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Visiting family members and friends is a time-honored and valued tradition. Being with others in conversation or in companionable silence, in laughter or even in tears reaffirms our need for connection and belonging. We want to be with people we care about. We need to be with people who care about us. Desire and need are at the heart of every visit. A diagnosis of dementia does not diminish the desire or the need for being with others, but it does change the “how” of a visit. With a progressive dementia like Alzheimer’s disease, gradual chang...
You can’t watch television for more than an hour without being exposed to pleas to use either Viagra or Cialis to deal with erectile dysfunction. Now testosterone is being pushed. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), however, warned of severe dangers in using testosterone supplements. The new research examined more than 8,000 male veterans with low testosterone. Researchers compared the rates of cardiovascular ills among those who had testosterone supplementation and those who had not had supplements. The study found that m...
This month I decided to delve into some Older Persons Action Group archive documents, recently discovered in an old file cabinet. At the beginning of year its 10th year, Senior Voice’s circulation was 6,000 and it was the only newspaper in the state dealing exclusively with senior citizen problems, needs and desires. In 1983, in its first try entering its writers’ work in professional competition, Senior Voice staff submitted three entries to the statewide Alaska Press Women communications con...
If someone in your family needs hospice care, this column explains what it is and what Medicare covers. What is hospice care? Hospice care is a program of care and support for patients who are terminally ill. These patients may no longer want to try to cure a terminal illness, or their doctor may have determined that efforts to cure an illness are not working. To qualify for hospice care, the patient’s regular doctor and a hospice medical director must certify that the patient is terminally ill and has six months or less to live. A decision a...
It’s an alarming and disturbing fact but older veterans have a higher suicide rate than the general public, including returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. In fact, veterans over 50 years of age have a 70 percent higher suicide rate than the non-veteran general population. According to Tom Berger, executive director of the Vietnam Veterans of America national health council and a Vietnam Navy veteran, “You know, ‘We’re just old guys, and we’re going to die, so why pay much attention...
Color-coded tags may signal food’s freshness Scientists have now come up with a color-coded smart tag that can tell consumers whether a carton of milk has turned sour. This technology could also tell you if a can of green beans has spoiled, all without opening the containers. “This tag, which has a gel-like consistency, is really inexpensive and safe, and can be widely programmed to mimic almost all ambient-temperature deterioration processes in foods,” said lead researcher Chao Zhang, who i...
In March, the Alaska Medicare Clinic in Anchorage announced the affiliation of Dr. Virginia Haskell and Cynthia McGinty, ANP with the clinic. With this additional staff, the clinic is adding new patients to their service and expanding the ability to see patients with urgent needs on a same day basis. Located in the O’Malley Square building at 11260 Old Seward Highway, the clinic is open Monday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The clinic offers in-house lab and x-ray services. Call the clinic at 433-5100 to s...
Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska will offer “Savvy Professional” training workshops this month in Ketchikan, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Palmer. Sponsored in part by the Trust Training Cooperative, the workshops are designed for those who have a working knowledge of dementia and are in roles that support individuals, families and/or direct care workers. Learning objectives include: • Compare the current state of one’s personal and organizational practices with those identified as best practice in person centered care. • Identify quality indicators...
My mom loved her own home - a wooded, two-acre property on a rural country road. She liked caring for her home and relaxing on her small, screened porch with a view of birds at the feeder and flowers in her garden. She liked having friends and family come for visits. Her own dishes, her own bed, her own music, eating when and what she wanted. As her vision declined and she stopped driving, she did think that it would be sensible to find a new home in town where she could walk to the library, hairdresser or grocery. Dad, on the other hand,...
On April 11 and 12 at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, 600 West 7th Avenue, the Alaska Dental Society, in collaboration with Anchorage Rotary and over 1,400 volunteers will provide a free clinic for people who have no access to dental care or cannot afford dental care. This is the first year for the Alaska Mission of Mercy. Its goals are to provide free dental care for patients suffering from dental infections or pain; to raise awareness of the increasing difficulty low-income adults and children face in accessing critical dental care; and t...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. continues its spring health fairs 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...
“I am shocked — shocked— to find that gambling is going on in here!” This much-paraphrased line of Claude Rains that he said to Humphrey Bogart in the great film Casablanca should be the tagline of this monthly article on Veteran’s healthcare. I am shocked – shocked – to find the federal government has promised more than they can deliver! Yes, I hope you were sitting down when you read that line but sadly for all veterans this is true. It was easy to promise to provide Veterans healthcare coverage for life when the money from taxpaying bab...
Spine patients are often surprised to learn that surgery is not the only option for spinal conditions. As a neurosurgeon with 30 years of experience, I am a firm believer in a holistic approach to spine care that utilizes a team of health care experts including pain management specialists, physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists. Some neurosurgeons consider surgery to be a cure-all for any spine condition, but for seniors in particular, alternative approaches can be equally beneficial and may even offer a...
The truth about spring allergies Every year we hear about how it may be the worse allergy season in years. But how true is it and are allergies a big problem than ever before? It turns out that several factors determine the severity of allergy season, such as weather patterns. While allergies are on the rise, affecting more and more Americans every year, each spring isn’t necessarily worse than the last, according to allergist Dr. Michael Foggs, who is the president of the American College of A...
The North American Brain Injury Society and the Alaska Brain Injury Network will join together to host the second quadrennial Alaska Brain Injury Conference at the Anchorage Marriott Hotel, April 30 through May 2. The conference, entitled “Shining a Light on Everyday Heroes; Supporting Brain Injury in Your Community,” will have a strong focus on rural and underserved communities. Attendees will benefit from nationally and internationally recognized authorities on the subject of brain injury research, rehabilitation and long-term care. From gro...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in April, which is National Stress Awareness Month. A 60 minute video, “Humor Your Stress,” will be shown and discussed at these meetings. Please join and share your experience as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. April 1, peer support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 8, peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 15, peer support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 22, peer sup...
Research suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elders are disproportionately represented in long term care facilities because, compared to their heterosexual counterparts, LGBT elders are much less likely to have family members who can care for them at home. Yet it is rare for our staff ombudsmen to hear long term care residents identify themselves as LGBT. So I have to conclude that there is an invisible minority of older LGBT Alaskans who live in long term care facilities but...
When you turn 50 these days, three things generally happen: you ‘re invited to join AARP, a “friend” gives you a birthday card that makes you sound really old, and your doctor tells you it’s time to be screened for colorectal cancer. You may be surprised to know that colorectal cancer is the second most deadly cancer after lung cancer, but also the most preventable form of cancer. Screening lets your health care provider find and remove polyps before they turn cancerous, or to catch them in an early stage when the disease is most treatab...
Health care experts are rediscovering an old-fashioned concept that may help lower health care costs and improve the quality of health care: shared decision making. What is shared decision making? It is when you and your doctor work together as co-pilots as you travel through the health care system. And you have the right to ask your doctor to use shared decision making whenever you need to decide among several treatment options. What does shared decision making mean? Shared decision making can mean different things depending on the situation....
Need help through the Medicare maze? Come find your best Medicare deal with help from Alaskan Medicare experts. The state Medicare Information Office will offer a free workshop April 2 at Wasilla Area Seniors Inc., 1301 S. Century Circle, from 6 to 8 p.m. Reservation required. Call 373-3632. The Medicare Information Office is also seeking Medicare volunteers. For details, call 269-3680 (Anchorage) or 1-800-478-6065 (toll-free statewide) or visit www.medicare.alaska.gov....
Ask anyone who attends a meeting of AA (Alcohol Anonymous) or NA (Narcotic Anonymous), the road to recovery from alcohol or drug addiction is often a bumpy and long one. Days, weeks, months and even years of sobriety can be set back by a relapse to a former life controlled by alcohol or drugs. If a person has a long history of addiction, the longer and harder it may be for their recovery. Early intervention, as in most cases of disease recovery (such as in dealing with breast or prostate...
Sign up now for “Dementia Care Essentials,” a five-week training series on providing care for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementia, presented by Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska. The classes meet in Anchorage on Mondays, April 7 through May 5, at 2702 Gamble Street, Suite 233, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The purpose of the series is to enable participants to identify strategies they will implement into their care practice that will increase a sense of safety, security, comfort and quality of life for the person living with dementia. Partici...
Just how safe are e-cigarettes? There is considerable debate right now about whether e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking or a gateway from smoking. For many adults age 50 and older, e-cigarettes may be a great way to transition off smoking. Ideally, if millions of people start using e-cigarettes as an aid to quit there could be a huge public health benefit. However, some health experts question whether e-cigarettes are just “an add-on” for chronic smokers and may be creating new problems. Cur...
A series of online trainings continues this spring, sponsored by the Area Health Education Center (AHEC), UAA Office of Health Programs Development, and the Trust Training Cooperative. The series is a partnership with the Northwest Geriatric Education Center, and offers trainings to Alaska via virtual classroom on the Internet. The series is designed to give community-based providers working in the field of aging – physicians, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, psychologists, social workers, pharmacists and other interested p...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in March. The caregiver training topic this month is “Eat Well to Feel Well and the Mayo Clinic Mediterranean Diet.” March 4, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 11, Caregiver training at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 17, Caregiver training at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 25, Peer Support Meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Tra...
