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Senior Benefits and heating assistance If you are 65 years old or older, you might be eligible for the Senior Benefits program, depending on your income. You should call 1-888-352-4150 and ask for an application. Monthly benefits are, depending on income, $125 or $175 or $250 – and assets do not count. It is also time to apply for the heating assistance program. If you do not have an application, you can get one at our office or by calling statewide, 1-800-470-3058. Applications will be a...
Veterans exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War – 9 January, 1962 through 7 May, 1975 – or near the Korean DMZ between 1 April, 1968 and 31 August, 1971, have been determined to have a presumptive service-connected disability for certain illnesses (see VA and VVA websites for full list) and are entitled to compensation as well as medical care. If you served in-country in Korea or Vietnam during these dates, you are eligible for compensation for many illness including Type ll dia...
While workers completed the last portion of the Alaska-Canada Highway at Beaver Creek on Oct. 25, 1942, the idea to connect Alaska to the rest of the world was born many years earlier. Donald MacDonald, a locating engineer with the Alaska Road Commission, had dreamed for years of an overland coastal route to Alaska. It would run north from Seattle across British Columbia through the Yukon Territory to Fairbanks. MacDonald and a group of Fairbanks residents formed the International Highway...
What should have been "a three-hour tour" turned into a 50-year journey for Dawn Wells, who played castaway Mary Ann in the zany sitcom "Gilligan's Island" that debuted on CBS in September, 1964. "I'm still talking and writing about the show and it continues to gain new fans," said Dawn, from her home in Los Angeles. "If you're a 10 year old kid watching the show today, there's not much to date it – a desert island is a desert island." To celebrate the show's 50th anniversary, Dawn draws on h...
Dear Jonathan: My wife passed away last year just a few months after we had updated our estate planning documents. The attorney who prepared the documents on our behalf has recommended to me that I engage in yet another update of my estate planning documents for the purpose of removing my wife from the documents as the primary beneficiary and as the primary fiduciary. I guess I kind of understand why he is recommending this, however, in all of our documents we named our son and our daughter as back-up beneficiaries and fiduciaries....
Q. What happens when an external hard drive runs out of space? Does that mean I have to spend money to buy a new one? A. When you start to run out of space on your external drive, one possibility is to purchase another, larger drive. A better option is to take a look at your saved files and see if you can thin the herd. Try to make a point of periodically reviewing your files and deleting items you don’t really and truly need to save. Old files are a lot like old clothes in a closet: If you haven’t worn something in a year or two (or used a fil...
Discussing aging issues, such as living arrangements, finances, dating, end-of-life decisions and driving, early and often can save families years of heartache, tension and even legal battles. Yet, research indicates that about two-thirds of American families put off these conversations, either because they are uncomfortable with the topics or they just don’t know where to start. Statistics show that 34 percent of adults surveyed are conversation avoiders. That is, they haven’t talked about any important end-of-life issues with their par...
I work as a chaplain visiting folks in their homes, and one of the questions I ask is: “Are you affiliated with a particular faith group?” How a person answers this question tells me a lot about them and their ideas and feelings about religion. Many people these days say they were raised in a particular denomination but they aren’t active. Often it’s too hard to get out and attend services anymore, or they define themselves as “spiritual” not religious. Others who use the word “spiritual” mean they are not, have never been, churchgoers, but the...
For those of you not familiar with the Honor Flight program, it’s a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing World War ll and Korean War veterans an opportunity to travel to Washington DC to visit the nation’s capital and the various war memorials at no cost to the veteran. Sixty years after the end of World War ll, the country finally built a World War ll memorial after many of the “Greatest Generation” had passed away. We are losing World War ll veterans at the rate of one every 90 seconds. A seat on one of these all expense...
Dear readers, it's time to say goodbye. I will retire next month and hand off the reins to a new Long Term Care Ombudsman. It has been a real privilege to hold this position. I've got the best staff and volunteers anyone could hope for, all of them passionate about defending the rights of older Alaskans. But the best of all has been you, the older Alaskans who show so much grit and independence in facing the daily challenges of aging. My job is to make sure our program provides seniors with...
Russian fur traders wanted to build a fort called Mikhailovsk about six miles north of the present town of Sitka in 1799. They gave the Tlingits, who'd occupied that part of Southeast Alaska for more than 10,000 years, beads and other trading goods in exchange for a small piece of land. The Native people at first thought the Russians might be good trading partners. But soon they realized they'd made a bad deal with Alexander Baranof, chief manager for the Russian-American Company. Submission to...
Since retiring from acting over a decade ago, versatile character actor Nehemiah Persoff has become a successful artist, painting from his seaside home in Cambria, Calif. (see www.nehemiahpersoffpaintings.com). The Cambria Center for the Arts hosted a birthday celebration on August 4 for Persoff, who turned 95 a few days earlier. This included screening a selection of his films, and the artist even auctioned some of his works, donating the proceeds to the center. But in 1989 Persoff experienced...
You’ve heard of people who were declared dead, much to their own surprise. Think this cannot happen to you? The odds that it can happen are increasing. In 2013, NBC News reported the disturbing fact that roughly 28,000 erroneous deaths are logged into the Social Security Administration (SSA) Death Master File, each year. Mark Pinney, interviewed by NBC News, found out he was declared dead when the grocery store rejected his bank card. Imagine his shock when he went to the bank to ask why, and they told him his account was closed because t...
Dear Jonathan: I am a widower. I am retired and financially set. In fact, I have been advised that it would be a good idea for me to reduce the size of my estate because it is larger than that amount which is exempt from estate taxes, which I believe is $5 million. Consequently, I am considering passing along a good chunk of my estate to my children and grandchildren now. What are the current rules for gifting? Jonathan Says: In 2014, a person can gift up to $14,000 per person per year without incurring any federal gift tax and without having t...
Q. I am debating about buying a new laptop with Windows 8. I know that some people don’t like Windows 8. Do you think Microsoft will keep this format in the future or will it go back to something like XP or the Windows 7 format? How do you feel about Windows 8? A. I think Windows 8 is fine. I like the touchscreen interface, which is what it was designed for, though it certainly can be used with a traditional mouse and keyboard. Historically, whenever a new operating system makes its debut, there are people who like it and people who don’t lik...
Do not make financial decisions based on emotions. Fear and greed can ruin a lifetime of good decision-making. What do I mean by that? You could have worked hard and saved your money for decades, but one bad decision in retirement can make your money go away in one fell swoop. Let’s take television. Most of the talking heads on television should be ignored when it comes to money. Their “analysis” is generally worthless and meant to scare you into buying (gold and silver for example) or selling (reverse mortgages are pitched because banks make...
We at OPAG advocate a healthy lifestyle for seniors. We encourage seniors to partake in every outdoor activity in Alaska, whether it is snowmachining, river boating, biking, hiking, hunting, fishing or photography. This July four friends and I fished the Arolik River, which is located southwest of Bethel. The river is only 25 miles long starting at Arolik Lake and ending at the village of Quinhagak. The river was particularly low resulting from a lack of winter snow and rain. This required us...
Bipartisanship has surfaced, at least briefly, on Capitol Hill. More than 130 lawmakers, from both parties, are urging the Obama Administration to expand coverage for a lung-cancer test under Medicare – screening they see as vital for vulnerable seniors. But the decision could cost Medicare billions of dollars. In a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the lawmakers called for a timely decision on coverage for low-dose CT scans for older patients at higher risk of d...
Editor’s note: Gene Wiseman is a student at Wayland Baptist University in Anchorage. This essay was written for an assignment in his American Government class and submitted upon suggestion of the instructor, former OPAG executive director Ray Clements. No matter your age every citizen has a personal and civic responsibility to become involved in the political process. Citizens age 65 and older lead the nation in turning out to vote, followed closely by the 46 to 64 year old age group. However when it comes to volunteering time, the tables t...
To my wonderful readers, I must inform you that I may have to reboot my computer for nearly the last time, as I tell you about the inadvertent errors I made in my last column. It must have been a looong senior moment because I mistakenly used last year’s Medicare Deductible for Part B (hospitalization) which was $1,184 for 2013, and is now, $1,216 for 2014, and will probably change again in 2015, as it usually does every year. Also you can use the Medicare Easy Pay option, by getting form SF-551...
Important disclaimer: If you are a passenger in a moving vehicle and are reading this article to the driver, then stop reading out loud immediately. If this article is read in a public-radio-like monotonous voice, it could lead to drowsiness, possibly resulting in injury due to a car wreck. You have decided you need some benefit you have earned as a result of your military service. Sure, I know you were given your DD-214 upon separation and have it stored in the same place as your birth certificate, marriage license and deeds of trust like you...
In the last 30 days, the Ombudsman has received five complaints that seniors are being threatened with involuntary discharge from their assisted living homes. This is often a terrifying prospect to a frail senior who doesn’t have the energy or mental capacity to fight for the right to stay in the home. So this month’s column will consider the rights that residents have under state law. As one canny senior said to me, “I know they can’t just kick me to the curb.” First off, I hope that anyone wo...
Released in the summer of 1964, "Marnie" wasn't a typical Alfred Hitchcock thriller. While a moderate success at the box office, the eponymous psychological mystery was panned by some critics at the time. "People didn't understand the film when it first came out," said Tippi Hedren, who starred as Marnie, a disturbed woman, compulsive liar and thief, with a resolute disdain for men. "Something really bad happened in Marnie's childhood. Critics look at 'Marnie' entirely differently today, now...
The section of Anchorage called Spenard was referred to as the "Miracle Mile" not so long ago. As part of the Chugach National Forest created by U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt in 1907, the land was locked in a government deep freeze for several years. When the residents of the Alaska Railroad camp asked that the land surrounding the new town be unshackled in 1919, the government lifted its restrictions on the property. The growth of Anchorage to the south could not have happened if this...
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 (Aug. 12 and 26), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Aug. 6 and 20), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Aug. 7, 14, 21 and 28), 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 Jun...
