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Let me begin by thanking the readers who contacted the Senior Voice concerning last month’s article. I hope our senior veterans will find this month’s topic on mesothelioma in the 60-plus year old age group useful to themselves or a loved one. If you worked in areas of high exposure while on active duty for even one day, that brief exposure could lead to this deadly form of cancer in you and your family (via secondary exposure). This discussion will be in two parts. I will cover the disease, its causes, areas of service in the military most vul...
Judging by the complaints to the Long Term Care Ombudsman, many Medicare beneficiaries and their families do not realize they have rights during the hospital discharge process. These rights are meant to protect seniors from being discharged from the hospital too soon and from being placed in a facility that cannot meet their care needs. Maybe you don’t need to know your rights as a Medicare beneficiary today, but file this column away for later. It may come in handy. When you are admitted to t...
Cordova's Iceworm, the brain child of Ohmer Waer in 1960, was a gallant effort to attract tourists to Cordova and combat midwinter doldrums. Waer, manager of the historic old Windsor Hotel, looked around the empty lobby one fall morning as he drank a cup of coffee. "What this town needs is an iceworm," he told his wife. Of course, Waer didn't mean a real iceworm. Discovered in 1887 on the Muir Glacier, that annelid worm spends its entire life in glacial ice in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and...
How much mileage could a studio expect from a 1950s film starring a biologist with a fascination for a secluded fishpond? Quite a bit, when the scientist is beautiful Julie Adams wrapped in a skin-tight white latex bathing suit and the fish turns out to be an angry piscine amphibious humanoid – aka "Creature from the Black Lagoon." Premiering 60 years ago this month, the success of the now cult film continues to astound Julie who, at age 87, remains a popular guest at fan conventions and film fe...
Dear Jonathan: I am naming my sister as one of my beneficiaries in my last will and testament. I am signing the will at my home since it is hard for me to get out. I know I need to have two witnesses. My question is whether my sister can act as one of those witnesses. Jonathan Says: It depends upon the law of the state in which you live. Some states allow interested parties, i.e., someone who is named as a beneficiary in the will, to also act as a witness without invalidating the gift to that individual; some states do not. You need to check wi...
Q. Whenever I open Internet Explorer, it asks me if I want it to be my default. Does that mean that it will be my start page? A. If a program is your default, it means when an action is initiated that requires the use of a third-party application (program), your default program will be the one selected. So if you click a link to a Web site in an email message, for example, if Internet Explorer is your default Web browser, it will open automatically to display the linked Web page. Your Start page, which is whatever page is displayed when you lau...
Prior to construction of the Alaska oil pipeline, Alaska’s economy was principally financed with federal monies. The federal government still provides substantial funding to the state in the form of federal land control, military personnel and facilities. The federal government also funds veterans health care, Indian health care, Social Security benefits, Medicaid, Medicare benefits, not to mention the Housing and Urban Development agency, environmental protection and other federal agencies. Alaska has always received more federal monies than A...
Beginning with the next issue of Senior Voice, I will contribute a monthly article on veteran health care in Alaska. As a current consumer of VA, Medicare and Tricare, I am in a unique position to report from the ground on the quality of care afforded our senior veterans. Over the course of this year, I will highlight new services, funding (or the lack of) and the delivery of long-earned veteran health care benefits in the hopes of empowering this large and deserving segment of our Alaskan senior family so they may enjoy the health care they...
Advocacy efforts for AARP state offices cover national, state, and local issues in accordance with AARP’s established policy guidelines. While the national office sets priorities for all state offices, each state also has flexibility to define priorities for local issues. Advocacy also goes beyond policy and lawmaking to include development of community coalitions, organized for specific purposes and shared goals. Most significantly, AARP Alaska advocates with the voices of its more than 90,000 members in the state. National priorities S...
Well, we made it through another chaotic year and I wish you all a new and happier year to come. There is some good news to report, although it is not earth-shaking. Social Security is giving all its beneficiaries a 1.5 percent COLA (cost of living adjustment) increase for 2014. And the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax will be increased to $117,000, up from last year’s $113,000. Just as a note to myself, if there was no limit on the amount of earnings that could b...
When an aging parent begins to fail, adult children often must step in to make arrangements for care. The opportunities for family conflict are enormous. Old rivalries between siblings are re-ignited. Disagreements about financial and practical matters flare up. Resentments boil over and before you know it, the adult children are hurling insults at one another in the assisted living or nursing home. I wish I could say this was uncommon, but ombudsmen regularly receive calls from home...
Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) is offering free Landlord/Tenant legal clinics in Anchorage on the first Thursday of every month from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Fairview Rec Center, 1121 E. 10th Avenue. There is no fee or pre-registration required, and anyone having a problem with their rental property, landlord, or tenant may attend. The next Landlord/Tenant legal clinics are Jan. 2 and Feb. 6. A local volunteer attorney will facilitate these clinics and will also answer general questions from attendees about their particular situations. Both...
Many hardy gunslingers and prospectors who made Tombstone a household word in the late 1800s, landed in Alaska and the Yukon after the demise of the Arizona city. One of the most famous was Wyatt Earp. Earp arrived in the north during the height of the Alaska gold rush in Nome. But he didn't go there to mine for gold. He'd fled Arizona under indictment for murder after the notorious massacre of the Clantons at the OK Corral and the shooting of Frank Stillwell. A letter found in the basement of...
"Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson." When NASA honored June Lockhart last October, it would have been quite fitting to borrow the above lyrics from a popular Simon and Garfunkel song to salute the 88 year old actress. Best remembered by sci-fi fans for her role of TV space mom Maureen Robinson in the 60s series "Lost in Space," June told me recently that the NASA recognition was a highlight of her long career, which includes a Tony Award, an Emmy nomination and a couple of stars on the Hollywood...
If your money situation is a mess or, worse, you don’t know your money situation, here are some bad habits to break and some baby steps to get started. Head in the sand. Do you know where your finances stand? You don’t have to be a financial wizard, make charts and graphs, or read the Wall Street Journal every morning. But you do need to know your balances. If you have been ignoring your finances, bite the bullet and take a look. Then check your bank accounts every single day. Whether you look online or call the automated bank teller, you nee...
People who are self-confident, who have power or status, tend to use the word “I” more frequently than those with less power or less sure of themselves. Right? Wrong. A study done at University of Texas at Austin found that people who often say “I” tend to be less powerful or sure of themselves than those who refrain from using “I.” James W. Pennebaker, chairman of the Psychology Department at the university, and his colleagues, have pioneered research on the vertical pronoun and its manifestations and uses. Your use of “I” says more about...
Dear Jonathan: What is the annual gift tax exclusion amount for 2013? Jonathan Says: The annual gift tax exclusion amount, which is the amount a person can give to another without incurring a gift tax, is $14,000 for 2013. Dear Jonathan: What is the federal estate tax unified credit exclusion amount for 2013? Jonathan Says: The federal estate tax unified credit exclusion amount, which is the amount of a person’s estate which is exempt from federal estate taxes, is $5,250,000 for 2013. Dear Jonathan: I am in the fortunate position of having a r...
Felix Pedro joined the Klondike rush in 1898 from the Carbonado coalmines in Washington state. But his lucky number failed to come up, so he and Frank Costa, another Italian prospector, wandered over into the valley of the Tanana to prospect its streams and creeks. Deviled by mosquitoes, and forced at times to eat some of their dogs, they traveled through the wooded valleys, climbed the rugged hills and faced moose and grizzly bears. In July 1902, Pedro struck gold on a small stream just 24...
It's been called one of the most influential programs in the history of television drama. "The Twilight Zone," an anthology series that aired in the early 1960s, was created by Rod Serling (1924-1975), a veteran of radio and World War II. Both influenced his career as a writer. "When he returned from war in the Philippines, he went to college and wrote for the campus radio station," daughter Anne Serling recently recalled to me. "He later wrote plays for commercial radio, then television. He sai...
Dear Jonathan: Several years ago I purchased a 20-year term life insurance policy on my life with a death benefit of $3 million. The premiums were reasonable and since my wife and I had saved very little for retirement, I wanted to make sure that she was taken care of if I died first. Unfortunately, my wife passed away last year. Rather than let the policy lapse, I thought I would keep it in place for my children. I recently read an article, however, that said life insurance is taxable when the insured on the policy dies. What does this mean?...
Q. How can I upload a video from my iPhone or iPad to YouTube? Do I have to save it to my computer first and if so, in what format? A. If you create a video using your iPhone or iPad, you do not need to save it to a computer in order to place it on YouTube. Simply tap the Send button (the square with a little arrow), then tap the YouTube option. Q. Sometimes I long for the days of the floppy disc because they had labels on which I could write the disk’s contents. These days I use several USB flash drives which are too small to write anything o...
We seniors are natural scam targets and very susceptible to fraud. As we get older we are less likely to consider the downside of the financial risks – we are more apt to look at the upside. We are less critical in our decision making, which makes us vulnerable. The scammers are perceived as trustworthy helpers. They may be a family member, financial advisor or another senior. The National Council on Aging, AARP and OPAG suggest you watch out for the following scams: Prescription drug scams. Seniors often take a myriad of prescription medicatio...
Another fall arrives and with it comes proposed regulations from the State of Alaska that will again put at risk our seniors and residents with disabilities across Alaska. We could spend our time getting upset and angry over this same old situation again, but we will instead mount up and fight for those that are not able to fight for themselves. They have spent their energy building and maintaining this wonderful state over the years, and are therefore tired and in need of care themselves. If the purpose of the new regulations is to get people...
I bring you some details about the Medicare Part D drug program for 2014. Enrollment started October 15th and will continue until Dec. 7, 2014. The lowest premium is $12.50 per month but there is a deductible of $310 with that plan, which you must pay before the insurance kicks in. There are 25 different plans with the prices for the monthly premium running from the aforementioned $12.50 up to $136. You can see a chart of the Alaska Medicare Part D plans for 2014 on page 10 of the November...
