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I looked out the window of the small plane as we approached our short runway and saw nothing but olive-green cliffs. They filled the window and I was startled. The bumpy bluffs seemed so close I felt I could reach out and touch all that green, sailing by on my left. It was Mother's Day, a few weeks ago, and a long-held wish was becoming reality. My husband Elliott and I were flying into Unalaska and Dutch Harbor to spend a few days exploring this place, a place like no other. We arrived in a...
The Municipality of Anchorage has followed through on its plan to vacate occupants from the John Thomas Bldg., Older Persons Action Group's home for more than 40 years. The building, located on the outskirts of downtown Anchorage on the corner of Third Avenue and Cordova Street, was put up for sale in 2012, over the objections of the non-profit organizations residing in the building, and their supporters, including several members of the Anchorage Assembly. Organizations, including the Mabel T....
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Interagency Breakfast, sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all of the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The June meeting is June 10, hosted by AARP Alaska. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group for more information on these events or to be added to our e-mail reminder list, 276-1059....
With a $3.9 billion dollar deficit, it’s important for the legislature to make big cuts, and we have. However, cuts to our most vulnerable seniors is a mistake, and that’s one of the issues we continue to debate. Established in 2007, the Senior Benefits Program helps provide Alaskan seniors on limited incomes the means to afford basic life necessities, such as food and housing. While we recognize that times are tough and Alaska must tighten its belt, we cannot support doing it on the backs of Alaska’s pioneers. Sen. Berta Gardner (D-An...
Check off “budget” on the Republicans “can govern” checklist. Congressional Republicans recently approved a budget bill, the first passed by Congress in six years, and the first since the party took control of both chambers earlier this year. The non-binding document, however, does not go to President Obama for his signature. Instead, it helps guide Congress in framing how it wants to consider all of the government agency appropriations bills. It will also serve as a Republican fiscal policy guideline and sets the stage for the 2016 preside...
From rocks to socks and toxic foods to scissors, pets manage to get into anything and everything. But what happens when you rush your pet to the emergency room only to find out that Buster's surgery to remove all those socks is going to cost upwards of $2,000? Can this be real? For some pet owners, there is no question as to whether the pet is an animal or a family member, but for others that want some savings set aside for a rainy day, pet insurance might be the answer. How it works On...
In my last column, I’m going to invite you to take a pledge. The goal for this year of columns was to share that it’s harder than it looks to take medicine correctly (75 percent of Americans don’t), and to give you tips and tools to avoid common pitfalls. Why? So you can safeguard your health. Not taking medicine as directed leads to more than one in three medicine-related hospitalizations and nearly 125,000 deaths each year. Now, we all know that no matter how much water you put in front of a h...
There is nothing as sweet as a day in June. I’m not so sure about the rest of the country, but that really holds true for Alaska. When the leaves start bursting out of their pods, and the sun shines until midnight, I know I picked the right state to live in. Medigap policies in Alaska I have recently been asked about additional insurance if one has Medicare. If you have Medicare, both parts A and part B, you can also buy a supplemental insurance policy, sometimes called Medigap (a policy that f...
People with Medicare have the right to be treated with respect. This means you are not discriminated against for any reason and your health information is kept private. All hospitals in Alaska post a Patient Bill of Rights. These meet guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS contracts with a national service to make sure your concerns and complaints are acted on quickly. These national services are called quality improvement organizations. You may be asked to sign a paper or electronic pad that you know you have...
I just discovered something upsetting. I'm getting older by the day. Odds are I won't forever be the active, self-reliant person I am now. Yes, it's true, and I must accept the fact one day I will need someone at least checking in on me daily. So then, what's an old soldier to do when that day comes when they no longer can fully function alone? You don't enjoy removing the beautiful snow from your 300-meter driveway as much as you once did, or cutting the grass in your yard is no longer on your...
Do you have a health savings account (HSA) at work? You may have enjoyed the comfort of an HSA account during your work life, knowing the money for your health needs would be there. Did you know that once you turn 65 and begin receiving Medicare, you can no longer make contributions to your health savings account? But you can still take withdrawals tax-free, to pay for many of your medical expenses. Among other things, you can: • Use your HSA money to reimburse yourself for the money that Social Security withholds from your benefits for M...
Living to celebrate your 100th birthday It is believed that more and more people will be living to the age of 100 and so scientists have been studying what may be the key to successful aging and longevity. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden for the past 50 years have followed the health of 855 Gothenburg men born in 1913. The study now is being wrapped up and it turns out that 10 of the individuals lived to 100. The volunteers in this study were surveyed at the age of 54, 60, 65, 75,...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in June. This month’s topic is Safety in Your Home’s Surroundings. June 2, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 9, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 11, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program in the Blazy Mall, Soldotna, 5 p.m. June 16, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 25, Caregiver support meeting at Forget-Me-Not Adu...
I was reading an article by Dr. Martin and he was talking about natural dementia prevention. He said that “dementia does not have to come with the territory as you get older.” At a recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference held in Honolulu, a study was presented and the conclusion was that there are three things that should be a big part of your life to stave off the dementia demon: • vitamin D • tea • exercise Let’s start with exercise. Researchers tracked 1,200 elderly people for 20 years as part of a study on cardiovascula...
Honorary plaque in arms, retiring Skagway Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Carlin "Buckwheat" Donahue regaled a crowd of well-wishers at the Red Onion Saloon on May 1. After 16 years in the position, Donahue can look back at countless plaque presentations to cruise ship captains on their ship's first docking in Skagway, years of seeing hundreds of thousands of visitors using the visitor services the bureau provides, but most importantly, 29 years of the Buckwheat Ski Classic, a cross...
A once-in-a-century theater project is set to run in downtown Anchorage this July through September at Cyrano’s Off Center Playhouse, 4th Avenue and D Street. “Anchorage: The First 100 Years – A Theatrical Tour,” will feature a different team of director and actors each week for 10 weeks, with each week covering a decade in Anchorage’s history. Cyrano’s says its centennial celebration is a series of “living newspapers,” featuring the stories and colorful characters who helped shape Anchorage. The series will include authentic period music an...
The infant town of Anchorage, only a few years old, had always been interested in America's favorite pastime when William F. Mulcahy, later known as "Mr. Baseball," blew into the lusty, young railroad town in 1922. Everyone turned out to watch the games played evenings after supper and weekends. As far back as 1916, Anchorage had a regulation baseball diamond, built by the Bridge Engineers, located in what was known as Recreation Park in the railroad yards north of Ship Creek. A press box, with...
Her father commanded a spaceship in a popular 60s television series. Two decades later, in 1988, Melanie Shatner was featured alongside her dad in an Oldsmobile TV commercial revealing her own desire to zoom around in something "space age." But it wouldn't be the last time father and daughter acted together. The pair shared some on-screen time the following year when "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier," was released. Directed by her father, William Shatner aka Star Trek's Captain Kirk, Melanie...
“The average family moves or changes homes every five years,” says John Bissell of Royal Alaskan Movers, and in honor of the beginning of a summer of endless brown boxes and packing tape, the Better Business Bureau dubs May as National Moving Awareness Month. The month may be wrapping-up, but movers are just kicking into high gear in Alaska. When looking for a moving company, it’s important to take note of the kind of moves the moving company usually performs, says Matthew Voisine, office manager at the Denali Group. “There’s a big differenc...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (June 9 and 23), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (June 3 and 17), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (June 4, 11, 18 and 25), 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 Jun...
Dear Jonathan: My wife and I have a pretty modest estate. Basically, we have our home and a couple of bank accounts. We only have one child, a daughter, who will be the beneficiary of all of our assets. We know we don’t need a complicated estate plan, but at the same time, we want to make sure that what assets we do have pass to our daughter without having to go through probate. From doing our own research, we realize that we could set up a trust and retitle our home and bank accounts to that trust. If we do that, it is our understanding t...
Q. Is there a governing body that regulates the Internet in the United States? A. No one person, company, organization or governmental agency oversees the Internet at this time, though that is certainly subject to change. There are some individuals who feel the Internet should be overseen by the government, much like a public utility. At present, however, it is a globally distributed network comprised of many voluntarily interconnected autonomous networks. It operates without a central governing body with each constituent network setting and...
Summertime means road trips, and no Alaskan can call themselves a true Alaskan if they haven't done the Haul Road. Yes, you may have done the Alaska Highway to the Lower 48, but it's not so gnarly now as it once was, no longer gravel and mostly paved. But the Haul Road, also known as the Dalton Highway, is a gravel road - another animal entirely. Gravel roadways have a decidedly different impact on your vehicle, most notably rocks and huge, thick clouds of dust. So if your windshield sports a...
Dating was scary when we were young, and it’s still scary, but for different reasons. In some ways it’s easier now because we know what we want and we’re more confident. But the fact is, most of us 50 and up have baggage. The baggage might be a small duffle bag, or it might be a three-piece matched-set of luggage and a steamer trunk. It could be broken hearts, previous marriages, grown kids who don’t like the people you date, or worse, grown kids who still live at home, possibly with children of their own. Online dating adds an element of anon...
