake making comparisons between the two. Senior centers across the region and the seniors they serve responded to the most recent disaster...
Note: The print version of this story incorrectly listed the Monday through Friday hours as noon to 6 p.m. The correct hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a new partnership in the Fairbanks area, called the “H.E.L.P. Center for our Neighbors in Need.” H.E.L.P. (Health Education Learning Project) is a pilot partnership started with three local non-profits and United Way of the Tanana Valley member agencies with each having long and successful histories (right at four decades each) in the Tanana Valley community. This team effort includes the Fa...
I used to have a fitness class instructor who liked to say about workouts, “Once you turn 40, it’s all rehab.” It brought chuckles, but it’s true that over the years we will inevitably subject our bodies to wear and tear. Various mishaps lead to injuries, some minor, some worse, some that will scar and haunt us forever. Our stories of how we’ve acquired these hurts may be humorous or downright horrific. I have my share of colorful tales – a spinal injury on the beach in Hawaii; a leg-crushing snowmachine wreck on the Yentna River. But I’m afr...
One man who arrived in Southeast Alaska's new gold-rush settlement of Harrisburg, later named Juneau, in 1880 created a sensation by claiming he had seen a city appear above a glacier. But people who knew him said, "He was the kind of person to gaze into a raincloud and see the sun." Richard "Dick" Willoughby landed in Harrisburg from Missouri shortly after Auk chief Kowee led Joe Juneau and Richard Harris to Silver Bow Basin, which started Alaska's first big gold rush. Many historians claim the...
The Christmas season may be over, but last December held special significance for Joan Dangerfield, who married comedian Rodney Dangerfield 25 years ago on Dec. 26. The pair had dated for 10 years following a chance meeting in 1983 when Rodney strolled passed Joan's Santa Monica flower shop. "Being a die-hard fan, I recognized Rodney immediately," Joan recalled from her West Hollywood home. "I was 16 when I first saw him on 'The Tonight Show' and suddenly there he was, 14 years later, walking...
Alaska State Library Talking Book Center patrons who travel out of Alaska temporarily are encouraged to notify the Talking Book Center before they leave, staff say. Their service can continue while they are out of Alaska by providing their temporary address to the library. The Alaska Talking Book Center offers free access, including free shipping both directions, to audiobooks, books in braille or large print books to Alaskans who are blind, have visual disabilities or other physical challenges that keep them from reading traditional books, as...
As I write these words, it has been only a few days since the recent earthquake. By the time you read these words in the Senior Voice, though, it will probably be at least a month out, and most people will have forgotten about it. I don’t want to forget. Earthquake preparedness is a good thing. When something like this happens in a third world country, thousands of people can perish. We didn’t lose a soul. I’m convinced that part of that is the mercy of a loving God on our undeserving souls, but...
Have you wasted lots of time looking for stuff you know you have, but can’t find? Where is the manual for the washing machine? What the heck did I do with the business card from the guy I met on the plane? Where is that recording I made of the nephew’s graduation speech? How do I find those websites I saw about crafts? You get the idea. Truth be told, I still have lots of drawers and boxes with stuff in them, but a number of years ago I discovered the joys of what are commonly called “note-taking” applications for smartphones and tablets...
Q. When I open Safari on my iPhone, I am always forwarded to Apple’s website. Is there a way to choose a different home page? A. Apple removed the custom home page setting on iPhone for some mysterious reason, but there is a work-around. I set up my favorite sites as “apps” by adding their icons to the home screen. When you are on a Safari page you want to access again, with the bottom toolbar visible, tap the square with the arrow pointing upwards. A menu will slide up from the bottom of the screen. Swipe sideways on the row of grey icons...
If you live in an Alaska town that has a solid cruise ship economy, then you probably long for the quiet tourist shoulder season. Pity the people who see no down time. Rejoice that you have a break. So maybe it's time you took a cruise just to see what all the fuss is about. The Caribbean? Panama Canal? How about a river cruise through some of the most celebrated towns of Europe? Choices, choices Unlike the big cruise ships that come to Alaska, river cruises offer levels of tour participation....
After a 7.2 magnitude earthquake rattled both homes and nerves in November, many Alaskans are finding themselves thinking twice about safety and emergency preparedness like never before; and this includes travel. Whether embarking for an international destination or traveling domestically, considerations for safety and emergency procedures are part of a traveler’s code of personal responsibility. As you make plans for 2019, add these tips to your checklist prior to departure and while on the go. It could make the difference between salvaging a...
