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Alaska's Elder Mentor/Foster Grandparent program is resuming service under new funding through the Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP). Lower income elders and seniors who volunteer receive a small stipend for working at least 20 hours per week with children in schools, preschools, Head Start centers and other community-based programs. These volunteers mentor youth who need assistance in succeeding academically and in developing positive social skills. In circumstances where...
Every day, Alaska senior volunteers generously give their time and service to help others. Now here’s your chance to give back by nominating a deserving older adult in your community for his or her outstanding service through the Salute to Senior Service® program. Sponsored by Home Instead, Inc., the franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care® network, Salute to Senior Service recognizes the invaluable contributions of adults age 65 and older who give at least 15 hours a month of volunteer service to their favorite causes. “Seniors have so mu...
One winter, I was sitting in Takhini Hot Springs, a bit north of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, talking to a family from Anchorage there with their daughter for a ballet audition. “Where are you from?” she said. “Skagway,” I replied. “Where is that?” she asked. “Alaska,” I said. She turned to her husband and said, “I told you we needed to get out of Anchorage and see more of the state.” And so do you. Winter is a great time to travel throughout Alaska. No RVs on the road, the potholes are filled...
"I see a lot of seniors who have done something right. Many are fit and active into their 80s and 90s." Betty Burke shares this positive assessment when reflecting on her position as Health Outreach Nurse at the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center. "My job is to promote optimal wellness in the senior population here," she says, "to promote fitness in general." Six years ago, Burke hooked onto the idea of launching a program related to the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, focusing on February fitness for...
This year, AARP Foundation is again providing free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers with low to moderate income through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, in its 45th year, is the nation’s largest free tax assistance and preparation service, giving special attention those 60 and older. You do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this free service. In 2013, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide’s 35,000 volunteers at nearly 6,000 sites provided 2.6 million people with free tax help. Taxpayers who use...
Medical alert devices are a beneficial life saving tool that can assist seniors in the event of a fall, and/or medical emergency. With a properly set up system, assistance can be dispatched within minutes. Most seniors want to live at home and keep their independence as long as possible. Medical alert systems are generally easy to activate and provide peace of mind both for seniors and their families. Recently, a long-term friend contacted me about problems she was having with her medical device company. My friend told me that a...
Mabel T. Caverly Senior Center is pleased to announce that membership is now available in the Anchorage Senior Friendly Project. This is the center’s newest program After five-plus years of planning, and with the assistance of the Older Persons Action Group and the Municipality of Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission, the center launched the program on January 1. This exciting and worthwhile program will impact Anchorage’s growing senior community in amazing ways. The mission statement of the Anchorage Senior Friendly Project is “Bu...
Editor’s note: This press statement was received on Jan. 27, 2014. Alaska and Hawaii’s Congressional delegations today introduced legislation that would exempt residents of the two states – and communities that rely on essential air service as subsidized by the U.S. Department of Transportation – from the increase in air travel fees included in December’s budget deal. This exemption would protect interisland flights from increased air travel fees, which would more than double from $2.50 to $5.60. “This bill provides a much-needed reality che...
The lifelong probability of a marriage ending in divorce is between 40 and 50 percent, according to PolitiFact.com’s estimates. Couples in trouble often seek advice from friends, family and counselors. But global marriage expert Mort Fertel, creator of the Marriage Fitness Tele-Boot Camp and author of “Marriage Fitness,” says much of the advice couples get is bad. “Much of the advice people get about their marriage problems is wrong. It sounds good. It makes sense. The problem is: it usually doesn’t work,” Fertel says. “Reconciling a broken mar...
President Reagan's quote, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help," is often used to disparage the "help" offered by many bureaucrats; but it's a completely different feeling when you call or drop by Alaska's Medicare Information Office (MIO). First, you're greeted with a smile and a meaningful, "How can I help you?" You truly get the feeling they want to help. The office recently moved to 400 Gambell, with easy parking and private offices for confidentiality – a nice change after y...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. begins its spring series of health fairs this month, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. The 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 different...
A little history today. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared that he was starting a “War on Poverty.” Several of the most forward thinking citizens of Anchorage decided that they would join that war. They got together and formed the Older Persons Action Group, to have an entity to receive help from the Office of Economic Opportunity, to achieve the goal of helping seniors and others in Anchorage, who were foundering in need. Although the “war” did not last long, due to the change...
Let me begin by thanking the readers who contacted the Senior Voice concerning last month’s article. I hope our senior veterans will find this month’s topic on mesothelioma in the 60-plus year old age group useful to themselves or a loved one. If you worked in areas of high exposure while on active duty for even one day, that brief exposure could lead to this deadly form of cancer in you and your family (via secondary exposure). This discussion will be in two parts. I will cover the disease, its causes, areas of service in the military most vul...
Is vision loss causing you to have trouble keeping up with activities you used to enjoy? This March in Kodiak, find out how a functional low vision screening and daily living tips can improve your life. Discover specialized magnifiers and other devices as well as safety techniques that can help you enjoy those activities again. The low vision clinic will be held March 4-7 at the Kodiak Senior Center, 302 Erskine Ave. You can schedule a screening at the clinic with Charity Son, Low Vision Coordinator, Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually...
Tomatoes potent in fighting breast cancer Eating a diet rich in tomato and tomato products may help protect against breast cancer. A new study by researchers in Ohio has found that eating a diet high in tomatoes had a positive effect on hormone levels that play a role in regulating fat and sugar metabolism. The researchers conducted a study with older women who were at high risk for breast cancer. “The advantages of eating plenty of tomatoes and tomato-based products, even for a short period, w...
In an effort to encourage more Alaskans to get immunized against the flu, the Alaska Division of Public Health will continue waiving the standard $28 administrative fee for the flu vaccine at all state public health centers in Alaska and at the Municipality of Anchorage Public Health Center. The fee waiver is in effect through the end of March 2014 for certain Alaskans. As of Dec. 28, the state had recorded 242 laboratory confirmed cases of the flu. H1N1, or swine flu, is the dominant strain this season. Protection against the strain is...
Judging by the complaints to the Long Term Care Ombudsman, many Medicare beneficiaries and their families do not realize they have rights during the hospital discharge process. These rights are meant to protect seniors from being discharged from the hospital too soon and from being placed in a facility that cannot meet their care needs. Maybe you don’t need to know your rights as a Medicare beneficiary today, but file this column away for later. It may come in handy. When you are admitted to t...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in February. Because this is National Heart Month, caregiver trainings will focus on being heart healthy. Feb. 4, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 11, Caregiver training at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 17, no meeting, President’s Day Feb. 25, Peer Support Meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Training sessions provide 2 hours of C...
Dorothy Dickson McLaren, child-resident of Alaska and daughter of one of the state's pioneer bush pilots, recently glimpsed a picture taken from the 1938 Fur Rendezvous. Memories of that wonderful day remind Dorothy of leading the Queen's procession and fur style show at the 1938 – "biggest and best" – Third Annual Anchorage Fur Rendezvous. Now a senior citizen, Dorothy recalls the excitement surrounding the coronation of the Queen of the Fur Rendezvous, Miss Grace Bailey. Indeed, Grace wen...
For Alaska Native Elders and those with disabilities living in nursing and assisted living homes in Anchorage, the holidays are often spent away from family, friends and loved ones. Thanks to a partnership between the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) Elder Outreach Program and the Southcentral Foundation (SCF) Waiver Care Coordination Program, along with the generosity of ANTHC and SCF staff, 150 Alaska Native Elders and disabled people received gifts this past holiday season....
Anchorage’s April 1 municipal election will include six assembly seats, two board seats and bond and ballot issues. Although April 1 may seem far away on the calendar, new voters need to register 30 days before the election, by Sunday, March 2. Those who are already registered do not need to re-register, but those who have moved should file a new registration form with the State of Alaska elections office, 522-8683. The state maintains the file of registered voters for the entire state. There are several ways to register including online at w...
Members of the Alaska Commission on Aging will gather in Juneau, Feb. 10-13, for the quarterly commission meeting and to hold a community forum at the Juneau Senior Center. The commission meeting will be held in the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation Building (Goldbelt Building), Suite 302 in the Hugh Malone Conference Rm. Hours for the regular meeting sessions are: Feb. 10 from 3 to 5:15 p.m.; Feb. 11, 12:40 to 5 p.m.; and Feb. 13, 8:30 to 11 a.m. The commission will conduct a community forum at the Juneau Senior Center on the morning of Feb....
Cordova's Iceworm, the brain child of Ohmer Waer in 1960, was a gallant effort to attract tourists to Cordova and combat midwinter doldrums. Waer, manager of the historic old Windsor Hotel, looked around the empty lobby one fall morning as he drank a cup of coffee. "What this town needs is an iceworm," he told his wife. Of course, Waer didn't mean a real iceworm. Discovered in 1887 on the Muir Glacier, that annelid worm spends its entire life in glacial ice in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and...
How much mileage could a studio expect from a 1950s film starring a biologist with a fascination for a secluded fishpond? Quite a bit, when the scientist is beautiful Julie Adams wrapped in a skin-tight white latex bathing suit and the fish turns out to be an angry piscine amphibious humanoid – aka "Creature from the Black Lagoon." Premiering 60 years ago this month, the success of the now cult film continues to astound Julie who, at age 87, remains a popular guest at fan conventions and film fe...
Dear Jonathan: I am naming my sister as one of my beneficiaries in my last will and testament. I am signing the will at my home since it is hard for me to get out. I know I need to have two witnesses. My question is whether my sister can act as one of those witnesses. Jonathan Says: It depends upon the law of the state in which you live. Some states allow interested parties, i.e., someone who is named as a beneficiary in the will, to also act as a witness without invalidating the gift to that individual; some states do not. You need to check wi...
