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Dear Savvy Senior: I just found out I have stage 1 hypertension and my doctor recommended I get a home blood pressure monitor to keep an eye on it. Can you offer me any tips on choosing a good one? - Hypertensive Helen Dear Helen: It’s a smart idea. Everyone with elevated or high blood pressure (stage 1 and higher) should consider getting a home blood pressure monitor. Home monitoring can help you keep tabs on your blood pressure in a comfortable setting. Plus, if you’re taking medication it will make certain it’s working, and alert you to a...
Alaska Health Fair, Inc. will start holding fall health fairs later this month. We will also continue to offer blood draws by appointment in our office, but are planning to hold the majority of our events at community and worksite venues. Most fall events will require pre-registration online for a blood test appointment time slot. We will have exhibitors and screeners when space and safety permits. Our staff have returned to local offices and are available should you have questions about the fall season. Staying informed about Alaska Health...
A “migrenade” is my term for substances that go off like a grenade in your brain, and trigger a migraine. It’s a made-up term that works well and is immediately understood. All the pain-causing cytokines in your body should be considered migrenades, because they are responsible for the pain and inflammation associated with headaches. One of them is NF Kappa B which is discussed below. But first of all, I suggest you minimize or eliminate these most powerful migrenades if you ever want to feel better: - Artificial sweeteners and dyes - Any c...
Detecting cancer long before symptoms There may now be a way to find cancer before symptoms ever occur. A new blood test, which can detect more than 50 types of cancer, has been found to be accurate enough to be rolled out as a multi-cancer screening test among people at higher risk of the disease, including patients age 50 years or older. In a paper published in the journal Annals of Oncology, researchers report that the test accurately detected cancer, often before any symptoms arose, while ha...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program has moved into a new office located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205 (located in the 4D Professional Building). You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email dkebschull@soldotnaseniors.comdkebschull@soldotnaseniors.com. Caregiver support group meetings will be held at the following locations and times in August. Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. Aug. 12, Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. The theme will be “Getting to Know E...
Hospice of Anchorage understands that being a caregiver is an important job. You shoulder many responsibilities caring for a friend or relative who is seriously ill. This summer, we are celebrating the caregivers in our community with our Care for the Carer campaign. Each month we are giving out 100 Care for the Carer boxes, each filled with caregiving resources, an assortment of coupons, and various self-care items. Each month's packages are different, so we encourage caregivers to treat...
The Blood Bank of Alaska (BBA), located at 1215 Airport Heights Drive in Anchorage, is just a stone’s throw from the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Did you know that as a senior over 70 years old, you may still give blood? All you need is a written doctor’s acknowledgement that you are well and able to do so. Given the continuing need for all blood types, especially O-positive, O-negative, and A-positive, we welcome Alaska seniors to give blood, including seniors from rural parts of the state. The need for blood and blood products in our...
Getting vaccinated helps protects others who don’t Older adults who get vaccinated against COVID-19 may also be protecting their unvaccinated family members. Researchers at the Helsinki Graduate School of Economics have found that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines protect both vaccinated individuals and their unvaccinated adult household members against SARS-CoV-2 infections. The study used Finnish administrative datasets to examine the link between mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines and infection risk among vaccinated individuals a...
For older people, going to a gym on a regular basis helps to build strength and stamina by exercising the body in systematic, increasingly exerting ways. This effort pays off with a reduced chance of falls, better coordination and balance, improved sleep, stronger muscles and a more positive self-image. As we age, our brains need consistent exercise, too. Aging brings with it a host of “senior moments,” when we begin to second guess ourselves, becoming more easily distracted, forgetful, and less able to concentrate for long periods of tim...
Alaska Health Fair, Inc. takes an extended break twice a year – after each active and heavy duty health fair season. We do this to provide our few paid staff, plus our dedicated and cherished volunteers a longer period to take their own vacations. These breaks have become even more important as we’ve worked almost non-stop through COVID. Though we are not offering blood draw dates in July, we are busy closing out the spring season and looking forward to the upcoming fall season. Our summer break is now in full swing, so you may have dif...
Every Medicare beneficiary has the right to appeal a denial of coverage for services or items made by Medicare. However, there are some things you should know. First, you need to understand why Medicare denied coverage in the first place. Then you need to build your case for the appeal and begin the process. You need to understand that there are multiple levels of appeals you can go through if your first decision is denied and each of these has their own timeline associated. Why was your item or service denied coverage by Medicare? Make sure...
Hospice is not a place. And hospice care is not just about those who are dying. Hospice is a comprehensive, compassionate kind of care that focuses on living – hospice is about living as fully as possible, surrounded by family and friends, up until the end of life. Palliative care brings this special philosophy of care to people earlier in the course of a serious illness. Did you know that Hospice of Anchorage is a Volunteer Hospice? Did you know there are three Medicare hospice providers serving Anchorage and the surrounding areas as well? W...
Smart toilet may be able to analyze stool For the first time, researchers are suggesting that an artificial intelligence tool can be used for long-term tracking and management of chronic gastrointestinal ailments. Scientists at Duke University have added an artificial intelligence tool to the standard toilet to help analyze patients’ stool and give gastroenterologists the information they need to provide appropriate treatment, according to a new study. This novel technology could assist in m...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program has moved into a new office located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205 (located in the 4D Professional Building). You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email dkebschull@soldotnaseniors.comdkebschull@soldotnaseniors.com. Caregiver support group meetings will be held at the following locations and times in July. Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. July 8, Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. A training titled, “Can Alzheimer’s be Sto...
Detecting severe COVID-19 earlier There is some very good news to report in the battle against COVID-19 as researchers may have discovered a way to detect early those who will become severely ill. Most people who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop no or only mild symptoms. However, some individuals suffer severe life-threatening cases of COVID-19 and require intensive medical care and a ventilator to help them breathe. Many of these patients eventually succumb to the disease or suffer significant long-term health consequences. To identify...
You just found out you have a limited life expectancy. Let’s say six months to a year. Here’s the kicker: You get to choose how you spend this time. What does that look like to you? Maybe you would like to be surrounded by family and friends. Perhaps you want to mend some broken relationships before it is too late. You probably would like to be comfortable and free of as much pain as possible. What about the comfort of your own surroundings? Of course, you want your cat (or is it a dog or rabbit or bird?) to cheer you up daily. And the las...
Our agency has had a challenging year, as many non-profits have during our nation’s health crisis. The loyalty of many long-time clients, the curiosity of many new clients, plus many regular contributors have helped us to ride the crazy, wild waves of 2020-2021 and we didn’t go under water during the process. We are survivors and have proven this time and again over the past 41 years of serving Alaskans statewide. The Southcentral and Southeast health fair programs are closing their spring season at the end of May and the Tanana Valley Nor...
Everyone has some baking soda in the house and if not, you should get some. Aside from baking with it, I also use it in my garbage disposal and to brighten my laundry. Sodium bicarbonate is known more commonly as “baking soda” since it helps make dough rise by producing carbon dioxide. Today, I’ll share the most common medicinal uses for baking soda, as well as a few household uses that make it the cheapest, most effective remedy in town. Consuming excessive baking soda is toxic because it’s so high in sodium. So if you’re taking it internall...
Many individuals with Medicare find themselves struggling to pay the various costs associated with monthly premiums or prescription drugs. Fortunately, there are a number of different programs available to help. Medicare Savings Program The Medicare Savings Program (MSP), or Medicare Buy-in, is a program to help with paying Medicare premiums. There are three different programs you may be qualified for based on your income and assets. These programs are administered through the State of Alaska Division of Public Assistance. If you think you may...
Preventing strokes with a phone app It may soon be possible to detect atrial fibrillation with your phone. About one-third of ischemic strokes, those triggered by blood clots, are caused by atrial fibrillation, which is the most common heart rhythm disorder. Since many people don’t have symptoms and are unaware of its presence, atrial fibrillation often goes undiagnosed. In some cases, a stroke is the first sign that a person has the disorder. American Indians are more at risk for atrial fibrill...
If you are a family caregiver and have been feeling as if you are particularly stressed out by all the duties and responsibilities that come with your role, you are not alone. Here are some facts about caregiver stress from Caring.com: 40% of caregivers have been providing care for five or more years. Working women with caregiver roles are 2.5 times more likely to live in poverty when they become elderly compared to women who have not been caregivers during their lifetime. Long distance caregivers spend an average of $392 per month on travel...
It is now possible to find out lots of details about what you are doing while you are sleeping at night. There are wrist sensors, rings and a host of other gadgets that measure how much sleep you are getting on a nightly basis. They are known as Consumer Sleep Technologies (CSTs) and there are dozens of options. These sleep trackers can give a person a better idea of whether they are getting enough quality sleep. Sleep trackers use sensors to detect things such as body movement and heart rate. Some wearable sleep trackers remain on the...
The latest studies show that a person who is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can still become infected with the virus. However, there have been many questions about whether a fully vaccinated adult can transmit the virus. “It would be very rare. The best data we have are from long-term care facilities in a study from Denmark,” said Dr. Morgan Katz, who is an Assistant Professor of Infectious Disease at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Denmark launched an immunization program against COVID-19 at the end of 20...
It’s that time of year again; the sun is warm, breakup is messy, and the snowbirds are migrating back to Alaska. It’s the time of year where the year-round residents and snowbirds alike are asking themselves, “Is this the year I finally move?” What does moving mean for your Medicare benefits? What is the process? Will your coverage change? Moving out of Alaska Medicare Parts A & B: The most important thing to do when moving is to update your address with the Social Security Administration. This will ensure you don’t miss important updates a...
Spring blood test date offerings continue through May for Southcentral and Southeast programs and mid-June for the Tanana Valley Northern Region Program. We continue to follow our appointment-based model, which works well and our clients are pleased with the service. Our traditional “morning draws” offer the ability to scoot in early and go enjoy a good lunch. Our late afternoon draws provide the chance to eat breakfast and skip lunch. Visit www.alaskahealthfair.org and check for various May “office draw dates” offered “by appointme...
