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Update, May 3, 2019: Our print edition version of this story went to press as the legislature debated reversing the Senior Benefits cuts discussed in this story. After the paper was printed, the House and Senate both agreed to restore the funding, however the final budget has not been approved. When that happens, it will go to the governor for his approval. Stay tuned for updates. Senior Benefits payments to some Alaska seniors will be suspended in May and June, according to the Dept. of Health and Social Services, which oversees the program....
This is the first in a series of articles by Jordan Lewis, PhD, with comments and reflections on “Alaska Native Successful Aging - What it means to be an Elder,” which are two studies completed in 2009 and 2019. Jordan is an Associate Professor with the WWAMI School of Medical Education, University of Alaska Anchorage, and Director of the National Resource Center for Alaska Native Elders at University of Alaska Anchorage. A huge smile across Mary’s (not her real name) face, the deep wrinkles show she has lived a full and healthy life. That hear...
It was an extraordinary historical event in the history of Alaska. April 30, 1993, KUAC-TV in Fairbanks brought together five current and former Alaska governors to discuss Alaska’s future. Governors Keith Miller, Jay Hammond, Bill Sheffield, Steve Cowper and Walter Hickel were all sitting at the same table at the same time. In light of the contemporary interest in the question of personal income taxes in Alaska, let’s take a look at what our Alaska “founding fathers” had to say about it. But first, a brief historical review. In 1989 the Ala...
The old baseball star Satchel Paige is supposed to have said: Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind it does not matter. On Capitol Hill, old seems to be the new young. In the House of Representatives, the top three leaders are all seniors. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is 79 years old. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., is 80, and Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., is also 80. While you can actually start serving in the House at age 25 and age 30 in the Senate, the 2018 elections brought in a much younger group of l...
The abuse and neglect of American Indian and Alaska Native Elders occurs with alarming frequency in tribal communities. Tribal leaders from across the country have identified three major challenges in addressing elder abuse and neglect issues on reservations, including: There is a need to increase training among tribal healthcare providers and tribal governments about elder abuse and neglect, There are few tribal codes that specifically address elder abuse issues, and There are few established policies and procedures for tribal agencies handlin...
A lot is asked of our men and women in the military, whether active duty or those who have achieved veteran status. Per their service, they are required to constantly relocate, every three to four years depending on military branch. They must deploy to faraway places for training and service abroad, spending weeks and months without those closest to them. Every day, they are asked to perform mentally and physically, with strength and stamina. They are, in principle, dissuaded from showing weakness. They are soldiers. They are warriors. They...
Dear Savvy Senior: I have heard that the VA has a benefit that can help veterans and spouses with long-term care costs. We recently had to move my 86-year-old father – who served in the army nearly 60 years ago – into an assisted living facility, and my mom isn’t far behind. Can the VA help? -- Seeking Aid Dear Seeking: The Veterans Administration does indeed have a little-known, underutilized benefit that can help wartime veterans and their surviving spouses pay for a variety of long-term care costs. This benefit, called “Aid and Attenda...
When we talk about the costs of Medicare, the discussion can include premiums, deductibles, co-insurances and copays. Another cost to Medicare beneficiaries that may come as a surprise is the Income Related Monthly Adjustment, or IRMAA. The IRMAA is an increased amount that individuals who have a higher income pay. This can affect you if your earnings are high or you receive an unexpected windfall such as an inheritance. The IRMAA can affect both your Medicare Part B (Medical) premium and your...
Alaska Health Fairs will be held at the following locations and times during May. For more information, call 907-278-0234 (Anchorage) or 907-374-6853 (Fairbanks); or just visit www.alaskahealthfair.org for the remaining Spring 2019 community schedule, a complete roster of our blood tests, occasional updates, monthly announcements, great articles on health related topics and our monthly newsletters. All events offer free entry and are open to the public. May 4, Cooper Landing Community Health Fair at Cooper Landing School, 19030 Bean Creek...
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, with breakfast provided. The May meeting is May 8, hosted by the Anchorage Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC). Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc....
Concern over a potential misuse of new depression medication The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March approved Spravato (esketamine) nasal spray, in conjunction with an oral antidepressant, for the treatment of depression in adults who have tried other antidepressant medicines but failed to improve. These patients have what is called treatment-resistant depression. While this new approach to depression may prove lifesaving in some cases, there is a very serious concern about misuse and...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in May. This month’s topic is Caregiving and Depression. During Mental Health Month, discussion will focus on how caregiving puts people at risk for depression. Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. May 7, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. May 14, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. May 21, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1...
Dear Savvy Senior: What can you tell me about three-wheeled bicycles? I'm 65 years old and would like to start cycling again but I have some occasional balance problems and don't trust myself on a two-wheeler. What can you recommend? - Ready to Ride Dear Ready: Three-wheeled bikes – also known as adult trikes – are a great cycling option for older adults, especially those who have concerns with their balance or stamina. Here's what you should know, along with some tips to help you shop for one...
"If you have room, would you like to take a petunia wave basket?" asked Evelyn Bush, a former employer of mine. "You can't just give away baskets for free," I replied. But when her granddaughter, Michelle, said Evelyn could very well do whatever she pleased, I accepted. Of course I could find room in our truck camper for a free flower basket, even if it was already full. Bushes Bunches Greenhouses and Garden, just outside Palmer on the Old Glenn Highway, was my husband Gary's and my last stop...
Friends of Nike Site Summit and the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation invite the public to their tenth annual open house Thursday, May 9, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Anchorage at the Atwood Building, 550 West 7th Ave. The evening will include information about the restoration of Site Summit, the former Nike Hercules missile battery atop Mount Gordon Lyon in Arctic Valley. Participants will obtain information about tours and volunteer opportunities and view a slide show about...
Thanks to an arrangement with Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc. (WASI), the Mid-Valley Senior Center in Houston is open for lunch again. WASI started catering lunch to the Houston center in April, with lunch hours 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. A comment on the Mid-Valley Senior Center’s Facebook page notes “coffee is ready about 10 a.m., so come in for a cup”. Mid-Valley Senior Center ceased operations almost four years ago and has been trying to find ways to restore services since then. A private kitchen began offering meals to th...
Registration is open for this year’s Alaska International Senior Games, which take place Aug. 9-18 in Fairbanks. The annual event brings together people from all around the United States and several countries to compete – you must be age 50 or older – in everything ranging from horseshoes and bocce, to track and field and swimming, from disc golf to traditional golf on Fairbanks’ best courses. In all, expect some 20 sports with more than 60 events, according to the AISG website. The Games is a week of activities that you can enjoy, whether...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly board meeting Thursday, May 30, 2019. The meeting will be held via videoconference and teleconference, available at sites listed below, or statewide via toll-free telephone. The meeting takes place 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call the Alaska Commission on Aging office at 465-3250. Videoconference sites Anchorage Senior and Disabilities Services, 550 West 8th Ave., Room 323. 269-3666 Fairbanks Senior and Disabilities Services, 751 Old Richardson Highway, Suite 100A. 451-5045 Ju...
After Alaska became part of the United States in 1867, the U.S. military ruled America's newest possession for about 17 years. Then on July 4, 1884, U.S. President Chester A. Arthur appointed Republican John Henry Kinkead of Nevada as the District of Alaska's first governor. And Kinkead has the distinction of serving as the district's governor for the shortest amount of time – less than a year – as he resigned in May 1885. Kinkead, who served as Nevada's governor from 1879 to 1883, knew qui...
A staple on the old TV westerns, Don Collier got his first break as a lead actor in the short-lived series "Outlaws" in the early 1960s. "I interviewed for the role in December 1959 and they called me back for three weeks the following January/February when we shot the pilot," recalled Collier. "NBC wanted a prime time slot for Ralph Edwards ('This is Your Life') and they had to move either us or Bonanza. Bonanza was in color and we were black and white (for the first season) so we lost out. But...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in May: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (May 14 and 28), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (May 1 and 15), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (May 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can call the...
I recently saw the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody", which tells the story of the rock band Queen and its lead singer, Freddie Mercury. Having come of age in the ‘70s, I found it interesting enough to look up some of the background. One of the more interesting stories told in the movie, and with fair accuracy, is Freddie’s relationship with Mary Austin. For many years, Mercury referred to Mary as his “common-law wife”. Even after they broke up, he referred to her as his “only true friend”. He even bou...
Q. Most retail stores accept merchandise returns, but what about software? Is it possible to get a refund from the App Store? A. Although the details are often buried in the fine print, both the Google and Apple stores provide a return policy for apps. In the Google Play Store, time is of the essence. You have to request the refund within two hours of purchase. If you miss the two-hour deadline, there is another path best tried within the first 48 hours. The procedures vary slightly by media type. For example, movies, music and apps have...
I was reading a travel article recently and noticed a photograph the writer took of a local in the country he was covering. They were not smiling. In fact, they were scowling. It reminded me of the time I watched a visitor to Utqiagvik take a photo of three Inupiat women elders in the MarkAir terminal. They were dressed in the latest fashion of exotic Hawaiian prints for the covers of their traditional parkas and rhinestone pins on their wolverine ruffs that seemed to be a friendly contest...
