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The Alaska State Medicare Information Office is spreading this alert about a prevalent scam: Scammers pretending to be Medicare representatives have been calling Alaska seniors recently looking for their Medicare numbers and banking information. They say they need the information so that the senior can get a new Medicare card. (Frequently they say it is needed under the Affordable Care Act.) Medicare will never contact beneficiaries by phone, email, or at their door seeking personal information. Neither Medicare nor Social Security needs...
Seniors in Yakutat and Saxman will soon have new staff available to help link them with supportive services, thanks to federal funding. Catholic Community Services announced in early October that HUD had allocated funding to the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority to hire "service coordinators" in Yakutat and Saxman to work directly with residents to assess their needs and connect them with services available in their community. The goal is to promote independent living and aging-in-place....
"Our objective is helping people to live as independently as they would like. Confidence is our goal." Lowell Zercher, Manual Skills Instructor for the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, chooses these words to explain the mission of the center. "We want our clients to be involved in life, to meet their life and work goals and contribute their talents to others, to the community." Lowell has worked at the center in Anchorage for 14 years. He is often found in the shop at the...
We seniors are natural scam targets and very susceptible to fraud. As we get older we are less likely to consider the downside of the financial risks – we are more apt to look at the upside. We are less critical in our decision making, which makes us vulnerable. The scammers are perceived as trustworthy helpers. They may be a family member, financial advisor or another senior. The National Council on Aging, AARP and OPAG suggest you watch out for the following scams: Prescription drug scams. Seniors often take a myriad of prescription medicatio...
Another fall arrives and with it comes proposed regulations from the State of Alaska that will again put at risk our seniors and residents with disabilities across Alaska. We could spend our time getting upset and angry over this same old situation again, but we will instead mount up and fight for those that are not able to fight for themselves. They have spent their energy building and maintaining this wonderful state over the years, and are therefore tired and in need of care themselves. If the purpose of the new regulations is to get people...
“It was hard to see him go, he could hardly speak. I was so glad to have him here at home. One night I watched the kitty jump up on the bed near his head and Dick said very clearly ‘Hi Zackie.’ I knew then Dick knew he was home”. – June Juelson, widow of Richard Juelson, Anchorage. At any age, we must all face the possibility of a serious illness that we or our family and friends will not survive. Hospice helps patients and families focus on living by offering a family-centered team of trained professionals who provide care in the home, hos...
Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, I've had several wake-up calls about safe food handling practices (actually these were calls to my Cooperative Extension Service office where I was not sleeping). Within a period of a couple days, I received calls requesting information about two separate types of food-borne illness or food poisoning. One was a fairly common culprit – salmonella from chicken. The other – a very rare case in Alaska though more common in the Lower 48 – toxop...
I bring you some details about the Medicare Part D drug program for 2014. Enrollment started October 15th and will continue until Dec. 7, 2014. The lowest premium is $12.50 per month but there is a deductible of $310 with that plan, which you must pay before the insurance kicks in. There are 25 different plans with the prices for the monthly premium running from the aforementioned $12.50 up to $136. You can see a chart of the Alaska Medicare Part D plans for 2014 on page 10 of the November...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. winds up its fall series of health fair events this month, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. These tests can help you learn about your health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. The test results give you and your health care provider important information about your physical condition and vital organ functions. A complete and comprehensive chemistry/hematology test is available for only $45 and panels 27 di...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in November: Nov. 5, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 2 p.m., “Guide to a Restful Sleep”. Nov. 12, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 14, Caregiver training at Homer Friendship Center, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Topic: Holiday stress Nov. 25, Caregiver training at Kenai Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. “Sunset Story: Change the Way You Think About Aging.” Nov. 27, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center,...
In observance of Alzheimer’s Awareness month, Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska will be offering free, confidential memory screenings at the following locations: Anchorage Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, 1750 Abbott Rd., November 19, 1 to 5 p.m. Anchorage Senior Center, 1300 E. 19th Ave., November 20, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fairbanks ADRAA Office (by appointment), Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Valdez Connecting Ties Office, 128 Chenega St., November 19, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Palmer ADRAA Office, November 19, 10 a.m. to noon and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Juneau Junea...
Adding more pumpkin to your diet may have beneficial effects This month a new crop of seasonal nutrient-dense fruit and vegetable “superfoods” will be harvested. Superfoods increase our overall wellness and nutrition, and help support a healthy lifestyle. Nutritionists say November is a good time to try new recipes with pumpkins, cranberries and pomegranates. “Superfoods are brimming with nutrients and antioxidants,” said Kari Kooi, who is a registered dietician at Houston Methodist Hospita...
“Oh, that’s how it is done!” Whether it is a young child, learning how to read, or an older adult, learning how to use a computer, having a mentor can make it much easier to learn. A teacher or experienced person can show us, for example, what the combination of letters makes for the spelling of a word, or the left click on the mouse will access a computer command. In an academic setting, as it is in much of life, the theory of learning is best reinforced by experimenting and doing. “Putting theory into practice” is the motto of the Human Ser...
If your low income housing complex was developed with federal loans or grants, the owner must comply with federal Civil Rights law, the Fair Housing Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under the law, it is unlawful to discriminate against a tenant or prospective tenant because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, age or disability. In the case of people with disabilities, it is unlawful to refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or...
Each month the residents of the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center have a date with Ron Crawford. It's a date complete with popcorn and a movie, often one which touches the heart, raises spirits and "sets your toes a tapping." Crawford's reputation as a movie buff is longstanding and well earned. A former professor at University of Alaska Anchorage who taught both history and geography, his knowledge of movies is encyclopedic and retirement has allowed him to indulge his passions more. His...
The "Yukon Kuskokwim Elder's Home," a new Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation residential skilled nursing and long term care facility in Bethel, will accommodate up to 18 residents, providing vital care to clinically complex patients who require inpatient care for extended periods. The facility opened Oct. 1. Having a skilled nursing facility in Bethel will make it easier for some patients who require hospice to receive care closer to home, in a culturally appropriate context, and to not feel...
Jean "Nana" Sether still thinks about her kids, her nuggets. For over 16 years, Nana was a daycare worker in Seward and owned Nana's Nuggets Daycare a good part of that time. In 2007, she retired to Eagles View in Cooper Landing's independent senior housing complex off of Snug Harbor Road. Since living here, Nana has organized and hosted annual Halloween parties for local children. And she doesn't miss an opportunity to jump on the senior bus and join in the fun at Cooper Landing School events....
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor a noon lecture series in Juneau to celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November. The brown-bag lunch series will focus on spirituality, said SHI President Rosita Worl. Native spirituality is a topic that has come up in issues dealing with repatriation and other areas. SHI’s Council of Traditional Scholars has wrestled with how to bring the knowledge of shamanism into the modern world and to correct the many misconceptions about shamanism. Also, an Alaska court recently heard testimony on Y...
Mount Saint Elias, the first point sighted by white man on the mainland of Alaska in 1741, has proved a mighty challenge to mountaineers. The second highest peak in the United States, behind Mount McKinley, and the fourth highest peak in North America, it is 18,008 feet high. Situated on the Yukon and Alaska border, only a handful of climbers have conquered it in the 261 years since Vitus Bering discovered and named it. The mountain's name in Tlingit is Yaas'éit'aa Shaa, which means "mountain...
Half a century ago, the country was embroiled in civil rights conflicts, a war in Asia and mourning the loss of a president. When released in the midst of this social turmoil in 1963, Stanley Kubrick's "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," must have seemed appropriately titled. In reality, the film was an epic comedy featuring one of the greatest casts of comedians ever assembled on film. "There was a pall on the whole country and not a lot to laugh about," recalled Marvin Kaplan, who appeared in...
Dear Jonathan: My parents are coming out to visit me next month. One of the reasons for the visit is to prepare durable power of attorneys for financial and health care matters because they want me to act on their behalf in the event they are unable to act for each other. I have no problem being named as their agent, but shouldn’t those documents be drafted by a lawyer in the state where they live? Jonathan Says: Yes, you are absolutely correct. Every state has its own laws regarding durable power of attorneys for financial and health care m...
The Division of Public Assistance is making a few minor revisions to the Heating Assistance Regulations to clarify language for expedite time frame for crisis application processing, to provide clarification for utility deposits and to update the definition of subsidized housing. These changes are as follows: • Revisions to 7 AAC 44.030 and 7 AAC 44.220 changes the processing time for crisis applications from 18 business hours to 18 hours. • 7 AAC 44.040 and 7 AAC 44.230 are revised to clarify that the utility deposit is only for sub...
Q. I have approximately 100 pictures from a recent vacation that I’d like to send to others. Any suggestions for a program I should use for this? A. “Sending” photos to me means transmitting them, in which case it would be via email. One word of caution, if I may: Unless you know your intended recipients very well, that’s a lot of photos to inflict upon anybody. In photographic circles, 100 vacation photos equal 400 non-vacation photos to anybody who did not accompany you on the trip. It’s been my experience that the level of viewer interest...
Women wearing the latest fashions strolled into Gucci and Neiman Marcus intent on adding to their chic wardrobe. Not far away, my wife Fyllis, wearing blue jeans and boots, was learning to lasso cattle. My afternoon was spent exploring a rugged wilderness of giant cactus and towering mesas. The first impression of Scottsdale, Arizona, is the diversity of attractions. The shopping alone provides an introduction to the something-for-everyone variety. Along with top-of-the-line stores are shops...
