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The Alaska Commission on Aging met with partners December 8 for a day long summit to discuss priorities for the upcoming year. Denali Daniels facilitated the meeting with Jordan Marshall providing support as well as his expertise about the ‘lay of the land’ for the upcoming legislative session. The morning session was dedicated to hearing from partners, but the main theme was consistent: Older Alaskans do better when they are able to remain in their homes and communities, but Alaska’s infrastructure to support seniors is lacking. The need...
Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by attending the Alaska Commission on Aging Legislative Teleconferences. 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 during the last month of session. The 2022...
Kaiser Health News editor Elisabeth Rosenthal, in a recent opinion column, argues that two of America’s toughest problems can be tempered with one solution. Older people, many isolated, are ill-equipped to meet people or even have their health monitored at their homes. Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Service, has gone $160 billion into debt, in part, as digital communications have replaced old-school mail. Rosenthal suggests having letter carriers spend less time delivering mail, much of which these days involves fliers and unwanted s...
Editor’s note: This press release was received on Dec. 8, 2021. If the annual Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) did a better job of keeping pace with Medicare Part B premiums, benefits over the past decade would be 42 percent higher in 2022, according to a new analysis by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). “Medicare Part B premiums are the fastest growing cost that most older Americans face in retirement, but those costs aren’t fairly accounted for by the method used to adjust Social Security benefits for inflation,” says Ma...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Jan. 11, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Events are currently held virtually on the internet, using Zoom. This month’s presentation is “Let’s Talk the Benefits of Yoga.” Do you have a new year’s resolution to work toward improving your overall health and fitness? This one-hour presentation will help you learn how yoga can improve the mind, body and overall wellness using simple techniques. The ...
Help Wanted signs have sprouted up all over. Without enough workers, businesses can’t stay open. The day after Thanksgiving – the day when all chain stores start clamoring for everyone’s gift-buying dough – I stopped at the nearest dollar store for some paper towels. The store was closed. On the day after Thanksgiving. Why? The sign on the door vaguely cited “staffing shortages.” A supervisor later explained to me a lot of workers had been out sick. Seems nowadays “staffing shortages” can mean a lot of workers are out sick but the store doesn’t...
Q: What threats do older adults face, and what increases people's exposure to threats? How can I help? A: The concept of vulnerability first emerged in the environmental sciences, specifically in the study of natural disasters such as flood, fire, earthquake, drought, or hurricanes. But, in the wake of those disasters, not everyone suffers equally. Vulnerability in disaster studies was initially defined as the 'potential for disruption or harm', and the type of hazard, severity of damage...
Most Americans over age 60 are fearful of age-related health decline and disease. According to one survey, the fears of dementia and Alzheimer's disease top the list. These fears are not without cause - the most recent statistics estimate that 6.2 million older Americans are living with Alzheimer's dementia which accounts for 60 to 70% of dementia cases. Dementia is a general term for cognitive problems that interfere with daily living. It can result from or with other conditions such as...
I am 25 pounds lighter than I was just a few months ago, and my blood pressure is far lower. A better diet and generous amounts of exercise were key ingredients, but the tool that helped me most was fitness related technology. Fitness is a multi-billion dollar industry, and I do not have the space to cover even a fraction of its landscape. Nevertheless, in my quest for a healthy lifestyle I explored many different products. Accurate measurements are vital. They create a feedback loop over time...
You could say swimming pools in Alaska in the time of COVID are doing swimmingly. Keeping healthy with a safe workout through water aerobics or lap swimming does more than build muscles, it keeps many older adults connected during the dark winter months. This year there will be many swimming options all across the state. "Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise that an older adult can participate in," said Larry Parker, chief executive officer at YMCA of Alaska. "Aquatic activity works...
Medicare may include coverage of diagnostic-level genetic testing for patients when the test is ordered by a physician, as long as certain requirements are met. Genetic tests of this sort are performed in order to help identify medical traits which may be cancer-related. The development and availability of genetic tests continues to evolve, especially in the diagnosis and early treatment of many diseases. Tests of this sort may be able to confirm or eliminate an appropriate diagnosis, far...
Hello! I have been a primary care provider in Juneau Alaska for nearly 30 years, as well as a health writer, yoga enthusiast and instructor, musician, and lover of the great outdoors. My professional focus is on wellness. I particularly enjoy helping patients achieve good health, with minimal or no medication if possible. “Anything that can be healed by judicious diet and lifestyle should not be treated any other way” is a wise maxim attributed to Hippocrates (460-370 BC, Greek). This new column will serve as an introduction to the principles o...
We wouldn’t have achieved this milestone without the support of many Alaskans who use our affordable blood draw services, those who come to us to access free health screenings or to generously donate their time or money. We can’t thank you enough for your loyalty and support, especially through these recent, difficult years. We hope that your new year is all that you are wishing for with health, happiness and personal goals part of your overall achievements. We are continuing with our modified version of health fairs in Spring 2022. Our new...
New handheld technology is ushering a new approach to treating kidney stones Physicians may be able to maneuver small kidney stones to the ureter so they can be expelled naturally. Patients dealing with small kidney stones that persist after surgery may soon have options to “push” the stones from their body, rather than face another invasive procedure. A clinical trial at the Kidney Stone Center at the UW Medical Center in Seattle is testing the ability of ultrasound waves to dislodge and mov...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program office is located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205 (located in the 4D Professional Building). You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email kpfcsp@soldotnaseniors.comkpfcsp@soldotnaseniors.com. The program will hold caregiver support group meetings in January at the locations below. Training is from 1 to 2 p.m., with support group meetings following, 2 to 3 p.m. This month’s training features a presentation of “The Misunderstood Epidemic: Depression,” a PBS DVD exploring the diffi...
Dear Savvy Senior: When is it safe, or not safe, to split pills? I have a cousin who cuts almost all her pills in half in order to save money, but I’m wondering if she’s going overboard. What can you tell me about this? – Curious Cousin Dear Curious: Pill splitting – literally cutting them in half – has long been a popular way to save on medication costs, but your cousin, if she hasn’t already done so, needs to talk to her doctor or pharmacist because not all pills should be split. The reason pill splitting is such a money saver is because of...
When I turned 65-years-old, I stopped playing pickup basketball at the local high school here in Homer. I was just getting too beaten up. Not by the 20 and 30-something youngsters I was playing with, but by my failing body parts. I had heard about "pickleball," but the name sounded goofy and "not my style". I can't remember who made me come watch, but the first time I saw a game played I understood that this was going to be my next sports addiction. I realized that I could bring into this...
The pandemic has created a nation of baking maniacs. To wit: According to Bookscan, 200,000 more bread cookbooks sold in the U.S. in 2020 than in 2019. by April, and continuing through July 2020, retail shelves were cleared of yeast products within hours of stock replenishments, as reported by Food Business News. Eater.com reports King Arthur sold a lot of flour in 2020, growing by over 50 percent compared to the previous year. Research firm Stackline found that bread machine sales were up an...
"Whoa!" Grandpa McMichael exclaimed as my husband, Gary, drove down the boat launch at Finger Lake Campground near Palmer, right out onto the lake ice. We were only 30 feet offshore when Grandpa demanded, "You turn this car around and take me back to shore, right now. I'm not kidding!" Gary's mom and dad were up from California spending the Christmas holiday with us. This was not their first trip to Alaska, and they were always ready to go adventuring with us no matter where in Alaska we lived....
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) is announcing plans to open a “Complex Behavioral Neighborhood” serving people age 60 and older who experience complex behaviors related to dementia. The addition, on the newly remodeled fourth floor of the Anchorage Pioneer Home’s Southside Building, will serve up to nine elders and is expected to accept its first residents in early 2022. The Anchorage Pioneer Home is one of six licensed assisted-living homes owned and operated by the State of Alaska Division of Alaska Pioneer Homes...
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, sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, Inc., is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, the monthly event currently meets virtually online via Zoom. The January meeting is Jan. 12, hosted by Assistive Technology of Alaska (ATLA). Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on...
Fired with the romance of the undertaking and inspired by exciting rumors, thousands thronged to Nome's beaches in 1900 after gold nuggets were found in the sand. Lured by the siren's cry of "gold," prospectors who'd not had luck elsewhere in Alaska came in the hopes that Nome's sand would become their pay dirt. But several adventurers, like A.F. Raynor, swarmed to the Seward Peninsula to mine the gold-mad prospectors. Raynor, a port steward for the Blue Star Navigation Co., was working in...
It's a personal resolution I observe every January: celebrating the New Year with duck soup, animal crackers and, of course, the cocoanuts. No, it's not some strange private culinary ritual. It's a tradition to welcome the New Year with some old-fashioned Hollywood madcap merriment by viewing several Marx Brothers films including, but not limited to, three of my favorites: "Duck Soup," "Animal Crackers," and "The Cocoanuts." And at some point this January, I'll also enjoy the next episode of...
I grouse about how my husband loses things, but he’s also a great finder. He uncovers his keys, his glasses, and his wallet nearly every week. Recently, though, he found a 25-year-old retirement account. It wouldn’t have changed our retirement, but any more money in the bank is nice as we check the last boxes for retirement. We began our final financial review with our online Social Security statements. We had checked them periodically, of course, but this time were a little more thoughtful. My husband remembered a small 401(k) his con...
If you ain’t no punk Holler “we want prenup! We want prenup!” It’s something that you need to have ‘Cause when she leave your *** She gonna leave with half. - Kanye West This month’s column is about prenuptial agreements. If you read the news, you probably think that is something a billionaire uses to keep his fourth wife from getting half of his fortune, but it’s more than that. Bear with me. Most people get married without a prenup, and that’s fine. Not everyone needs one. There are laws...
