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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was the most unrecognized disorder for returning Vietnam veterans as well as for the veterans of all previous wars. Not reacting to this disorder cost thousands of lives due to suicide, mental illness and chronic health issues aggregated by PTSD. The outlook started to change in the early 1980s when the VA finally recognized PTSD and started treating it. Gulf War Syndrome was another illness where the medical community was late to address its long-term...
Gene therapy may help reverse blindness Researchers are moving closer toward a novel gene therapy approach to restore vision to the blind. British researchers in a laboratory study have demonstrated how it might be possible to reverse blindness using gene therapy to reprogram cells at the back of the eye to become light sensitive. Most causes of untreatable blindness occur due to loss of the millions of light sensitive photoreceptor cells that line the retina. However, the remaining retinal...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in November. This month’s meeting topic: “The Art of Caregiving, Part Two,” with demonstrations on effective approaches to bathing, eating, dressing, transfers and how to respond to certain types of behaviors. Nov. 7, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 14, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, hosted by Paula Koch, 3 p.m. Nov....
Not very many years ago high-carbohydrate bars were the "go-to" for hikers and other athletes. Now, when I pick up snacks for the trail, the shelves are loaded with pemmican-like meat snacks or meat jerky. Marketing statistics show meat snack sales increases of more than 45 percent between 2011 and 2017, with jerky second in popularity to potato chips in the "salty foods" category. In the past year alone, beef jerky sales have risen 7 percent, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef...
Fall is in the air! Time for pumpkin spiced treats, watching football, getting out our winter gear, putting on our studded tires, and for Medicare beneficiaries, it is time to review our prescription drug coverage. Known by a number of titles such as the Fall Open Enrollment period, the Part D Open Enrollment, or Medicare’s Open Enrollment, each autumn between October 15 and December 7, Medicare offers the opportunity for Medicare beneficiaries to make changes to their coverage. These changes c...
We are now in the middle of Alaska Health Fair’s fall 2017 health fair season, so check out one of our fast approaching October events. The health fairs offer free health screenings, health and safety education, plus 11 affordable blood tests and other services. These tests can help you learn about your overall health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. For more information, call 907-278-0234 (Anchorage) or 907-374-6853 (Fairbanks); or just visit http://www...
Many people know Hospice of Anchorage as a place that serves patients with life limiting illness and provides people with grief support, but Hospice of Anchorage also provides event and educational programming for the community. For the month of October, Hospice of Anchorage is hosting a large annual community memorial event, a painting fundraiser and a community education program. It is a busy fall at Hospice of Anchorage and we hope that you will join us for at least one of the programs....
Dear Savvy Senior: I’m concerned that my 80-year-old mother is taking too many medications. She currently takes 10 different drugs prescribed by three different doctors, which I think is causing her some problems. She also struggles to keep up with all the drug costs. Any suggestions? - Concerned Daughter Dear Concerned: There’s no doubt that older Americans are taking more prescription medications than ever before. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, around 40 percent of seniors, age 65 and older, take five or mor...
Dear Savvy Senior: Do you know of any auto safety products that can help seniors with older cars? My 80-year-old father, who drives his beloved 2004 Toyota Avalon, is still a pretty good driver but he has limited range-of-motion, which makes looking over his shoulder to back-up or merge into traffic very difficult. Inquiring Son Dear Inquiring: To help keep your dad safe and extend his driving years, there are a number of auto aids and new safety technology products that can be added to his car to help with various needs. Here are several to...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in October. This month’s meeting topic: “Proper Body Mechanics and Back Safety and the Art of Caregiving, Part One.” Oct. 3, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 10, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 17, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 18, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, hosted by Paula Koch, 3 p.m. Oct. 31, Caregiver support meeti...
Laser zaps gum disease Dentistry is getting a little bit less invasive and less painful. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a minimally invasive laser, a tiny laser fiber about the thickness of three human hairs, to treat gum disease. The laser helps regenerate bone and tissue. It eliminates the traditional treatment of periodontal surgery, a highly invasive and often painful procedure. This less invasive technique means minimal post-operative discomfort requiring no opioid...
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. are hospitalized from flu. People age 65 years and older are at increased risk for serious flu-related complications and account for 60 percent of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations. A CDC study published last summer found that flu vaccination reduced the risk of flu-related hospitalization among people 65 to 74 years old by 61 percent. Vaccinated people age 75 and older were similarly protected, with a 57 percent reduction of flu-related hospitalization. Hospitalization and recovery...
Alaska Health Fair’s Fall 2017 health fair season is now in full swing, so check out September event dates by reviewing the Senior Voice monthly edition or the Alaska Health Fair website. Try to make it to one of the fall events in your local community; you’ll find a variety of resources to help meet your family’s health needs and some great community gatherings. We are in need of volunteers who can help us with our mission, vision and core purpose to serve all Alaskans. Non-medical, medical and individuals who can draw blood. We would also...
Welcome to autumn! This season is when Medicare Beneficiaries are going to receive valuable and pertinent information in the mail about their benefits and upcoming changes in preparation for the Part D Open Enrollment period. The Open Enrollment Period is an important opportunity that is provided to Medicare beneficiaries annually to evaluate their prescription drug coverage and to make changes if they desire. It occurs from October 15 to December 7 annually. Medicare and You Handbook. Each Medi...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in September. This month’s meetings will highlight tips for Alzheimer’s family caregivers, featuring a DVD presentation by Dr. Peter V. Robbins, in support of World Alzheimer’s Month. Sept. 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 12, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 19, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center,1 p.m. Sept. 20, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senio...
E-cigarettes may help some smokers quit Vaping may be helping some people kick the habit. In the United States, the smoking cessation rate increased for the first time in 15 years. Researchers conducted a population-level analysis of national surveys conducted from 2001 to 2015. The study suggests e-cigarettes helped users of the electronic devices to quit smoking traditional cigarettes. The annual rate of people who quit smoking has hovered around 4.5 percent for years but in the 2014-15...
Going out to eat at your favorite restaurant can be a very pleasant experience – unless you get food poisoning. Eating at home or eating out is an important distinction because Americans are twice as likely to get food poisoning from food served in restaurants compared to food prepared at home, according to a 2014 study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Here in Alaska we have easy access to a lot of health information about most restaurants, but first a little background. Food poisoning is common and often quite serious. The F...
What is a Health Insurance Marketplace plan? If I have a Marketplace plan and I become eligible for Medicare should I switch? What are the advantages of Medicare over the Marketplace? How do I disenroll from my Marketplace plan? What if I didn’t switch to Medicare when I could have? What is Time Limited Equitable Relief and do I qualify for it? These are a few of the questions many people turning 65 are asking and we will try to answer for you. What is the Health Insurance Marketplace? First o...
Dear Savvy Senior: I’m worried about my 72-year-old mother who has been taking the opioid medication Vicodin for her hip and back pain for more than a year. I fear she’s becoming addicted to the drug but I don’t know what to do. Concerned Daughter Dear Concerned: The opioid epidemic is a national problem that is hitting people of all ages, including millions of older Americans. Here’s what you should know and do to help your mother. The cause The main reason opioid addiction has become such a problem for people over age 50 is because over th...
Hospice of Anchorage has several upcoming events that we would like to share with the community. In August, we hope you’ll join us for “A Walk to Remember,” which is a memorial walk, and in September, we host Camp Erin, a bereavement camp for kids and teens ages 6 to 17 years old. These events are at no charge to the community. In recognition of people who have experienced pregnancy loss, including miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, fetal deaths, and neonatal deaths, as well as those who have lost a child, we gather for “A Walk to Remembe...
A painless microneedle patch for the flu Researchers have now come up with a dissolvable vaccine patch for combating influenza. It has been tested in a large number of volunteers and it fared well. A team of investigators has found that delivering the flu vaccine via a dissolvable microneedle patch appears to be safe and preferred over conventional injection in a new phase 1 trial involving 100 people. The study is the first randomized trial to test a self-administered, dissolvable microneedle...
The Kenai Peninsula Famiy Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in August. This month’s meetings will highlight National Immunization Month, reviewing what shots are needed and when to get them since they can prevent serious diseases like the flu and pneumonia. Aug. 1, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Aug. 8, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Aug. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center,1 p.m. Aug. 16, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Se...
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is presenting two “Alaskan Plants as Food as Medicine” events in September, one in Kotzebue and one in Kenai. The events promote traditional plant knowledge and ethical harvesting and last year featured a conference in August at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. That event will not take place this year, with efforts instead focused on supporting rural Alaska communities by holding smaller, regional symposiums, according to the organization’s website, www.alaskanplants.com. So far, two of these event...
The Trust Training Cooperate will offer an online class, “Traditional Health-Based Practices,” this fall on three different days. Course material will focus on traditional lifestyles and health practices of people living in Alaska prior to Western contact. Trainees will be introduced to beliefs, attitudes and knowledge of health promotion and maintenance that were practiced, and will examine major changes leading to the current health status of the Alaska Native community. A special emphasis will be placed on potential strategies for imp...
Alaska Health Fair’s fall 2017 health fair season is kicking off a month earlier than normal, so check out the August event dates and/or make it to one of the fall events in your local community by checking the Senior Voice monthly edition or the Alaska Health Fairs website. Alaska Health Fair, Inc. offers free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. These tests can help you learn about your health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. So take time out o...
