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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. Zoom conferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thursday and weekly...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk,” the series of monthly forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Jan. 12, 2021, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Events are currently held virtually on the internet, using Zoom. This month’s presentation focuses on fitness and exercise: Finding and keeping a good exercise routine can be challenging in the best of times and made more confusing now when much of our activity is virtual. Join Anchorage Senior Activity Center fitness instructors Patrick Curtis an...
President-elect Joe Biden will not get a traditional honeymoon from Congressional lawmakers to start off his new administration in January. It will severely limit what he can accomplish on his ambitious health care agenda. With sharp divides in both houses of Congress, where a few votes one way or the other could determine success or failure, Biden may even have trouble getting his Cabinet nominations through. Without a doubt, Biden's two-prong agenda – to solve the coronavirus pandemic and patc...
Identity theft occurs when someone obtains someone else’s personal information, such as a Social Security number, home address, date of birth or bank account data, and uses it for fraud or other illicit purposes. It’s widespread: Digital-finance consulting firm Javelin Strategy & Research estimates that identity fraud has victimized more than a quarter of Americans and caused nearly $17 billion in losses in 2019. And it comes in many forms: Credit-reporting agency Experian lists 16 distinct types. (Some, such as tax ID theft and Social Security...
My name is Katie Dougherty, and I am excited to introduce myself as the new Associate State Director for Communications at our AARP state office. I am a lifetime Alaskan with years of experience in local and federal policy. I look forward to working with Alaskans 50 and older to improve quality of life for elders across the state. While 2020 was a crazy ride, we at AARP are gearing up with another great year of events and resources – and we’re prepared to bring you the same great programming virtually until it’s safe to gather once more. This...
Sixty-six percent of retirees report spending more than $375 a month on healthcare costs, according to a recent survey by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). “That figure is almost one quarter of the average $1,523 per month Social Security benefit in 2020 and more than the Medicare Trustees estimate for 2020,” says Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League. Even worse, of that group, 31 percent of survey participants said they spend more than $1,000 a month on total healthcare costs — rough...
As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it is becoming increasingly clear that the virus disproportionately affects communities of color, American Indian, Alaska Native and LGBT communities. Of those affected, perhaps one of the most overlooked groups are diverse family caregivers who may be simultaneously caring for families, aging loved ones and themselves during the pandemic. Particularly for African American and Black communities, the caregiving role may lead to worse health outcomes due to the lack of formal supports and increased barriers...
Growing up in a large family and ten years of dabbling as a caterer makes cooking for a crowd my default. Even with many intervening years, I still tend to cook much larger quantities than truly needed - smaller amounts just don't look like enough and my go-to recipes don't help. Prior to COVID-19 limiting the social circle, extra quantities might have been shared with co-workers or friends. But without these extra eaters, and considerably more home cooking than usual for my small, safe "pod",...
As you may have known or suspected, Medicare is the largest medical insurance program in the U.S. As of October 2020, there are more than 62.9 million people enrolled in Medicare nationwide, according to the Medicare Enrollment Dashboard. Medicare program costs are evaluated each year and the premiums, deductibles and co-pays are adjusted. Here are some of the changes in Medicare for 2021. Medicare Part A hospital coverage The vast majority of Medicare beneficiaries do not pay a monthly premium...
We are so happy to ring in the New Year and all that it will bring to Alaska residents. We hope that 2021 brings wonderful things for those in your world. Our seasonal schedule is still in the development phase, with some events already posted on our website at www.alaskahealthfair.org. Please check back frequently, as we will continue to add new dates as they come available and we firm up the entire season. To make a blood test appointment using our website, just follow these easy steps: Pick a date you’re interested in, select the “Make App...
By LAWRENCE D. WEISS For Senior Voice “Help is on the way!” -- Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. I’ll amend that – not only is help on the way, but it is here now. Alaska’s initial allocations of vaccines are: Pfizer: 35,100 doses Moderna: 26,800 doses The Pfizer doses arrived the second week in December, and the Moderna doses should now be in Alaska. All together these are intended to be the first of two doses for approximately 62,000 Alaskans. After that, regular shipments of vaccines...
A better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease Some very good news to report when it comes to battling Alzheimer’s disease: A novel form of an Alzheimer’s protein found in the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord indicates what stage of the disease a person is in, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Tau tangles are thought to be toxic to neurons, and their spread through the brain foretells the death of brain tissue and cogni...
Lockdowns, job losses and social isolation have been the hallmarks of COVID-19 here in Alaska. However, this pandemic also is denying humans the most basic sense – touch. This is triggering a boom for the pet industry. In the absence of human-to-human contact in millions of households worldwide, animals have stepped into the breach for many people. They now are providing much needed comfort via cuddles, pats and a constant physical presence. A new study published by University of South A...
Have you ever experienced “goosebumps” while listening to a song or piece of music? Does a certain song or genre of music instantly flood you with memories of family or friends? Music has the amazing power to elicit strong emotions and unlock forgotten experiences for most people. While there is a small percentage of people for whom music is ineffective, for most, music can even be healing. For those living with dementia or other cognitive disorder, music can be life-saving. According to neuroscientist Dr. Daniel Levitin, featured in the PBS...
At Hospice of Anchorage, we focus on caring, not curing. Our Lifeways Program is available to people of all ages with any life-limiting illness. When you or a loved one is diagnosed with a serious or life-limiting illness, Hospice of Anchorage provides assistance by helping you prepare for and live well with your illness, understanding death, dying and grief. We focus on helping you live as fully as possible despite your diagnosis. If you’re wondering if we can help you, call us at 907-561-5322. Our staff is happy to talk to you about your s...
Municipality of Anchorage residents have another option for utility relief during the COVID-19 pandemic: The Anchorage Aging & Disability Resource Center’s (ADRC) Utility Assistance Program. Separate from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), also called the Heating Assistance Program (HAP), the Anchorage ADRC’s Utility Assistance Program works with Chugach Electric customers to cover one electric bill up to $500. While the Anchorage ADRC assists with the appli...
I sat at my dining room table this past Nov. 19, ready and waiting for the appropriate time to click on the link for our daughter's college graduation. Erin said she didn't know many details about her outdoor graduation ceremony for Colorado State University, but the invitation link stated the program would be from noon to 12:30 p.m. After making adjustment for Alaska time, I sat waiting with curious expectation. Soon I found myself thinking about attending our son's college graduation in...
"What is serendipity?" my 8-year old third grader asked me recently. I was so pleased to have just the story to offer him to illustrate sudden, unexpected good fortune, thanks to a phone call from Ms. Angie Jensen, a counselor at Lake Hood Elementary School in Anchorage. Ms. Jensen contacted Anchorage Senior Activity center to inquire about the possibility of connecting a third grade class with elders so that the students could read letters they would write, reaching out to older Alaskans. I...
Alaska offers an exemption to seniors from paying property tax on the first $150,000 of their home’s value. Different areas may offer an exemption on a higher value, and different boroughs set different deadline dates to apply. Kodiak Borough’s application deadline is Jan. 15. Forms are mailed by Nov. 15 to qualified property owners who applied the prior year. Existing applicants who have not received one via mail by Dec. 1, should contact the Assessing Department at 486-9353 or email Seema Garoutte at garoutte@kodiakak.usga...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formerly known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, Inc., is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, the monthly event is being continued virtually online via Zoom. The January meeting is Jan. 13, hosted by YMCA of Alaska. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group,...
It was a cold, snowy, windy January day in 1909 when a short, slightly built 22-year-old disembarked from the Yakutan in Prince William Sound. Eustace Paul Ziegler arrived in the boom town of Cordova to take charge of the Episcopal mission. Fresh from the Yale School of Fine Arts, he must have been a shock to the thousands of roughly dressed pick-and-shovel "stiffs," lumberjacks, miners, engineers, dynamiters, surveyors, adventurers and what-not who had "floated in with the tides and the ties"...
Now in her seventh decade as a film actress, British beauty Jacqueline Bisset first hit the big screen in the mid-1960s and was soon on her way to becoming a household name after dramatic roles later in the decade in films such as "Bullitt" with Steve McQueen. Although her role was small as McQueen's sizzling love interest and she didn't appear in the film's action sequences, Bisset was on set to witness some of the legendary driving scenes often performed by McQueen, a keen race car enthusiast....
These books feature main characters who are older persons. I select highly-rated books that tilt toward uplifting rather than depressing. Some are light and humorous. Others are more thoughtful, maybe a bit philosophical. Perhaps you will find one or two you are compelled to read. The Best Cook in the World: Tales from My Momma's Table, by Rick Bragg "This is one of the sweetest, tenderest, most endearing memoirs I have ever read from a boy to his mother, his grandmother and grandfather, and...
Dear Savvy Senior: I understand that a portion of my Social Security benefits may be taxable when I retire. Can you tell me how to calculate this ? – Ready to Retire Dear Ready: Whether or not you’ll be required to pay federal income tax on your Social Security benefits will depend on your income and filing status. About 35 percent of Social Security recipients have total incomes high enough to trigger federal income tax on their benefits. To figure out if your benefits will be taxable, you’ll need to add up all of your “provisional income,...
I try to avoid using Latin, since so few people understand it and I’m not in the business of confusing people. But as we lean toward the tape in this marathon run that 2020 has been, the words “annus horribilis” – horrible year – seem appropriate. Yes, I know, we have seen worse. 536 when a volcanic eruption ruined crops and caused massive starvation. 1665 when the Bubonic Plague swept through Europe. 1918 when people were dying from the Spanish Flu and trench warfare. 1996 when the Spice Gir...
