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One of my peak experiences was attending a lecture by Dominic O’Brien, the World Memory Champion who demonstrated some of his amazing memory abilities. He believes that you should exercise the mind every day just like an athlete stretches his or her body regularly. To achieve the rank of World Memory Champion, you must be able to perform several superhuman feats. For example, you have to memorize 1,000 random digits in less than an hour, the exact order of 10 decks of shuffled playing cards, also in one hour, and one shuffled deck in less than...
Fiber may pack some hidden health benefits Most people know that a diet high in fiber helps keep a person “regular.” Now, Australian researchers have uncovered a surprising benefit of this often-undervalued dietary component. They have found that eating the right amount of fiber from breads, cereals, and fruits can help us avoid disease and disability into old age. Using data compiled from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, which included more than 1,600 adults aged 50 years and older, the res...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in July. This month’s focus is part two of last month’s “End of Life Care and Letting Go,” featuring a DVD presentation with Teepa Snow. July 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 12, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 19, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 26, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Support meetings allow you to share your e...
Do you whip up delicious meals without measuring a single thing? The oil you use in your kitchen can make or break your otherwise wonderful dish. Did you know that some oils are harmful? Did you know that fried chicken or french fries often use "hydrogenated" oils, which increase your risk of diabetes, heart attack, obesity and cancer? Some "partially hydrogenated" oils are even derived from soybean oil, discussed below. What's in your kitchen? Here are the good Look for oils high in...
What is more wonderful than a gloriously 70 degree temperature on an innocent day in June, especially when I am writing this on May 15 in Anchorage, Alaska? For those of you who do not believe in climate change, I feel sorry for you. I have been living in Alaska for 48 years and I have never seen a springtime like the one we are now having here. It is not so good for the fishermen and the rest of the people who live on the northwest coasts of our largest state, because they are losing land to...
In 2016, more than a million people will be diagnosed with cancer around the world. This alarming statistic affects people and families everywhere. On June 5, 2016, we observe National Cancer Survivors Day in the United States. In support of this day, Social Security encourages getting checkups to provide early detection, raise awareness through education, and recognizes the survivors who have gone through this battle or are still living with the disease. Social Security stands strong in our support of the fight against cancer. We offer...
A new scratch on the bumper or avoiding activities that require leaving home are often the first signs that families should talk with their aging parents about driving. Unfortunately, those conversations are not happening enough, according to a press statement by Home Instead, Inc. The May 17 press statement outlines results of a new survey by the franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network of offices that provide in-home care services to seniors. The survey found that 95 percent of the surveyed seniors have not talked to their loved...
Artificial vision device helping those with low vision A new portable artificial vision device is now helping those who are blind to read a message on an electronic device, a newspaper article or a menu. The promise of new software technology has now gone from the scientists’ bench to helping the blind in a way never before possible. The new device is called OrCam and it is capable of recognizing text, monetary denominations and faces, and can be programmed to recognize other objects. It i...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in June. This month’s focus: End of Life Care and Letting Go, featuring a DVD presentation with Teepa Snow. June 7, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 14, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 21, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 28, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Support meetings allow you to share your experiences as a caregiver, o...
This is the second article in a multi-part series about diabetes self-management programs offered in Alaska. Type 2 Diabetes, a disease characterized by abnormally high blood sugar, is among the most common chronic diseases. People of all ages suffer from type 2 diabetes, but older adults are more likely to be diagnosed with this disease and experience diabetes-related complications. Luckily, there are many ways to reduce your risk of developing this disease, and it’s also easy to get screened. For more information about prevention and s...
We take for granted the comfort we feel in our hands and feet, but some people have lost that comfort, and they suffer all day long with strange nerve-related concerns. There is new research about aspirin which could help you, but first let’s talk about nerve pain, termed “neuropathy.” It feels like you are touching or stepping on pins and needles! It can affect you all over, not just your hands and feet. Depending on various factors (race, age, weight, alcohol consumption, insulin and A1c), your experience of neuropathy may also include pain,...
Alaska Health Fairs’ spring series of health fairs wrap up this month, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. The tests can help you learn about your health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. The test results give you and your health care provider important information about your physical condition and vital organ functions. A complete and comprehensive chemistry/hematology test is available for only $45 and panels 27 different tests f...
Be cheerful in the merry month of May, a harbinger of Summer’s advent, and good times will soon be here. That is, if you all vote ... the right way. JOKE! Seriously, here are five reasons to vote: 1. To speak your mind, to tell elected officials how you feel about health care, Social Security, the environment, education (especially if you have children or grand children). 2. To control our future, elected officials make decisions that affect our daily lives. 3. To stop complaining and make t...
Similar to ‘First Aid’ and ‘CPR,’ ‘Mental Health First Aid’ is designed to arm the public with skills to help individuals who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Presented by the Alaska Training Cooperative, Mental Health First Aid is a non-clinical, public education experience offered as an interactive 8-hour certification course that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use issues in the U.S. The course addresses the fear and stigma associated with mental illness and introduces...
The Alaska Kidney Patient Association is offering free kidney health screenings May 14 at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, 9 a.m. to noon. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure or an immediate family member with kidney disease, this screening is for you. By appointment only, register online by May 11 at www.alaskakidney.org. The association will also present a Living Donor Workshop May 19 at the Providence Medical Center East Auditorium, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. This event is designed to educate people in need of a kidney transplant. A panel...
Some Alaska Boroughs could improve health Juneau Borough ranks healthiest in Alaska and Wade Hampton Census Area is the least healthy place in the state, according to the seventh annual County Health Rankings. These rankings are done by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI). They are meant to be an easy-to-use snapshot comparing the health of nearly every county in the nation. The local-level data allows each state to see...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in May. This month’s focus: Home safety for people with dementia. May 3, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. May 10, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. May 17, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. May 17, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, 3 p.m. May 31, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Support meetings allow you to share your expe...
Online trainings on geriatric health care topics continue this month, sponsored by the Area Health Education Center (AHEC), the Alaska Training Cooperative and Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. The series is a partnership with the Northwest Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Center, and will offer trainings each Tuesday through May 31, via virtual classroom on the Internet. The series is designed to give community-based providers working in the field of aging access to valuable information without traveling. Classes feature nationally and...
Shiitake (shih-TAH-kee), used medicinally by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years, is a symbol of longevity in Asia for its health-promoting properties. Ancient Egyptians treasured mushrooms as the sons of gods, sent to earth riding thunderbolts. Medieval English lore claimed mushrooms were umbrellas for the leprechauns and had to be gathered under the full moon. A current adage holds: How they are commercially grown is similar to working for a large corporation – they keep you in the dark a...
A limited income can trap some Alaskans in nursing or extended care, even when they're ready to return home or transition to assisted living. Fortunately, a state program can help people move to a lower level of care. The Nursing Facility Transition Program can pay one-time costs to remove barriers to returning home, such as the need for a wheelchair ramp, or a deposit to move into an assisted living home. To qualify, Alaskans must be 65 and older, or 21 and older with a physical disability,...
Alaska Health Fairs’ spring series of health fairs are underway, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. The tests can help you learn about your health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. The test results give you and your health care provider important information about your physical condition and vital organ functions. A complete and comprehensive chemistry/hematology test is available for only $45 and panels 27 different tests for c...
I know the winter sports enthusiasts will not be agreeing with me, but I am glad we have had a short winter and an early spring and (knock wood!) my roof is still intact. March 23 was the sixth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as the Obama Care Act, or ultimately as “Obama Cares,” and we know he does. For those in Congress who have tried to eradicate this bill (law) over 62 times, I would again like to inform you of the benefits it has brought to you: • since the bill...
Services from geriatric care managers should be something that every family takes advantage of, but in reality very few families use them. Care managers could go a long ways towards helping the family with cost containment and finding better and more efficient ways of providing care for a loved one. The concept is simple. The family hires a professional adviser (care manager) to act as a guide through the maze of long-term care services and providers. By providing consumer education and advocacy, reducing costs by avoiding inappropriate...
This year’s “Mission of Mercy” free dental care event, takes place April 29 and 30 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Dentists and other health workers provide free dental care for up to 2,000 patients in two days. Both children and adults are accepted on a first come, first served basis. There is no application process and no income limitations. For more information, including a list of procedures that are provided and not provided, visit www.akmom.org or call 563-3003....
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the body is unable to control the amount of sugar, or glucose, in the blood. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases with age, and left uncontrolled, it can result in dangerous health conditions. One in five Alaskans age 65 and older has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and one in 10 has pre-diabetes, which puts them at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. Many other Alaska seniors have not been tested and are unaware that they have either of these conditio...
