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While the chances of action begin as slim at best, House Democrats recently reintroduced a Social Security reform bill designed to give lawmakers a few more years to figure out how to fix the long-term solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds, among other things. Right now, those trust funds – the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund (OASI), which pays retirement and survivor benefits, and the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund, which pays disability benefits, are both scheduled to run out of money in just 13 years. At that time ...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Feb. 8, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Events are currently held virtually on the internet, using Zoom. This month’s presentation is “Intimacy As We Age.” How does intimacy change as we age? Do we ever outgrow this need? What happens if we end up alone? Where do we meet new people, especially during a pandemic? How do we keep ourselves safe from predators, especially in online relationships...
Senior Voice Staff 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...
Editor’s note: This press statement was received on Jan. 19, 2022. Medicare beneficiaries may have grounds to ask for a refund on a portion of their 2022 Part B premiums, according to The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a Washington D.C.-based senior advocacy organization. “It appears that Medicare is overcharging 57 million older and disabled beneficiaries for their Part B coverage this year,” says Mary Johnson, a Medicare and Social Security policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League. The increase in Part B premiums in 2022, which cover...
January 21 marked the 12th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case, which opened the floodgates of campaign spending. This led to a cascade of finance laws across the country being struck down by the courts, most recently Alaska’s Campaign Finance Law. While the top “one percenters” are gleeful in their ability to fund war chests to campaign for the candidates who will support their causes, the rest of “we the people” are left wondering if our $50 checks can possibly keep up, or why we should even bother...
African American older adults are disproportionately affected by diabetes, which affects more than 10% of African American adults. Without proper management, diabetes may increase the risk for other diseases including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. One way to understand this concept is to think about how sticky sugar becomes when you caramelize it in a frying pan. This is the same process that occurs in our arteries, since the average...
Bianca Rauch has been a hospice chaplain in Anchorage for many years. In this interview she talks about Valentine's Day, the loss of loved ones, grief and remembering. Valentine's Day is coming up. This is an especially difficult day, I assume, for those grieving for a loved one. What do you tell them? Chaplain Rauch: Valentine's Day is just one event, one day that may be difficult among many. There are many firsts, especially in the first year after you lose someone. There's an anniversary if...
COVID-somnia is taking its toll A new survey commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has found that more than half of Americans (56%) say they have experienced “COVID-somnia,” an increase in sleep disturbances, since the beginning of the pandemic. Of the reported sleep disturbances, most common was trouble falling or staying asleep (57%). Additional disturbances included sleeping less (46%), experiencing worse quality sleep (45%) and having more disturbing dreams (36%). “COVID-somnia can be brought on by multiple stres...
Your Medicare costs and coverage can change every year; this year is no exception. Here is an overview of changes and opportunities to consider. Medicare Part A Part A inpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facility services, home health care and hospice are covered by Medicare Part A. Most people do not owe a premium for Part A. If you have less than 10 years of Social Security work credits, you may owe a monthly premium, depending on the number of years worked. If you are admitted to...
Each household in the U.S. can now have four free COVID-19 at-home tests shipped directly to their home at no cost. All you need to do is visit COVIDtests.gov and enter your contact information and mailing address. The tests are rapid antigen “at-home” or “self” tests — not PCR tests, which require a lab drop-off. The “at-home” or “self” tests can be taken anywhere and give results within 30 minutes. Guard against scammers trying to steal your personal information. When ordering tests, use the official, secure government website: https://...
The last few years have been extra difficult for so many people in Alaska. These years have been hard for human beings all over the world due to the Pandemic. The reality of experiencing, or dread of experiencing, COVID-19 or one of its ensuing strains has been increasing the normal stresses of day-to-day life. Many of our friends and loved ones may also have a serious life-limiting illness. As you read this, you may be dealing with one yourself. Saint Valentine is known as the patron saint of beekeeping and epilepsy. This saint has had people...
Promising advance in treating Parkinson’s disease Researchers have solved a decade-long mystery about a critical protein linked to Parkinson’s disease that could help to fast-track treatments for the incurable disease. The researchers have developed a “live action” view of a protein called PINK1 in exquisite molecular detail. The discovery explains how the protein is activated in the cell and leads to the development of Parkinson’s disease. When this protein is not working correctly, it kills...
Alaska Health Fair’s Spring 2022 schedule is now online, with most events already posted on our website at www.alaskahealthfair.org. Check back frequently, as the new season is fluid. We continue to add new dates as they come available and rarely postpone one. The blood draw dates are at our office settings, plus a few February community events, as our busy schedule ramps up for spring. Our February schedule, which includes mask wearing requirements while attending, currently includes: Anchorage, Feb. 5 First Christian Church, 3031 Latouche S...
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.com. The program will hold caregiver support group meetings in February 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 “Fun with Meal Planning” presentation with certified food systems manager Cindi Irwin. Feb. 3, Sterling Senior Cente...
Are you a family caregiver? You may not think of yourself that way, but if you spend time tending to the needs or concerns of a person with an ongoing illness, injury or disability, you are considered a caregiver. Approximately 85% of people with dementia and chronic illness are cared for exclusively in their own homes. On average, their loved ones provide 12 hours of assistance a day. That can be difficult to juggle with work and other responsibilities, and often takes an economic and physical toll. As a result, caregivers often report signifi...
Q: Seniors in Alaska have a higher mortality rate due to behavioral health conditions. What are some of the leading causes of death among seniors in Alaska, and how we can work to improve behavioral health outcomes for this population? A: Correct, as Alaskan seniors struggle with behavioral health conditions, their mortality rates increase. Let’s examine more about the impact of these conditions and what resources are available. In February 2019 the Alaska Dept. of Health and Social Services r...
A diagnosis of dementia is one of the most difficult hardships a patient and their loved ones can face. The months and years after diagnosis are often filled with trying to learn more about the disease, wondering what the future holds, becoming a caregiver with no formal training, and experiencing loss. These challenges can be overwhelming for anyone to overcome. A support system is crucial to managing the new territory a dementia diagnosis brings, and one important member of that team is an occupational therapist. Occupational therapy is the...
Bird Treatment and Learning Center (Bird TLC), founded in 1988 by Dr. James Scott, is a rehabilitation center for the wild birds of Alaska. Our mission is to present living science education that instills understanding and appreciation for wild birds and their habitats, and to provide primary medical treatment, rehabilitative care and potential release for sick and injured wild birds. Caring for wildlife requires specialized training, knowledge and permitting. Bird TLC operates under permits...
There are many Alaskan wintertime sports. I always preferred cross-country skiing over downhill, but my son, Patrick, is the other way around. The Hatcher Pass Mountains in the Matanuska Valley are a winter playground for skiers, snowboarders and snowmachiners. During his high school years, Patrick and his friends loved to downhill ski in the area, mostly because it was close and there was no lift ticket expense, not to mention the abundance of white fluffy powder. The absence of a chair lift...
Join friends, create a work of art and learn about ways to improve heart health at the Wasilla Area Seniors Inc. (WASI) "Paint Your Heart Out" event Feb. 19. Cost is $25 and all supplies and snacks are provided. You bring your painting clothes. Register in advance on the WASI Facebook page, at the WASI office or online at our at www.wasillaseniors.com/events/paint-your-heart-out/. Registration the day of the event begins at 9:30 a.m. The party is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call 907-206-8792 for...
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Fairbanks will offer a mix of distance-delivered (via Zoom) and in-person classes for its spring classes this year. Classes are offered to adults age 50 and older and topics cover art, computers, current events, health, history, literature, music, philosophy, science as well as exercise and hobbies. The format may be lecture, discussion group, or hands-on. There are no tests or grades. Classes are taught by current and retired faculty of UAF and by others with specialized expertise....
AARP Alaska’s Juneau Community Action Team, the Juneau Sustainability Commission and several other Juneau groups have partnered to develop a five-part series on reducing our carbon footprint. The sessions meet via Zoom every other Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m., beginning March 9. Each session will be moderated by a local expert. Following a brief introductory presentation, a series of panelists will share practical information and tips on carbon footprint reduction in Juneau and beyond. The series will end with a look at the connection between...
As a young man, famous American novelist Rex Ellingwood Beach struck out from Illinois in 1897 in search of his fortune in the gold-filled Klondike. Along with others who had some money and time, he chose to travel the all-water route. Hopeful prospectors like Beach hopped onboard steamships leaving Seattle and other West Coast ports bound for St. Michael, where they connected with flat-bottom sternwheelers for the 1,500-mile trip up the Yukon River to Dawson. However, many travelers discovered...
The movie world was shocked when the body of 43-year-old Natalie Wood was found floating lifeless in the ocean off Catalina Island on the morning of Nov. 29, 1981. Forty years later, sister Lana still can't accept that the incident was nothing more than a tragic accident. Natalie's watery demise remains one of Hollywood's enduring mysteries, recently resurrected in Lana's book, "Little Sister: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood," published last November, 40 years after...
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteer tax preparers will provide free tax preparation assistance for seniors and low-to-moderate income households this tax season. Service delivery is being adjusted due to COVID to make tax preparation safe for volunteers and the public. Tax prep will be by appointment only with minimal face-to-face interaction this year. Masks will always be required when interacting with the volunteers. Taxpayers will complete their paperwork and be interviewed by a counselor. Some Tax-Aide sites will prepare tax returns the...
