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I don't recall one of my first fishing experiences, but according to a family photo, grayling were caught in a little creek near Twin Lakes, about mile 28 of the Nabesna Road in the summer of 1958. At three years old, I'm sitting with my mother, wearing a huge grin and holding three grayling on a stick. Mom holds a pole with a grayling still attached. I do remember standing on the bank of the Twentymile River just south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway. Dad stood a few feet out and scooped up...
Shake off the pandemic isolation and check out the sights and sounds of a local festival, most of which were canceled last year. Be sure to observe safety precautions, and check online for updates. Peony Celebration, July 9-24 in Homer. Come see Homer’s famous peony blooms at their most glorious state along with art exhibitions, great food, farm tours, concerts and more. www.Homeralaska.org/homer-peony-celebration/ Salmon Jam! Salmon Festival, July 12-17 in Cordova. Featuring a socially distanced version of your favorite events like the l...
The COVID-19 pandemic solidified our dependence on the internet. Throughout the Lower 48, high speed internet access is a given. In Alaska’s rural – and at times, urban – communities, high speed internet access can be hard to come by. According to the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Broadband Deployment Report, 85% of Alaskans have internet access at 25 megabits per second (mbs) or higher, the minimum speed standard outlined by the FCC. This breaks down further when considering rural communities, where 63.7% have access to internet wit...
During the pandemic, many organizations in Alaska reduced the direct services they provided, but that was not true for Southeast Senior Services (SESS). SESS worked to meet the changing needs of seniors and caregivers during this difficult time. Typically, in a non-pandemic year SESS, which is a division of Catholic Community Service, works with local, state and national partners to offer home and community-based services such as nutritious meals, door-to-door transportation, adult day services, case management, senior and caregiver counseling,...
As a graduating senior and assistant at an Alaska assisted living facility, I wanted to look at how COVID-19 impacted long term care residents. With careful attention to confidentiality agreements, and proper respect to resident’s privacy, I conducted a short, anonymous informal survey among the residents at the facility in Southcentral Alaska. Background on long term care residents and their caretakers In 2019, a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) article reported that 46% of caretakers working in long term care homes missed a...
Back in August of 1989, Wasilla seniors got together and planned their first Miles for Meals on Wheels 5K. The event was successfully carried out on June 2, 1990 and raised a little over $5,000. There have been many changes over the past 31 years, but the Miles for Meals Fun Run, Walk & Roll 5K continues to be the largest fundraiser of the year for Wasilla Area Seniors Inc. (WASI). Due to lingering concerns about group events, WASI will host this year's 5K both in-person and virtually, in your...
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has received funding to digitize a major collection of audio recordings that include a trove of interviews with notable elders, clan leaders and other Native people that date back more than 35 years. The collection includes hundreds of recordings made for the award-winning public radio program Southeast Native Radio, which was broadcast by KTOO-FM in Juneau from 1985 to 2001. The recordings document Native history and action taken by Native elders, leaders and other people, and the hosts asked hard-hitting...
Congratulations to Gordon Glaser, who was announced in May as the winner of this year’s Ron Hammett Award for outstanding service to seniors in the Anchorage community. Gordon was scheduled to be presented the award at the Older Americans Month kick-off event May 26 at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Gordon has served on the Anchorage Senior Activity Center’s board of directors since 2011, six years of which as board president. He also serves on the Alaska Commission on Aging, currently as its board chair, and on the state’s Pione...
Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Libraries provides monthly delivery service to borough residents who are homebound or unable to access the library due to age or disability. Staff is happy to deliver hand-selected materials or specific requests. Materials include books (regular or large print), audiobooks, DVDs, music CDs, puzzles. The Bookmobile is remaining at the Noel Wein library for the time being as the curbside pickup point, and library staff are handling deliveries, including to outlying areas like Haystack, Goldstream, Ester,...
As a retired Alaskan, I depend on quality health care from knowledgeable professionals. The health care workers I see regularly are people I know and have come to trust with my care. Alaska has a stringent set of standards when it comes to nurse licensing and robust continuing education requirements. It makes sense; we have a diverse population, both ethnically and geographically, and our aging population is growing as more and more people decide to make Alaska their retirement destination. Alaska depends on these highly trained professionals t...
Like flowers in spring, senior centers across the state of Alaska are beginning to open up again. Most have been closed since March 2020, a time we collectively remember as the end of "normal" life. "Today, a woman came to the center that I had not seen in a year," Marlene Munsell, Assistant Executive Director of Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc. (WASI), said in April. "As more people are vaccinated and feeling comfortable, we expect to see more people return to the center." Senior centers statewide...
Aging at Home Fairbanks, along with almost all other organizations, has learned a lot in the last year. Becoming familiar with Zoom and creating social and educational events in this flat format instead of in person has been challenging, but we've discovered the benefits also. Aging at Home Fairbanks is a membership organization associated with the North Star Council on Aging Senior Center in Fairbanks and the nationwide Village to Village Network. The goal of the organization is to assist...
AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center continues its series of “Age Smart – Let’s Talk” forums on May 11, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Events are currently held virtually on the internet, using Zoom. Have you ever wondered about Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs)? What do they do? How do you access one if a need arises? Join us May 11 to learn more about these valuable organizations. Alaska’s ADRCs connect seniors, people with disabilities, and caregivers with long-term services and supports...
As a retired Alaskan, I depend on quality health care from knowledgeable professionals. The health care workers I see regularly are people I know and have come to trust with my care. Alaska has a stringent set of standards when it comes to nurse licensing and robust continuing education requirements. It makes sense; we have a diverse population, both ethnically and geographically, and our aging population is growing as more and more people decide to make Alaska their retirement destination. Alaska depends on these highly trained professionals t...
The Mat-Su Health Foundation is working to develop a vibrant, mixed-use Community Health Campus on land it owns surrounding Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and is seeking input from the public about the project. Mat-Su residents are encouraged to complete the Mat-Su Community Health Campus Project Survey now through April 4, 2021, at www.matsucommunityhealthcampus.org. Surveys will be accepted after that date as well. Mat-Su Health Foundation contracted with HDR, Inc. to create a master plan that will help provide a long-range vision for how...
Remember when ice cream only cost a quarter? These days, 25 cents won’t buy much, but for less than one dollar, voters can still support some of the most popular facilities at the heart of our community. This spring, we have an opportunity to give back to our community and invest in three municipal facilities that are vital to our daily lives. When you get your ballot in the mail this month, look for Proposition 2, the Facilities Capital Improvements for Anchorage and Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Centers and Loussac Library Bond. It’s a sma...
The Alaska Alliance for Retired Americans (AKARA) was organized by a group of retired Alaskan workers in the fall of 2017. The group is affiliated with the Alliance for Retired Americans, a nationwide grassroots organization, launched in 2001. ARA now has more than 4.4 million members working together to make their voices heard in the laws, policies, politics and institutions that shape American life. For 20 years, ARA has mobilized retired union members, seniors and community activists into a movement advocating a political and social agenda...
Friends of Seniors, Catholic Community Service (CCS) Juneau's latest volunteer program, addresses gaps in community care. The program matches senior participants age 60 and older with local volunteers to assist with non-medical, advocacy and daily support care. Friends of Seniors supports seniors with a variety of needs, and the only requirement is the age limit: anyone needing support can participate. Before the COVID-19 pandemic settled in last March, Jennifer Carson, Director of Home and...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formerly known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, Inc., is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, the monthly event is being continued virtually online via Zoom. The March meeting is March 10, hosted by Assistive Technology of Alaska (ATLA). Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older...
Before Alaska International Senior Games Athlete Carol Johnson even had a bicycle, her ten-year old adventurous self was drawn to biking, learning from her grade school friends on their bikes. Fast forward 60-plus years to an April spring day in 2020. Carol was on one of her regular outings riding around Fairbanks when she noticed her bike skipping gears, so she stopped by the local bike shop. While checking it in for service, she remembered a conversation she had in 2019 with another cyclist...
If I could go back in time, what advice would I offer my 21-year-old self? There are obvious things: Save more. Don’t buy that impractical convertible. Wear better shoes (your future feet will thank you). Other coulda-shoulda-wouldas: Write down the dates on the back of your photo prints as soon as you get them developed. Learn a second language. Sing more. And there are deeper lessons, learned the hard way: Don’t let friends slip out of touch. Be easier on yourself. Observe and celebrate the milestones, even when it’s a hassle. Especially when...
In March 2020, Alaska International Senior Games athlete Goldie Southwood made a decision that had a huge impact on her life. Goldie's big heart has led her to be an awesome volunteer in her North Pole community. However, she spent so much of her day helping others that she ignored herself and her health was declining. With COVID shutting her community down, Goldie was fighting depression. Using her time to think about herself for a change, she decided that her health was important to her. So sh...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will meet February 16 and 17 in Juneau. The focus of this meeting will be discussion of legislative priorities for Alaska seniors, sharing information from statewide senior service programs, and providing information about COVID-19 response. Meeting hours are Feb. 16, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Feb. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon. Public comment is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Call-in information and Zoom link will be posted on the ACoA website at http://dhss.alaska.gov/acoa/Pages/default.aspx Please...
AARP Alaska has appointed Madeline Holdorf, a lifetime community activist, to the top volunteer position in Alaska. As the new State President for Alaska, Holdorf will chair the AARP Alaska Executive Council, a volunteer leadership committee that helps set AARP's state agenda and programs for its 77,000 members and volunteers. "I am honored to accept this appointment and to advocate on behalf of Alaskans 50 and older," said Holdorf. "As a long-time AARP member and volunteer, I am committed to...
Municipality of Anchorage residents have another option for utility relief during the COVID-19 pandemic: The Anchorage Aging & Disability Resource Center’s (ADRC) Utility Assistance Program. Separate from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), also called the Heating Assistance Program (HAP), the Anchorage ADRC’s Utility Assistance Program works with Chugach Electric customers to cover one electric bill up to $500. While the Anchorage ADRC assists with the appli...
