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Who knew there is so much going on around us – in the air, under foot, even under the ground or under the sea? OLÉ! seeks to explore, to help adult learners keep on discovering and learning about all that is going on around them. OLÉ! stands for “Opportunities for Lifelong Education.” Providing those opportunities is an expansive, wide-ranging goal, but I’ve found that OLE! does a super job of providing adventures for grabbing on to new knowledge. Take for example the weekend of July 19 - 21....
Ever forget to take your pills or simply fail to measure your blood sugar or some other routine health care daily chores? Would it help you remember if you knew that a nurse was coming by regularly to check in and make sure you were doing what you were supposed to do? Simple things sometimes can be revolutionary. A Medicare experimental program, being tested in Doylestown, Pa., that brings a nurse to regularly visit you for continued care – even when you aren’t seriously ill – has been given an 18 month reprieve from being shut down. If it is...
Seniors are living longer and do not meet the stereotype of sedentary old people to be warehoused until they die. Today’s seniors watch what they eat and stay mentally and physically active. This positive approach to senior lifestyle is embraced by Older Persons Action Group and its publication, Senior Voice. You can connect with OPAG through the hard copy of the Senior Voice or through the website. OPAG also has a Senior Voice account on Facebook and a Twitter account (@seniorvoiceak). OPAG Media Manager David Washburn is diligently working t...
Too often in today’s fractured and partisan political climate it takes a highly publicized tragedy before our elected officials will work together to solve a problem. Alaska is best served by leaders who will plan for the future, rather than scramble to close barn doors after the fact. That’s why Representative Max Gruenberg (D-Anchorage) and I introduced parallel bills during this past legislative session to enact a Silver Alert system in Alaska. This program uses statewide media outlets to engage the public when a vulnerable adult goes mis...
Imagine checking your bank balance and discovering your Social Security payment is 20 percent less than it should be. You contact the Social Security Administration only to be told that the Trust Fund is “insolvent,” and by law, benefits automatically adjust to the level of payroll taxes coming in. There’s only enough money to pay you 80 percent of your scheduled benefits. Think that Congress will never let that happen? I wouldn’t bet my benefits on it. This is, after all, the Congress that will be most remembered for letting $1.2 trillio...
On July 9, 2013, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Alaska Department of Law announced the filing of criminal charges against 29 Anchorage based personal care attendants (PCA) and Medicaid recipients as part of an ongoing state and federal investigation into medical assistance fraud by employees of Good Faith Services, LLC (Good Faith), PCAs and Medicaid recipients receiving services from Good Faith. The following state and federal agencies collaborated on the investigation: the Anchorage Police Department; investigators with the...
In late spring, I moved into a condominium, regretting that I wasn’t going to be able to do much gardening, with the condo’s practically nonexistent yard. My new kitchen window provided a close view of my neighbor’s neatly kept lawn, sidewalk area and beautiful flowering baskets. The neighbors seemed to be making the most of it and were frequently out tending the yard and even offered to water my flowers (very nice neighbors). As summer has progressed, the low green foliage next to their house...
“I only see clearly what I remember,” as French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau put it. Some of us can’t even remember what we have seen clearly. Many older adults find it hard to recall past events. A Harvard University study examined how well seniors could create imaginary scenarios. The research found that the lack of this ability is linked to the seniors’ ability to recall detailed memories too. According to the study, episodic memory, which is our personal memories of past experiences, “allows individuals to project themselves both back...
This column will be an introduction to the new Health Insurance Market Place, also known as the health insurance exchange. I will be writing about Alaska and its income limits, however if you live in another state, you can get your financial information by going to www.medicare.gov on the Internet and looking up your state. The Health Insurance Marketplace is a new way to find health coverage that fits your budget and meets your needs. With one application, you can see all your options and also...
Bionic eye helping patients with retinitis pigmentosa After more than two decades of field work, the first bionic eye for the blind is finally available. It is call the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System (“Argus II”) and is used to treat patients with late stage retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The system involves implanting a small electronic device in and around the eye. It also uses a tiny video camera attached to a pair of glasses and a video processing unit that is worn or carried by the per...
Are you dealing with sundowning? One of the most common problems I hear from family caregivers regards their loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia becoming restless or agitated in the evening. While no one really understands why sleep disturbances occur with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, it’s believed that the changes somehow result from the impact of the disease on the brain. According to “Sleep Issues and Sundowning,” from www.alz.org, factors that may contribute to sundowning and sleep disturbances include:...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in August: Aug. 6, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 2 p.m., “How to Stay Safe and Independent in Your Home: Fall Prevention for Seniors.” Aug. 13, Caregiver peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 19, Caregiver training at Kenai Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m., “Understanding Stroke.” Aug. 27, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 to 2 p.m. There is no charge for these services and everyon...
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Thomas Jefferson may have written that sentence in the Declaration of Independence, but these truths are not self-evident to everyone. Frail older people get bullied and their rights get trampled, at times by family members, at other times by staff in long term care facilities. The tra...
History will come to life at the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery on Sunday, Aug. 11, when the “Stories of the Cemetery” returns, featuring costumed actors telling the true stories of people who are buried in the cemetery. The philosophy of these programs is to offer a greater awareness of Anchorage’s rich history. In addition, the presentations are carefully prepared with the intent to honor and respect the people whose stories are being told. The actors’ monologues are based on public records...
Andrea Gelvin serves up a game of Pickleball at the Fairbanks-North Star Borough Big Dipper Pickleball Courts. Combining aspects of tennis and ping pong, Pickleball is gaining popularity nationwide because it provides challenging, fast-moving action that can be enjoyed at many different fitness levels. For the first time, Pickleball will be offered as an event at this year’s Alaska International Senior Games, held August 9-18 in Fairbanks. This is the AISG’s eleventh year and organizers are expe...
Fair time means food, exhibits, contests, rides and entertainment all packed into one destination that you can enjoy with friends and family. In addition to traditional exhibits and contests showcasing agriculture, livestock, homemaking and crafts skills, along with headliner music and other entertainment acts, Alaska’s regional fairs each offer their own twist and are a great way to get out and enjoy the Alaskan summer as fall approaches. Check with your senior center about transportation and group trips. Here are some details on each fair: T...
When rescuers arrived on the scene of an airplane crash near Point Barrow on Aug. 15, 1935, they found humorist Will Rogers dead. A typewriter recovered in the wreckage had Rogers’ unfinished last “piece for the papers,” and the final word he’d typed was “death.” But Rogers didn’t seem to have had a premonition that his trip to Alaska would end in disaster. In an interview in Portland, Ore., a short time before the tragedy, he was asked, “When are you going to write a book on your life?” “I...
Best known for her role as Sally Rogers in the 60’s CBS sitcom “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” Rose Marie turns 90 in August. “I don’t feel it,” she admitted when I spoke with her recently. “I feel 60, and still keep busy.” In the past year, that included voiceover work for “The Garfield Show” on the Cartoon Network. “I love it,” she said. “You don’t have to dress up or put on makeup. All you have to do is show up! Although I can do many different voices, the producer wanted my voice so people w...
Dear Jonathan: My uncle recently died and I was named as the executor of his estate. His will states that all of the proceeds of his life insurance policies are to be divided equally among his nieces and nephews – my cousins. However, all of his life insurance policies name me as the sole beneficiary. What does this mean? Does the will override the beneficiary designation? If not, am I morally obligated to share these proceeds? Jonathan says: When there is a conflict between what a will states and who is named as the beneficiary on a life insur...
Poor posture, inadequate lighting and other ergonomic and environmental issues can be particularly troublesome for older computer users – my aging self included. If you are a card-carrying baby-boomer or senior, here are a few tips you can use to make yourself comfortable and keep your computing productive and injury free. Correct keyboard position. Position your keyboard so that you can type while keeping your hands in a neutral, flat posture. To do this, place your keyboard on a height-adjustable, negative slope (a fancy-shmancy way of s...
Quick Quiz: Where is Sachsenhausen and what is Apple Wine? Well, to start with, as you probably guessed Sachsenhausen is in Germany. And, as you also may have opined, apple wine is wine made from apples instead of grapes. In the Rhine-Main region, vintners have been producing apple wine from local apples for over 250 years. A bit of history: During the Middle Ages, beer and wine were the beverages of choice. Then, in the middle of the 16th century, the Rhine-Main area went through a bit of...
