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A couple of years ago we had a normal life. Since then, we’ve had a pandemic. No matter what our life was like then, it is now more isolated, more lonely, more expensive, more fearful. When do we get back to normal? I have wishful thinking, but that is a far cry from an informed discussion. For that, we’ll have to turn to some public health folks who do not offer hard and fast recipes to make a determination, but do offer some interesting ways to think about the question. Anne Zink, MD, is Chief Medical Officer for the Alaska Department of Hea...
The Alaska Legislature began the second of a two-year session on January 18, 2022, hitting the ground running since members were already seated in their committees and leadership positions (unlike the 2021 delay in getting organized into majority and minority caucuses). Bills introduced last session are still potentially in play, in addition to this year’s crop of bills, both pre-filed before session and introduced since the start. AARP Alaska advocacy staff and volunteers have spent the interim since last session watching and participating i...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Feb. 8, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Events are currently held virtually on the internet, using Zoom. This month’s presentation is “Intimacy As We Age.” How does intimacy change as we age? Do we ever outgrow this need? What happens if we end up alone? Where do we meet new people, especially during a pandemic? How do we keep ourselves safe from predators, especially in online relationships...
Senior Voice Staff Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by attending the Alaska Commission on Aging Legislative Teleconferences. Available by toll-free call-in, the teleconferences provide a convenient forum for seniors and advocates across Alaska to share information about issues and specific bills of concern, including Medicaid, state budget and funding, senior assistance, retirement, Pioneer Homes and more. Zoom conferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thursday and weekly during the last month...
Dear Savvy Senior: What is the IRS standard tax deduction for 2021? I didn’t file a tax return last tax year (2020) because I lost my job and my income in March due to COVID. But I got a part-time job in 2021 and am wondering if I made enough money that requires me to file this year. - Part-Time Retiree Dear Retiree: Whether or not you are required to file a federal income tax return this year depends not only on how much you earned last year (in 2021), but also the source of that income, as well as your age and your filing status. Here’s a r...
The Alaska Commission on Aging met with partners December 8 for a day long summit to discuss priorities for the upcoming year. Denali Daniels facilitated the meeting with Jordan Marshall providing support as well as his expertise about the ‘lay of the land’ for the upcoming legislative session. The morning session was dedicated to hearing from partners, but the main theme was consistent: Older Alaskans do better when they are able to remain in their homes and communities, but Alaska’s infrastructure to support seniors is lacking. The need...
Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by attending the Alaska Commission on Aging Legislative Teleconferences. Available by toll-free call-in, the teleconferences provide a convenient forum for seniors and advocates across Alaska to share information about issues and specific bills of concern, including Medicaid, state budget and funding, senior assistance, retirement, Pioneer Homes and more. Zoom conferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thursday and weekly during the last month of session. The 2022...
Editor’s note: This press release was received on Dec. 8, 2021. If the annual Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) did a better job of keeping pace with Medicare Part B premiums, benefits over the past decade would be 42 percent higher in 2022, according to a new analysis by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). “Medicare Part B premiums are the fastest growing cost that most older Americans face in retirement, but those costs aren’t fairly accounted for by the method used to adjust Social Security benefits for inflation,” says Ma...
I grouse about how my husband loses things, but he’s also a great finder. He uncovers his keys, his glasses, and his wallet nearly every week. Recently, though, he found a 25-year-old retirement account. It wouldn’t have changed our retirement, but any more money in the bank is nice as we check the last boxes for retirement. We began our final financial review with our online Social Security statements. We had checked them periodically, of course, but this time were a little more thoughtful. My husband remembered a small 401(k) his con...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Dec. 14, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Events are currently held virtually on the internet, using Zoom. This month’s presentation features the “Wish of a Lifetime” program, whose mission is to shift the way society views and values our oldest generations by fulfilling seniors’ dreams and sharing their stories to inspire those of all ages. The “Age Smart – Let’s Talk” series is a monthly forum on a topi...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc. (OPAG) held its annual membership meeting on Nov. 18 and the following board officers were elected: Dylan Webb, president; Gail Opalinski, vice president; Joan Haig, treasurer; Yvonne Chase, secretary. Other board members include Leonard T. Kelley, Sharon White-Wheeler (Emeritus), Robert Bracco, Pam Yeargan, Beth Goldstein, Hollis Mickey, Eileen Lally. Provider Breakfast, Dec. 8 Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area? Want to get the...
As a primary care doctor, I believe Alaskans must understand that a critical portion of our Medicare dollars is bleeding away into privately held corporations, which inherently value profits over people. Recently, Direct Contracting Entities (DCEs) have been tapping into the Medicare trust. This is money held in trust by the federal government, which in 2020 was valued at $937 billion. During the Trump administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) vowed to pass all Medicare “risk” to “management” plans. “Risk” in this ca...
Eighty years later, the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor remains significant as one of only a few times the United States has been attacked by a foreign adversary on its own soil. The tragedy of the attack came not only in the loss of over 2,400 lives, but also in how unprepared the U.S. was for it. Not that they can be much blamed ― a surprise attack from a nation over 4,000 miles away had been previously unthought of. While much has been said about the attack itself, here are some lesser-known facts and stories surrounding Pearl H...
Most holiday scams are just variations on scams we see year-round, but scammers will ramp up their efforts and tailor their fraud to holiday activities during this time of year. Online shopping Scammers target shoppers looking for bargains by creating fake websites (spoofing) and social media ads impersonating major retailers and brands. These sites will advertise products at bargain prices. You will never receive these products and in the meantime, the scammers now have your credit card information. To avoid these scams, look for...
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 5.9 percent in 2022, the Social Security Administration announced in October. The 5.9 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 64 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2022. Increased payments to approximately 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 30, 2021. (Note: Some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits). The Social Security Act ties the...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Nov. 9, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Events are currently held virtually on the internet, using Zoom. This month’s topic is: “Time for a Trip to the Brain Gym,” with presentation and discussion of the “Mind Aerobics” program offered by Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska. Mind Aerobics Project Director Ken Helander will describe how the program is a “systematic workout for the mind,” exercising six specific...
I am talking about the traditional pension, the kind of pension that allows you to retire with dignity. The kind of pension that pays a retirement income based on your salary and the number of years you’ve worked for the employer. This is known as a “defined benefit pension.” I am not talking about dodgy, relatively new-fangled retirement schemes such as 401(k)s, which are hardly more than savings accounts. On the one hand, a traditional pension is financially the most secure type of retirement. On the other hand, it is on its way to becoming t...
The transportation options this winter around Alaska are expanding and more user-friendly than ever before. Senior Voice will be looking at different transportation systems and schedules this winter. In Anchorage, People Mover is a division of the Municipality of Anchorage’s Public Transportation Department (PTD) and is the largest public transit provider in the State of Alaska. It connects the community with transportation options, emphasizing customer service while providing economic, social and environmental benefits. The first buses r...
Many of you for years have had your tax returns prepared by Jan Watson, AARP Foundation Tax Aide Anchorage coordinator. She was a familiar face at the AARP State Office and Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Jan took a well-deserved retirement this year and moved to the Lower 48. I was asked, and agreed, to fill her role. These will be big shoes to fill, and I am still on my learning curve. I have been with the program for eight years, and have prepared returns at most sites in Anchorage. I have coordinated the Spenard Recreation Center site...
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, 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 November meeting is Nov. 10, hosted by the Palliative Care Alaska Network. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on...
Get help through the Medicare maze from experts at the Alaska Medicare Information Office. Call to learn more about their “Medicare Monday” and other online trainings in October, which can be attended by phone or by webinar or Zoom. Call 907-269-3680 in Anchorage or toll-free statewide, 1-800-478-6065....
Did you know your spouse’s benefit amount could be up to 50% of your spouse’s full retirement age benefit amount? If you qualify for a retirement benefit from your own work history and a spouse’s record, we always pay your own benefit first. You cannot receive spouse’s benefits unless your spouse is receiving their retirement benefits (except for divorced spouses). If you receive your retirement benefit before your full retirement age, while waiting for your spouse to reach full retirement age, your own retirement portion will be reduced...
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, 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 October meeting is Oct. 13, hosted by attorney Constance Aschenbrenner. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on...
Starting on Oct. 24, 2021, the FCC has mandated all phone calls will require dialing the full 10-digit phone number, including area code. This means all Alaskans, regardless of their service provider, will need to dial 907 before seven-digit phone numbers, even when making a local phone call. Be sure to update your contacts, and reprogram any call forwarding to lead with “907” before Oct. 24....
Some folks think stock dividends are a measurement for how well or poorly a company is doing. That is false. Some folks think all companies pay dividends. That is false. Some folks think dividends are not taxable. That is usually false. Still, dividends remain an important factor in stock ownership. What are dividends? One simplistic explanation often heard is that when a corporation has a profitable year, they share the profit with shareholders, in the form of dividends. But that’s not true. For when a corporation has a less profitable year, t...
