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In August of 1969, the Alaska Children's Zoo opened its doors with a baby Asian elephant, a seal, black bear, fox, goats and a few other animals. At the time, zoo founder Sammye Seawell envisioned a place where the public could come to learn about animals who were taken in because they needed homes. Over the years, generations of Alaskans brought their kids to the zoo and those kids grew up to bring their kids. While the look of the zoo has changed and the animal collection has grown, the...
Fall is back to school time, with educational programs for older adults kicking off their fall semesters. Here is an overview of the OLE and OLLI programs’ offerings. OLÉ! Anchorage OLÉ, which stands for Opportunities for Lifelong Education, is raring to go after a summer off with classes both online and – on Fridays – in person. Whether you want to learn about invasive plants in Alaska, films from storytellers around the globe, seabirds and shorebirds, Antarctica or electric vehicles, OLÉ has classes! Online classes through Zoom take place Tu...
Preservation Alaska, also known as the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation (AAHP), seeks nominations for its 14th Annual Historic Preservation Award. This award honors excellence in historic preservation throughout Alaska by recognizing a project, organization, agency or individual exemplifying the highest standards in Alaska preservation in different categories: Lifetime Achievement, Adaptive Use, Stabilization, Renovation and Restoration Projects; and the Stewardship Award for property owners, organizations, firms, governmental...
Anchorage Genealogical Society holds its fall seminar Oct. 2, virtually via Zoom this year. The seminar will be led by Lisa Alzo, a freelance writer, instructor and internationally recognized lecturer specializing in Slovak/Eastern European genealogical research, writing family histories, and using the internet to trace female and immigrant ancestors. She is the author of nine books and numerous magazine articles. Seminar sessions will include “10 Ways to Jump Start your Eastern European Research”; “Immigrant Cluster Communities: Past, Prese...
There’s still time to grab and use this year’s Senior Farmer’s Market coupon booklet, distributed through local senior centers and other agencies. Each booklet includes five coupons valued at $7 each, which can be used to buy fresh produce and other items at local farmer’s markets, authorized roadside stands and other select locations. Applicants must be at least 60 years old and meet low-income eligibility guidelines. Links to the online application and a list of where to get the booklets are at the state’s Dept. of Health and Social Se...
This story has been updated to correct errors in the earlier version. Since its inception 47 years ago, Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA) has seen the state's elderly population skyrocket. According to CIHA statistics, in 1990, Alaska's overall population stood at 550,000 and the state's median age was 29. Approximately 6 percent of the state's population was over age 60 at the time. Of those, about 1,200 Alaskans were over the age of 85. Some 47 years later, the state population now stands...
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new order temporarily halting evictions in areas with heightened levels of community transmission of COVID-19. The order makes it illegal to evict any individual who qualifies, and allows tenants to stay in their housing through Oct. 3, 2021. Meanwhile, state of Alaska officials are still determining the specifics of this new order. The most current guidelines are numbered below. Go to https://www.alaskahousingrelief.org/renters/eviction-guidance for updated information. Eligibility...
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 currently meets virtually online via Zoom. The August meeting is Aug. 11, hosted by the Stone Soup Group. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group,...
Since 2014, I've enjoyed working each Wednesday and Thursday morning in the Flower Department in the Barn at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer. Wednesdays I fill the "vase" bottles with water and help exhibitors with their entries and Thursdays I'm one of the judges' helpers. For this volunteer work, I receive a free ticket for myself and one extra for each of those four days, as well as parking passes. But, after working my volunteer shift I'm usually too tired to take in many fair activities....
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has digitized and posted online video of its third Celebration, a dance-and-culture festival first held in 1982 that has grown into the world’s largest gathering of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people. The entire event, which was documented in 1986 on now-obsolete video tapes, is viewable on SHI’s YouTube channel for the first time. Go to the link https://bit.ly/2WmPAl0. Celebration 1986, held in Juneau November 20-22, featured dance performances from 19 different groups, speeches by prominent Elders and...
AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center resume the “Age Smart – Let’s Talk” forums this month on Aug. 10, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Events are currently held virtually on the internet, using Zoom. This month’s topic focuses on the impact of music on brain health. Music is all around us. Learn how it can benefit us by decreasing depression, lowering blood pressure, reducing chronic pain, elevating mood and much more, with presenter Ann Farris, Education Specialist at Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska. The...
A strong and growing labor movement is good for workers and for all Americans. The labor movement has been and continues to be the leading force in the fight to strengthen Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, ensuring a measure of retirement security for all Americans. Our country, our democracy, and our people benefit when workers have a strong voice at work and are able to join together to build a more secure future for their families and their communities. Union jobs often come with negotiated defined benefit pensions which ensure...
I’ve had a front-row seat to the growing senior care crisis in Alaska, and I am worried. I’m worried about our seniors not getting the care they need, and I’m worried about professional caregivers leaving this field or Alaska to find better jobs elsewhere. I’ve proudly served as a professional home care provider to help Alaskans age at home safely for almost a decade. Caregiving is a valuable and rewarding job. Over the years, severe cuts to Medicaid services and care hours undermined the ability of professional caregivers to provide the car...
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 currently meets virtually online via Zoom. The July meeting is July 14, hosted by the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons...
Aging surely has its challenges and one is keeping up your physical health as your body slowly deteriorates. Add an injury or major operation and the road to recovery may be too hard to meet – especially for those who spent a lifetime in competitive sports because they can no longer function at the high level they once could. Some seniors have found a low impact activity that allows them to bounce around a court and smash the heck out of a perforated ball with a ping pong paddle. That's p...
Alaska International Senior Games bowlers Phil and Lois Heine continue to encourage each other to expand their activities. This past year the Fairbanks couple have stepped up their personal geocaching challenge, which sends them out of the house exploring and creating new adventures. Some of you may be wondering, what is geocaching? Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt. Founded in 2000, there are now over 3 million geocaches in 191 countries on all seven continents. GPS coordinates are...
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,...
