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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...
Every time you visit your mom in the assisted living home, she complains she isn’t getting her medication. When you question staff, they show you the medication log and it seems to indicate she is getting what the doctor prescribed. Is your mom just forgetting that she was given her medication? I wouldn’t be so sure. Theft of prescription drugs is a growing problem nationally, especially controlled substances such as opioids for pain and benzodiazepines for anxiety. Health care workers have as...
"I see a lot of seniors who have done something right. Many are fit and active into their 80s and 90s." Betty Burke shares this positive assessment when reflecting on her position as Health Outreach Nurse at the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center. "My job is to promote optimal wellness in the senior population here," she says, "to promote fitness in general." Six years ago, Burke hooked onto the idea of launching a program related to the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, focusing on February fitness for...
The lifelong probability of a marriage ending in divorce is between 40 and 50 percent, according to PolitiFact.com’s estimates. Couples in trouble often seek advice from friends, family and counselors. But global marriage expert Mort Fertel, creator of the Marriage Fitness Tele-Boot Camp and author of “Marriage Fitness,” says much of the advice couples get is bad. “Much of the advice people get about their marriage problems is wrong. It sounds good. It makes sense. The problem is: it usually doesn’t work,” Fertel says. “Reconciling a broken mar...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. begins its spring series of 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...
Is vision loss causing you to have trouble keeping up with activities you used to enjoy? This March in Kodiak, find out how a functional low vision screening and daily living tips can improve your life. Discover specialized magnifiers and other devices as well as safety techniques that can help you enjoy those activities again. The low vision clinic will be held March 4-7 at the Kodiak Senior Center, 302 Erskine Ave. You can schedule a screening at the clinic with Charity Son, Low Vision Coordinator, Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually...
Tomatoes potent in fighting breast cancer Eating a diet rich in tomato and tomato products may help protect against breast cancer. A new study by researchers in Ohio has found that eating a diet high in tomatoes had a positive effect on hormone levels that play a role in regulating fat and sugar metabolism. The researchers conducted a study with older women who were at high risk for breast cancer. “The advantages of eating plenty of tomatoes and tomato-based products, even for a short period, w...
In an effort to encourage more Alaskans to get immunized against the flu, the Alaska Division of Public Health will continue waiving the standard $28 administrative fee for the flu vaccine at all state public health centers in Alaska and at the Municipality of Anchorage Public Health Center. The fee waiver is in effect through the end of March 2014 for certain Alaskans. As of Dec. 28, the state had recorded 242 laboratory confirmed cases of the flu. H1N1, or swine flu, is the dominant strain this season. Protection against the strain is...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in February. Because this is National Heart Month, caregiver trainings will focus on being heart healthy. Feb. 4, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 11, Caregiver training at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 17, no meeting, President’s Day Feb. 25, Peer Support Meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Training sessions provide 2 hours of C...
A new study involving several universities indicates that research into the delay of aging would have a better payoff than advances in such fatal diseases as cancer and heart problems. Even modest gains in the scientific comprehension of how to slow the aging process would mean 11.7 million more healthy seniors over age 65 in 2060 than even optimistic advances in cancer and heart research. This is according to analysis by scientists from the University of Southern California, Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of Illinois...
Early registration is open for a one-day workshop on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, to be offered in February in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Sitka. Sponsored by Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, the interactive workshop, titled “Accepting the Challenge,” will feature Teepa Snow, a renowned expert on Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Snow is an occupational therapist currently working as a dementia care and dementia education specialist with an independent practice. She has clinical appointments with Duke University’s School of Nursing and...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. begins its next series of health fairs (we won’t call them spring health fairs yet) with four events in February, 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/hemat...
Taking care of a parent or aging family member is part of daily life for thousands of Alaskans; it is a task that poses great challenges but also rewards those who accept the challenges with many memorable moments. In a writing contest held by the Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, Alaskans were given the opportunity to share some of their most memorable moments while caring for loved ones. Dozens of entries were received from across the state with winners in five age categories and one grand prize winner of 40,000 Alaska Airline miles. The g...
