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If your spouse has a retirement plan of his or her own, are you the beneficiary? Are you sure? Federal law requires that for 401(k) plans and most types of retirement accounts, the spouse must be the beneficiary. But this is not true of all types of retirement plans. And depending on where you live, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise someday, especially if your spouse was previously married. If you live in a community property state (Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, or Wisconsin, and if the...
"This is the heart of Sitka for so many seniors." Anita VanDyck shared this with me as she was busy serving desserts, fresh fruit cups, to several tables at Swan Lake Senior Center for the Friday noon meal. Anita is a longtime volunteer there. Fridays are Bingo days at the center and site manager Sandi Koval had assured me there would be quite a crowd. About 40 people had gathered there on a bleak, damp Sitka day, but inside there was sunshine. The minute I entered, I felt welcomed, almost as...
During the past few years I have limited my Senior Voice commentary to non-controversial matters; however, I want to take this opportunity to expand the dialogue regarding further American military involvement in the Middle East. After 9/11, the USA went to war in Iraq to eliminate weapons of mass destruction and contain Al-Qaida, a radical Sunni Islamist organization originally nurtured in Saudi Arabia, a USA friend. The Saudi are a theocracy and adhere to the conservative Wahhabi sect of Islam. In fact, most of the 9/11 attackers were Sunni...
Effective July 21 this year, under a new law, an owner will be able to sign a transfer on death (TOD) deed transferring real property to a person or organization (including a charity) upon death. The TOD deed must provide a few simple facts, including a legal description of the property and the names and addresses of the persons transferring and receiving the property. It must be signed before a notary public. Most importantly, it must state that it will become effective upon the transferor’s death. The deed must be recorded prior to the transf...
It’s one of the “Dirty Dozen” tax scams and it’s making its way across the Pacific Northwest again. Better Business Bureau serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington has received several reports of IRS impersonators. The Internal Revenue Service issued the initial alert in February 2014, as did the Federal Trade Commission. Callers pretend to be from the IRS in hopes of stealing money or identities. Here are some examples of how the scammers attempt to swindle taxpayers. • Victims are told they owe money to the IRS or are entitled to a huge...
According to a new, state-by-state, long-term care scorecard from AARP, Alaska ranks fifth in the nation overall when it comes to meeting the long-term care needs of older residents. But AARP cautions against too much optimism since improvements must be made when it comes to meeting the long-term care needs of older residents, especially the support provided for family caregivers. “Raising Expectations 2014: A State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers,” was pro...
Hepatitis C is a disease that is caused by a virus that affects the liver. Even though the disease often doesn’t produce symptoms, it can seriously damage the liver and can be fatal. An estimated 3.2 million Americans have Hepatitis C. Older people are more likely to have been exposed to Hepatitis C, but many older Americans are not aware that they need to be tested for it. A December 2013 report found that Hepatitis C infections are concentrated in the Baby Boomers generation. In one major study of people with the virus, 75 percent of the p...
Alaska's food-growing season is kicking into high gear and Alaska farmers grow some of the best produce in the country, so now's the time to pick up your sheet of coupons for locally-grown fruits and vegetables. The coupons come from the Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Program and can be used at local farmer's markets around the state. Each coupon sheet contains five $5 coupons for a total of $25 per sheet. The program issues the coupon sheets to senior centers and other agencies, which pass...
Two-thirds of Alaska adults who currently smoke say they want to quit. The state Department of Health and Social Services is now offering additional support to help them. Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line has enhanced the free tools it offers to provide even greater support to help tobacco users successfully quit for good. Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line now offers Text2Quit and Web Coach. Text2Quit allows those who are quitting to work with a quit coach via their mobile phone. Text2Quit features a series of interactive text messages — including tips...
If you are new to Medicare, you need to know that Medicare almost always only pays 80 percent of the cost of most medical procedures. In order to be completely covered, you should buy a Medicare supplemental policy, also known as Medigap. These generally cost $100 to $150 per month, but they are very necessary. There are about 10 different plans and they vary from state to state. In my experience, the most popular plan for most people in Alaska is plan F. This plan offers payment for the...
Every day, people confront situations that involve life-changing decisions about their health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 9 out of 10 adults have difficulty using the health information that is routinely available in health care facilities, retail outlets, media and communities. This challenging situation will be the focus of daylong seminar at Providence Medical Center in Anchorage on Aug. 6. “Bridging Literacy and Communication Differences for Better Health Outcomes,” will feature nationally-recognized...
Just when you thought the VA couldn’t be more offensive, we find out they are denying veterans with traumatic brain injuries and/or post traumatic stress disorders (TBI/PTSD) of their Second Amendment rights. Yes, you read this correctly, veterans asking for help to recover from service connected injuries are being deemed a danger to themselves and others and unable to handle their affairs by an unelected, appointed VA bureaucrat working for the very government agency founded to help them “re-integrate” back into peacetime civilian life. While...
New findings in the physiological causes of depression are leading to treatments other than widely used antidepressants, such as Prozac and Zoloft, according to a report in the journal Current Psychiatry. Depression is a problem facing many seniors. New treatments include new medications, electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain, and long-term cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management. Authors of the new study are Murali Rao, MD, and Julie M. Alderson, DO. Rao is professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behaviora...
Breath test may be important new tool against lung cancer Researchers have now come up with a new breath test that can diagnose patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as lung cancer. In addition, this new technology can help can define the stage of any cancer present and potentially help guide the appropriate therapy. “This could totally revolutionize lung cancer screening and diagnosis. The perspective here is the development of a non-traumatic, easy, cheap a...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings and trainings in July. This month’s theme is Nation UV Safety Awareness Month, with a handout on the risks of sun damage provided at each caregiver support meeting. Please join and share your experience as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. July 1, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 8, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 15, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior C...
Most Americans – 75 percent! – don't take their medicine as directed. Forgetting pills, taking them at the wrong time of the day, not filling a prescription because of cost or inconvenience – all these can take a serious toll on people's health – and wallets, if they end up in the doctor's office or hospital. People of all ages make medicine mistakes, but the chances go up the more prescriptions a person takes. So seniors, who often take several prescriptions, have to take special care. I'm Lan...
This year's Southeast Alaska State Fair in Haines is July 31 through Aug 3, with the theme "Unleash Your Inner Fair." In its 46th year, the fair reflects the cultures and people of Southeast Alaska. Sand wrestling is a new contest this year, but the logging show, fisherman's rodeo, wearable art, Tlingit carving and puppet theatre will be back. Music and performances on three stages; animals and petting zoo; food for every taste; arts and crafts. Contests for loveable dog, horseshoe fans, volleyb...
This year's Alaska International Senior Games will be held Aug. 8-17 in the Fairbanks area. Events range from horseshoes, bocce and golf to tennis, racquetball, archery, cycling, track and field, swimming and trap shooting. Basketball fans will appreciate two new events this year: free throw competition and three-on-three random coed. Complete AISG information including online registration at www.alaskaisg.org. Registration deadline is July 31 (early registration ends July 15). Call...
July 20 Deadline for voters to register to vote or to update their registration. Aug. 4 First date for Absentee In Person; Early Voting; Electronic Transmission; and Special Needs Voting to begin. Aug. 19 Primary Election Day, Polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Contacts • Online registration; apply for absentee ballot; Look-up your voter registration: https//www.elections.alaska.gov/ot/php • Division of Elections Director’s Office contact: https//www.elections.alaska.gov/csm.php Or call 1-866-952-8683 or 465-4611...
A gambler's hunch compelled California mining magnate John Treadwell to purchase a claim from "French Pete" for $400. That decision turned into the discovery of the famed "Glory Hole" on Douglas Island in Southeastern Alaska in 1881. Gold had been discovered in the Silver Bow Basin near Juneau in October 1880. Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, along with Sitka chief Kowee, had trekked through moss, slippery rocks and devil's club to get to a place the Tlingits called Bear's Nest. "It was a...
Eighty years ago, 16-year-old Marsha Hunt began her professional career with a prominent New York City modeling agency. But her real love since the age of four was acting. So, the following year, in May 1935, she headed to Hollywood. Within weeks of arriving on the West Coast her dream was realized with a Paramount contract. "It wasn't about becoming a famous star," said Ms. Hunt from her home in Los Angeles. "I just wanted the joy of pretending to be interesting characters and convincing audien...
Why some older people are sitting ducks for con artists Sad but true, seniors are often targeted by scam artists because they make good victims. Reader’s Digest asked one former con artist, Jim, what it is about some seniors that make them the focus of thieves. Here’s a summary of what Jim said: • Senior citizens generally have money. Many are “sitting on fat nest eggs.” • Their emotional needs are easy to read. They volunteer information about how they love their kids and grandkids, and they share their fears about the global economy and...
Dear Jonathan: I am an elderly gentleman who is not married and has no children. Because I have become increasingly aware of my own mortality, I have decided to engage in estate planning for the first time in my life. Interestingly, I am more concerned with those documents whose purpose is to protect me during my lifetime, i.e., financial and health care durable power of attorneys, than I am with those documents that direct where my estate goes when I die, i.e., a will and trust. More specifically, I understand the importance and the need of ha...
Q. Can you recommend a simple program to move pictures from my Android phone to my Windows 7 computer? A. You really don’t need a program or an app to do that. Instead, follow these steps and you should be all set: First, connect your smartphone to your computer using the USB sync cable that came with your phone or is available at any Radio Shack. Once connected, a USB icon will appear in the Noti...
Buffalo, New York is a vibrant city filled with lots to do and discover for persons of all ages. At the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, you can see one of the world's most impressive collections of modern and contemporary art, including works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Warhol. Across the street, you'll find the stunning Burchfield Penney Art Center, which is committed to the art of Buffalo and Western New York. As you walk around our city, you'll come across some of the finest architecture of the late...
