Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
Older Persons Action Group will hold its annual membership meeting Nov. 15 in Anchorage, at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, 1300 E. 19th Ave. The board business meeting starts at 11 a.m., followed immediately by the membership meeting, with refreshments and live country and western music by Frank Jerue and the Stomping Moccasins. RSVP requested. Candidates for board of director officers are: President: Yvonne M. Chase Vice President: Pam Yeargan Treasurer: Leonard T. Kelley Secretary: Jan Carolyn Hardy Call 276-1059 or 1-800-478-1059 to R...
AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center will hold its second in a series of monthly forums on Nov. 13, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. The series, “Age Smart – Let’s Talk,” is a monthly forum that focuses on a topic of interest and importance to Alaskans who want to be thoughtful about how to make good choices as they grow older. The series is developed to provide working age adults with information necessary to plan and fulfill a secure, healthy and satisfying “life After...
In Fairbanks, the North Star Council on Aging’s new Aging and Disability Center (ADRC) is going “full blast,” said Beth Grey, program coordinator for senior services. “We just opened October 1,” Grey said. “We weren’t supposed to open until January 1, but with the new regulations we opened early. We call it a soft opening phase, but it doesn’t feel like that.” There should be an open house in January, Grey said, once the program gets solidly on its feet. For the last 10 years, Fairbanks was served out of the Soldotna ADRC office, Grey said. Add...
The formidable pharmaceutical industry wants to recoup the $11.8 billion hit it took earlier this year in Congress’s 2018 budget deal. The drugmakers rarely lose, able to use clout and pressure in every House and Senate district to get what they want. Now they are flexing their muscles and you can expect a relentless push to get back that money which essentially comes out of pharmaceutical industry profits. When Congress approved that budget, the final deal required the drugmakers to shift billions of dollars in Medicare drug costs away from s...
"Well - he doesn't hit me." It's a phrase I hear when talking to older women through Humble Warrior, a free compassionate listening service aimed at providing support to those in distress. While the women recognize they are miserable in their marriages, they often believe that if they aren't being hit, they have no legitimate reason to leave. Somewhere along the line, they've come to accept that emotional, verbal and financial abuse are just part of the marital package. Indeed, for many older...
You may have seen or heard a lot of buzz about the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) for Medicare Part D. And you may think to yourself, “I am perfectly happy with my current prescription drug coverage and I don’t want to make any changes so I will stay with the plan that I have.” This decision could cost you money and here’s why. The (OEP) is a six week opportunity for those who have Medicare to review their coverage. Persons who have not had prescription drug coverage may join a plan and those w...
Alzheimer’s disease is daunting. The most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer’s affects over 7,500 Alaskans and 5.7 million Americans today. Research is being done around the world to detect and stop the disease in its earliest stages. At the same time, specialists are working to provide individuals and families with an arsenal of techniques and resources to ensure comfort, dignity and purpose as the disease progresses. Alzheimer’s disease can be found throughout history in stories of elders losing their memory. Until recently, this was thoug...
November is our final month of health fairs for fall 2018, with several events held around the state. Remember that the events offer free health screenings, health and safety education, plus 11 affordable, comprehensive and private blood tests (starting at $20). These tests can help you learn about your overall health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be the most effective. Try to take time out of your busy schedule and take advantage of our team of medical and non-medical professionals when...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in November. This month’s training focus is “Holidays or Holy Cow Days? Destressing the Holiday Season”. Nov. 6, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 13, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 20, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 27, open house and workshop at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program office in Soldotna, Blazy Mall, Suite #209, 11 a.m. to 2...
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 (formally known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The November meeting is Nov. 14, hosted by Providence Hospice. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on these events...
Using new technology to get a better night’s sleep A whole new approach to getting a good night’s sleep just a click away. A new study from the University of Oxford and Northwestern Medicine has found treating insomnia with digital programs can improve insomnia symptoms. In a year-long study involving 1,711 people, researchers found online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) improved not only insomnia symptoms, but functional health, psychological well-being and sleep-related quality of life. A m...
Dear Savvy Senior: Does the VA provide any special burial benefits to old veterans? My dad, who has late-stage Parkinson’s disease, served during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. - Only Child Dear Only: Most U.S. veterans are eligible for burial and memorial benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration. Veterans who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable are eligible. To verify your dad’s discharge, you’ll need a copy of his DD Form 214 “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Ac...
The Alaska Department of Public Health and Social Services has awarded two grants totaling $10,000 to the Anchorage Senior Activity Center to initiate new physical fitness programs for Alaska seniors - programs to keep seniors active both indoors and outdoors. The grants include $7,000 to enable the senior center to offer the Go4Life Program, an innovative approach to developing an exercise and physical fitness program at indoor facilities, and $3,000 for an outdoor trail-walking groups project...
My husband Gary burst in the door of our cabin, peeled off his outer gear, and said, "I volunteered us to cook the turkey in our wood cook stove. They'll do everything else on their Coleman stove. Thanksgiving dinner will go on as planned!" He had just returned by snow machine from checking on our neighbors, and said he would go back to their house with the sled in a while to fetch the bird. We all had awoken to no electricity that snowy November morning back in 1979. Gary and I had only lived...
President Richard Nixon signed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act on Nov. 16, 1973, but many people had been working for years to lay the foundation for building that line long before it was approved. Throughout the 1960s, experts believed that the North Slope held commercially viable amounts of oil. And when found, they also knew that getting it to market would be a challenge as there was no road to Alaska's north country. The only way into the North Slope was by air or sea. The oil in...
As the TV matriarch of the Cunningham clan in the sitcom "Happy Days," Marion Ross appeared in over 250 episodes during the hit series' 11-season run from 1974 to 1984. But one episode has special significance for the actress this time of year. In 'The First Thanksgiving,' broadcast two days before the November holiday 40 years ago this year, Ross's character (also named Marion) leads the cast in a departure from the show's usual Milwaukee-based setting. She narrates a flashback story set in...
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is looking to expand its team of volunteers for the upcoming tax season. No accounting experience is necessary and you do not need to be an AARP member to volunteer. You will learn where to input the information in the program and the software does the rest. Tax volunteers must complete 40 hours of tax preparation classes that are taught by IRS certified instructors. Materials for the course are provided by the IRS and AARP Foundation. Beginning classes will start in early December with a break for the holidays for...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in November: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Nov. 13 and 27), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Nov. 7 and 21), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Nov. 1, 8, 15, 29), 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...
Sometimes when we talk about a particular subject a lot, we take it for granted that people know certain background facts. I realized this recently when I was talking about the high cost of probate (a subject I mention pretty regularly) and was asked whether it was in fact true that, as this person had heard, probate costs could run several thousand dollars. Several thousand dollars? That’s if you’re lucky. Probate costs money. A lot of money. In many states, the key players – attorneys and e...
Q. What is your favorite Android phone? A. I am a huge fan of the Google Pixel. I think that it offers the very best experience on the Android platform, and it’s my go-to recommendation for anyone who prefers Google’s services to those offered by Apple. I still think the overall best choice for most consumers is an iPhone, but marketing in the Android space is fierce, and the Pixel is the best top-quality phone that few people have ever heard of. Android itself is a product of Google, and while all the top-of-the-line models from third-party ph...
With refined charm hinting of a British past combined with carefree, beach-life style of the Caribbean, Bermuda's got it all. This 22-mile island chain of volcanic rock and limestone has attracted east coast vacationers for years, with easy access to azure water and pink sand beaches, but beyond the sand and surf lies a wealth of history, mystery and culture spanning several centuries, starting with its location. Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory, lies less than 1,000 miles from the United S...
Thanksgiving is more than a family feast, it is the story of how we came to be here in this country and how we were helped by the indigenous population. Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts, is a time warp kind of place. As you stroll down the main streets lined with thatched homes and crude wood corrals of farm animals, performers in period dress will not break character. You ask about President Trump and they will say, "I know not of this Trump." This is where the Pilgrims spent...
As the holidays approach we have an opportunity to enjoy our traditions, remember family members who have passed, and recount the familiar stories that brings us together as a family. Those stories have the power to shape the ways we live our lives. They are important and are perhaps best told by our seniors. Just as we may be curious about where our elders came from, what they looked like, or even what jobs they held, equally important is the gathering of our family’s health history. Knowing what diseases grandparents or parents lived with o...
