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ANALYSIS As the nation emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, telemedicine has transformed how millions of Americans, particularly seniors, see their doctors. Now the Biden administration and Congress must decide whether video and audio appointments with doctors should continue as a routine part of health care and should get federal reimbursement. Telemedicine, also called telehealth, has been the most significant health care shift caused by the pandemic. Before coronavirus, lawmakers had tightly restricted the kind of video and audio visits...
A strong and growing labor movement is good for workers and for all Americans. The labor movement has been and continues to be the leading force in the fight to strengthen Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, ensuring a measure of retirement security for all Americans. Our country, our democracy, and our people benefit when workers have a strong voice at work and are able to join together to build a more secure future for their families and their communities. Union jobs often come with negotiated defined benefit pensions which ensure...
I’ve had a front-row seat to the growing senior care crisis in Alaska, and I am worried. I’m worried about our seniors not getting the care they need, and I’m worried about professional caregivers leaving this field or Alaska to find better jobs elsewhere. I’ve proudly served as a professional home care provider to help Alaskans age at home safely for almost a decade. Caregiving is a valuable and rewarding job. Over the years, severe cuts to Medicaid services and care hours undermined the ability of professional caregivers to provide the car...
Question: My granddaughter’s good friend is a young woman she used to work with. They spend a lot of time together and have come to visit me. It is apparent they are a couple. I’m not sure how to interact with them. Answer: This is a great question; while a grandparent may not be one of the first people a grandchild shares personal information with, how delightful she feels comfortable visiting you. It sounds like you two have a special relationship. Responding appropriately and uniquely to the...
Getting vaccinated helps protects others who don’t Older adults who get vaccinated against COVID-19 may also be protecting their unvaccinated family members. Researchers at the Helsinki Graduate School of Economics have found that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines protect both vaccinated individuals and their unvaccinated adult household members against SARS-CoV-2 infections. The study used Finnish administrative datasets to examine the link between mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines and infection risk among vaccinated individuals a...
For older people, going to a gym on a regular basis helps to build strength and stamina by exercising the body in systematic, increasingly exerting ways. This effort pays off with a reduced chance of falls, better coordination and balance, improved sleep, stronger muscles and a more positive self-image. As we age, our brains need consistent exercise, too. Aging brings with it a host of “senior moments,” when we begin to second guess ourselves, becoming more easily distracted, forgetful, and less able to concentrate for long periods of tim...
Alaska Health Fair, Inc. takes an extended break twice a year – after each active and heavy duty health fair season. We do this to provide our few paid staff, plus our dedicated and cherished volunteers a longer period to take their own vacations. These breaks have become even more important as we’ve worked almost non-stop through COVID. Though we are not offering blood draw dates in July, we are busy closing out the spring season and looking forward to the upcoming fall season. Our summer break is now in full swing, so you may have dif...
Every Medicare beneficiary has the right to appeal a denial of coverage for services or items made by Medicare. However, there are some things you should know. First, you need to understand why Medicare denied coverage in the first place. Then you need to build your case for the appeal and begin the process. You need to understand that there are multiple levels of appeals you can go through if your first decision is denied and each of these has their own timeline associated. Why was your item or service denied coverage by Medicare? Make sure...
Hospice is not a place. And hospice care is not just about those who are dying. Hospice is a comprehensive, compassionate kind of care that focuses on living – hospice is about living as fully as possible, surrounded by family and friends, up until the end of life. Palliative care brings this special philosophy of care to people earlier in the course of a serious illness. Did you know that Hospice of Anchorage is a Volunteer Hospice? Did you know there are three Medicare hospice providers serving Anchorage and the surrounding areas as well? W...
Smart toilet may be able to analyze stool For the first time, researchers are suggesting that an artificial intelligence tool can be used for long-term tracking and management of chronic gastrointestinal ailments. Scientists at Duke University have added an artificial intelligence tool to the standard toilet to help analyze patients’ stool and give gastroenterologists the information they need to provide appropriate treatment, according to a new study. This novel technology could assist in m...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program has moved into a new office located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205 (located in the 4D Professional Building). You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email dkebschull@soldotnaseniors.comdkebschull@soldotnaseniors.com. Caregiver support group meetings will be held at the following locations and times in July. Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. July 8, Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. A training titled, “Can Alzheimer’s be Sto...
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, the monthly event currently meets virtually online via Zoom. The July meeting is July 14, hosted by the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons...
Aging surely has its challenges and one is keeping up your physical health as your body slowly deteriorates. Add an injury or major operation and the road to recovery may be too hard to meet – especially for those who spent a lifetime in competitive sports because they can no longer function at the high level they once could. Some seniors have found a low impact activity that allows them to bounce around a court and smash the heck out of a perforated ball with a ping pong paddle. That's p...
Alaska International Senior Games bowlers Phil and Lois Heine continue to encourage each other to expand their activities. This past year the Fairbanks couple have stepped up their personal geocaching challenge, which sends them out of the house exploring and creating new adventures. Some of you may be wondering, what is geocaching? Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt. Founded in 2000, there are now over 3 million geocaches in 191 countries on all seven continents. GPS coordinates are...
I don't recall one of my first fishing experiences, but according to a family photo, grayling were caught in a little creek near Twin Lakes, about mile 28 of the Nabesna Road in the summer of 1958. At three years old, I'm sitting with my mother, wearing a huge grin and holding three grayling on a stick. Mom holds a pole with a grayling still attached. I do remember standing on the bank of the Twentymile River just south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway. Dad stood a few feet out and scooped up...
Shake off the pandemic isolation and check out the sights and sounds of a local festival, most of which were canceled last year. Be sure to observe safety precautions, and check online for updates. Peony Celebration, July 9-24 in Homer. Come see Homer’s famous peony blooms at their most glorious state along with art exhibitions, great food, farm tours, concerts and more. www.Homeralaska.org/homer-peony-celebration/ Salmon Jam! Salmon Festival, July 12-17 in Cordova. Featuring a socially distanced version of your favorite events like the l...
Hair-raising experiences, hardships and back-breaking toil were common to the lives of those who struggled to take from Nature her wealth of precious minerals. Few emerged victorious, thousands failed. But the lure of gold continued to draw prospectors on to new fields in the 1930s. Prospectors did not work alone. Many relied on horses to help them mine claims along the rivers, beaches and mountains of the North, according to an article written by F.W. Gabler titled "Horse Power for Unuk Gold,"...
When British author Roald Dahl's beloved 1988 novel "Matilda" was transformed into a fantasy comedy movie a decade later, the film became hugely popular. It remains an enjoyable family movie to watch with children and grandchildren today, 25 years after its release in July of 1996. Filled with memorable characters, including a callous and dishonest family as well as a tyrannical school principal, Matilda was portrayed by adorable child actor Mara Wilson who battles and eventually overcomes...
The COVID-19 pandemic solidified our dependence on the internet. Throughout the Lower 48, high speed internet access is a given. In Alaska’s rural – and at times, urban – communities, high speed internet access can be hard to come by. According to the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Broadband Deployment Report, 85% of Alaskans have internet access at 25 megabits per second (mbs) or higher, the minimum speed standard outlined by the FCC. This breaks down further when considering rural communities, where 63.7% have access to internet wit...
One strategy you can use in estate planning is “lifetime gifts”. In other words, you sign things over to your heirs while you’re still alive, instead of making them wait until you’re gone. Due to some recent proposed legislation in Congress, this strategy is becoming more tempting. But be very careful here. There are three main reasons people are taking a hard look at gifting strategies. Let’s examine each one separately. Should I give away assets for estate tax purposes? For the vast majority...
Q. There is an app on my phone that I do not use. Can I save space by removing it? A. Not only will you save space, removing unneeded apps will make the phone much less cumbersome to use. When I set up my mom’s new iPhone, I removed all but the half-dozen apps she used. That worked out great for her. A word of caution: While you cannot damage a phone by deleting an unwanted app, you can lose data. Be sure the app is really never used before you remove it. If you delete an app by mistake, you should be able to re-install it, but data a...
It was no time to celebrate in large crowds the past two years, so Independence Day celebrations across the state were canceled. But they're back now. In Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), the midnight sun makes fireworks impossible, so they're saved for New Year's Eve at a time when the sun does not rise until February. While it may sometimes snow on July 4, that doesn't prevent residents from turning out for an array of games from foot races to a contest tossing a line and hook used in seal hunting...
Dear Editor, June 15, 2021 was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. On that day, communities in the United States and all over the world sponsored events to highlight solutions to this systemic social challenge. The State of Alaska, Long-Term Care Ombudsman, the State of Alaska, Division of Senior and Disabilities Services, AARP-Alaska and the Alaska Commission on Aging are proud to participate in this national conversation and will also host a series of trainings on Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention. Our united goal is to protect the health,...
