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You’ve probably already heard that Social Security recipients will not get a raise in their benefits in 2016. One person’s bad news is often the next guy’s good news. Social Security raises are tied to inflation, and of course high inflation is bad for the economy as a whole. But high inflation means a stiff raise in Social Security benefits. This year, inflation was ultra-low, and that means no raise for Social Security. For 2015, benefits rose only slightly, by 1.7 percent. For 2016, the average monthly benefit for Social Security recipients...
The Thomas Center for Senior Leadership, a new senior housing facility in Anchorage, held its grand opening reception Nov. 22. Built on the campus of St. Mary's Episcopal Church at the corner of Lake Otis Parkway and Tudor Road, the facility was 14 years in the making, envisioned by church leaders, including the late Tay Thomas and late Carol Phillips, as a faith-based community to provide additional support for Alaskans age 62 and older who want to maintain active and vibrant lifestyles. In...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc. conducted its annual membership meeting Nov. 19 in Anchorage. At the meeting, board members nominated and voted for officers. The newly-elected officers are as follows: Yvonne M. Chase, president; Pam Yeargan, vice president; Mike Dryden, treasurer; Rita Hatch, secretary. Thank you to Access Alaska, for use of their conference room for the event. Thanks also to OPAG administrative assistant Maggie Zabinko for organizing the event and arranging for the delicious food. Thanks, too, to other board members who...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Dec. 9 in Juneau, with the meeting videoconferenced at sites around the state. Public attendance is encouraged. Commissioners will hear presentations from and about senior service programs and agencies, including the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services; Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority; the Pioneers’ Home Advisory Board; Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education; the Long Term Care Ombudsman and Adult Protective Services; UAA Geriatrics and the Ala...
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 December meeting is Dec. 9, hosted by the Thomas Center for Senior Leadership (see photos on page 1). Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group for more information on these events or to be added to our...
Need a gift for a senior in your life? How about an “Easy” button? You may have seen TV commercials featuring easy buttons. You have a problem and quickly solve it by pushing the easy button. Of course, nothing is that simple, but apps do make certain tasks easier. An app – short for “application” – goes right to the place you need, at the touch of an app button to help you perform a certain task. For someone who has mobility problems, and who uses a smartphone or an iPad, apps can be very helpful. Some are practical, some are protective,...
The numbers associated with food waste are nothing short of staggering. Americans waste 35 million tons of food per year. This isn't just a loss of food that might otherwise feed us. Growing, harvesting, transporting and storing of that 35 million tons also consumes fuel and degrades our air and water. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and the National Resources Defense Council estimate that "as much as 40 percent of the U. S. food supply ends up in a dumpster." This is a 50...
Many of you are convinced that prescription medicine is the best way to heal. As a pharmacist, I would agree with that at times, but not every time. Don't forget that before man pulled the plant from the ground, took it to a lab and attached a synthetic chemical by force to the plant (just to get it patented), we all used Mother Earth. Last week, I did a health segment with television evangelist Pat Robertson on "The 700 Club," and I showed viewers how ancient herbs were used to improve health....
I cannot believe that this year is almost over. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! It is ironic to me that although I have helped so many people in all the years that I have been working with AARP and the Older Persons Action Group this is the first year I will have been alone through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Due to my advanced age I have lost all my friends, who have either moved out of Alaska or are deceased. My small family lives a thousand miles away and will not be...
When you have a chronic condition, what does that mean? Of long duration; continuing or lingering; incurable or manageable? Alaska has chronic homelessness and veterans are part of that population. Whether a ‘civilian’ or a veteran, the situation is often through no personal fault. And, a number have personal resources or assistance, which can make it possible to cure or manage their homelessness. VetVillageAK is a project focused on homeless veterans in Alaska; it’s been in development by the Alaska Veterans Foundation since 2009, so it’s...
Combating the holiday blues For some individuals the holidays can be a very difficult time emotionally. For some it is just the blues but for others it can result in serious depression. Recently a new study showed that in older adults a combination therapy was able to help those who were clinically depressed. More than half of older adults with clinical depression don’t get better when treated with an antidepressant. However, results from a multicenter clinical has found that adding an a...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in December. This month’s topic is “How to Measure Vital Signs.” Dec. 1, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Dec. 8, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m.. Dec. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Dec. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, 3 p.m. Dec. 29, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Please join and share your exper...
Vicki Martin calls them the "Thursday people," and I had come specifically to meet one of them, "Grandpa John" Sterner. I'd heard that at age 94, John was among the most faithful, most staunch of the crew that gathers each Thursday at the Downtown Soup Kitchen to put together some 450 sandwiches, along with 60 gallons of fresh, homemade soups and several desserts. This happens daily, Monday through Friday at this Anchorage spot on the corner of Third Ave. and Cordova. Vicki is the program and vo...
“Seward Unleashed, Volume I,” was a literary success in 2014, and Volume II is underway to preserve the character, color and adventure of community members in the Seward and surrounding area. Writers of all ages, styles and stories are invited to reflect on the “How I got here and why I stayed” theme. Was it your spirit of adventure? Was it that you were born here and couldn’t leave? Did you join your long lost love and run away to Seward? Or did you receive the perfect job offer? Leave your legacy in print by contributing your personal...
Tired of forgetting to start your car before you head to work on a chilly morning? Looking for a stress-free way to make your daily commute more manageable? Look no further than ridesharing. The Fairbanks North Star Borough has partnered with Zimride by Enterprise to offer residents a social ridesharing network. The new network allows people to easily find carpools from others in the area that share similar commute origins and destinations. In addition to simply sharing cars with two or three commuters, Enterprise Rideshare will be conducting f...
Sled dogs have a long and illustrious history in the North Country, from the early days of Native settlements to the gold-rush booms during the 1890-1900s. Natives of Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland and Siberia used dogs as winter draft animals for centuries. Russians arriving in western Alaska during the early 1800s found Alaska Natives using dogs to haul sleds loaded with fish, game, wood and other items. The Natives ran ahead of the dogs as they guided them on the yearly trips between...
Richard Anderson appeared in over 200 films and TV shows throughout his career. But it's not just his well-known role as security chief Oscar Goldman in "The Six Million Dollar Man" that elicits fan questions on the classic film/television convention circuit. "They always ask about 'Curse of the Faceless Man,' which we made in 1958 and was my first lead film role," said Anderson from Los Angeles. "It was a low-budget remake of 'The Mummy' two decades earlier, featuring a stone monster rather...
“Aging Alaskans Info” is a blog and website which I started earlier this year to be a comprehensive resource for aging Alaskans and our families. I started the website for reasons that were personal and difficult, yet familiar to most of us. I have been in Alaska since 1982, but in the last decade I was responsible for the care of my elderly mother and aunt, who were both living in New Mexico. They have since passed away, but it was a tremendous struggle to try to help them manage their lives from such a great distance. This stressful exp...
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 (Dec. 8 and 22), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Dec. 9 and 16), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Dec. 3, 10, 17), 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 Juneau Soc...
Dear Jonathan: My mother, who is a widow, passed away several months ago. Thankfully she prepared a trust and transferred her assets to that trust so that there would be no probate to deal with at her death. While in the process of cleaning out her house, I came across a folder with several stock certificates of publicly created companies, which are titled in both of my parents’ names as husband and wife. I was quite surprised to come across these since I wasn’t aware they owned stock in any of these companies. I have already checked, and all...
We recently launched our new blog, Social Security Matters. The blog is our interactive center for engaging with you by answering questions and concerns in a way that benefits all readers and contributors. Social Security Matters also lets you provide meaningful feedback that can help us serve you more effectively. The blog’s comment section allows you to voice your thoughts and ask questions. The conversation is growing every day. We’re doing our best to serve you, and a big part of that is listening to what you have to say. Think of Soc...
Q. Sometimes people I send email to tell me that when they open my message, their computer freezes. I’m sending you one of my emails that did this. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong that might be causing this? A. The email you sent me contains eight graphical animations, including four animated closings, “Goodbye,” “Adios,” “CUL8TR,” and “Sayonara.” While I understand that “cutesy” is in the eyes of the beholder, I would encourage some measure of restraint when it comes to email “enhancements” of this type for several reasons. First, all...
One of the favored spots of Alaskans looking to avoid winter and live on $30 a day, Chiang Mai, the capital of Northern Thailand, offers great food, warm, welcoming people and cultural sites. It's Asia without the huge crowds - and Alaskans are not used to large groups of people except at the state fair in Palmer. My cousin Tom, who's in Chiang Mai, now advises Americans to keep a cool head. Thai people are relaxed, polite and non-confrontational. Remain calm and never resort to the pushy,...
