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This article is a follow-up to the Feb. 2020 edition story “Pioneer Home residents file lawsuit over rate increases.” On Nov. 4, 2019, a lawsuit was filed against Alaska Pioneer Homes Director Clinton Lasley, Commissioner of the Dept. of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Adam Crum, Alaska State Governor Michael J. Dunleavy and the State of Alaska on behalf of Alaska Pioneer Home residents Eileen Casey of Ketchikan, Marion and Howard Rider of Juneau and all Pioneer Home residents. The lawsuit is in response to the state’s recent decision to im...
Part three of three. What are the big issues that create uncertainty, havoc, even tragedy in the lives of Alaska seniors? In the course of building the Alaska State Plan for Senior Services FY2020 –2023, thousands of Alaska seniors were engaged in conversations that revealed their answers. Here is a selection of some of those issues and strategies, along with major organizations tasked to address them during the period of the latest plan, 2020 – 2023. But first, a smattering of background. Part one of this series (Senior Voice, December 2019) p...
Dear Savvy Senior: Can you offer some tips to help seniors guard against census scams? With the 2020 Census gearing up, I’ve read that there are a lot of potential scammers out there looking to take advantage of older people and I want to protect myself. – Cautious Judy Dear Judy: Unfortunately, scams have become a persistent problem when the U.S. Census Bureau does its once-a-decade count of the U.S. population. Here’s what you can expect from the 2020 Census in the coming weeks, and how you can protect yourself from potential scams. What...
“Amblin’ for Alzheimer’s,” the perennial blockbuster fundraising event for Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, returns this year on May 2 at the Anchorage Golf Course. Sal’s New York Grill will be back to make breakfast burritos. Registration is different this year, but the fees remain the same: Adults $25, Students/Military $20, Children/Seniors $15 ($5 more on the day of the event). Here’s the registration link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/alzheimer-s-resource-of-alaska/2020-amblin-for-alzheimer-s. On the right side of that page you...
Do you know an outstanding individual whose service, dedication and leadership have had a significant impact on the quality of life for seniors in Anchorage? The Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission is looking for someone just like that. The commission is actively seeking nominations for the Annual Ron Hammett Award for community service, to be presented at the Older Americans Month Kick Off Event in Anchorage in May. Nominees for this honor must meet the following criteria: Nominees must be an Anchorage resident. Nomination may be...
Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by attending or listening in to 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. Teleconferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thursday and weekly during the last month of...
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, with breakfast provided. The March meeting is March 11, hosted by Procare. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on these events or to...
Tax season is approaching, and we have made replacing your annual Benefit Statement easier. The Benefit Statement, also known as the SSA-1099 or the SSA-1042S, is a tax form we mail each year in January to people who receive Social Security benefits. It shows the total amount of benefits you received from us in the previous year so you know how much Social Security income to report to the IRS on your tax return. If you live in the United States and you need a replacement form SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S, simply go online and get an instant,...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in March: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (March 10 and 24), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (March 4 and 18), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (March 5, 12, 19 and 26), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can cal...
“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. 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. This month’s topic is “Let’s Make 2020 Count for Alaska!,” presented by Keisha Lafayette, U.S. Census Bureau Partnership Specialist based in the Mat-Su Borough. The decennial census has been conducted in years ending in “0” since 1790, as required by the U.S. Constitution. Article I, Section 2. Census data is used to make decisi...
Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by attending or listening in to the Alaska Commission on Aging Legislative Teleconferences. Hosted by local agencies statewide, and 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. Teleconferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thurs...
On Nov. 4, 2019, a lawsuit was filed against Alaska Pioneer Homes Director Clinton Lasley, Commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Adam Crum, Alaska State Governor Michael J. Dunleavy and the State of Alaska on behalf of Alaska Pioneer Home residents Eileen Casey of Ketchikan, Marion and Howard Rider of Juneau and all Pioneer Home residents. The lawsuit is in response to the state’s recent decision to implement an extreme rate increase, a move that is considered a financial necessity by Lasley and other state o...
“No person should be forgotten.” – Anna Frank, Commissioner, Alaska Commission on Aging This is part two of a three-part report on the recently-released “Alaska State Plan for Senior Services FY2020 –2023.” The document is critically important for seniors in Alaska because it uniquely focuses on issues we care deeply about such as health, housing, financial security, personal safety, and quality of life. This month we focus on what elders and other seniors from around the state said in their discussions for the survey. “Seniors are our truth...
Alaska's vast geographic space dictates more than its beauty. In the case of the statewide Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) it determines access and the providing of services for Alaskans with disabilities and for seniors and caregivers seeking long term support in their community. From Cantwell to the south and Utqiagvik to the north, Galena to the west and Northway to the east, ADRC North operates out of Fairbanks Senior Center and strives to match individuals living in the...
More and more Americans are turning to dating websites and mobile apps in hopes of finding love and companionship. A Pew Research Center study revealed that nearly 60 percent of U.S. adults consider online dating a good way to meet people, and Match.com, one of the most popular dating sites, says people 50 and older represent its fastest-growing share of users. But seeking romantic bliss online can have a major downside: Cyberspace is full of scammers eager to take advantage of lonely hearts. The con works something like this: You post a...
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, with breakfast provided. The February meeting is February 12, hosted by the Loussac Library. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on...
March 16, 2020: An update statement from the Tax-Aide program: In order to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 AARP Tax-Aide has made the decision to close all of their volunteer sites, effective today. This was a nationwide decision. All volunteer sites in Anchorage are Tax-Aide sites. Taxpayers who needed to return to the site with more information will be contacted by volunteers so that arrangements can be made to complete their returns. The VITA program at UAF is also closed, as the campus has closed to public activities. Currently, the Tl...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will meet February 10-13 in Juneau. The focus of this meeting will be legislative advocacy for Alaska seniors and receiving updates regarding senior programs throughout the state. During the presentations, commissioners and attendees will hear about senior suicide prevention, veteran’s supports, Health and Social Services programs and much more. Public comment is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Please free to call in to listen to the meeting discussion and provide public comment using the c...
I almost trained as a scientist, but feared I wouldn’t be able to locate the sweet spot in how to spend my workday. I love the outdoors too much to spend days in a windowless lab, and I’m too wimpy to spend weeks on end camping in a rainy jungle, broiling desert, or roiling sea. I’m in luck nonetheless, because the era of citizen science is here. This is fortunate for those of us who have scientist-envy, and possibly for America’s pocketbook. Citizen science is scientific work undertaken by non-scientists, often in collaboration with scienti...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in February: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Feb. 11 and 25), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Feb. 5 and 19), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can cal...
Part one of a three-part series. In my experience you have not been able to find a book or even a website in the state of Alaska that comprehensively lays out the concerns, aspirations and plans for the future of Alaska seniors — but now you can. It is an extraordinary treasure trove of current information about seniors in Alaska. The document has the somewhat bureaucratic title “Alaska State Plan for Senior Services FY2020 –2023,” but don’t let that fool you. Much of it is very personal, at the center of our lives and the wellbeing of our lo...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Jan. 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. This month’s topic is “Stand Up to Falls,” presented by Margy Hughes, Injury Prevention Specialist with Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Alaska Div. of Public Health. Falls are the leading cause of injury and the leading cause of death for Alaskans age 65 and older. Programs are in place to help medical pro...
It seems that whatever you do these days, you need to constantly be wary of scams and fraud—whether writing a check, shopping online, checking emails and social media, even answering your cell phone. If this is unnerving for you, imagine the confusion that a senior friend or relative may be experiencing. Scammers prey on vulnerable adults: they are targeted not only because they may have assets, but they may be lonely and welcome the phone calls and attention. There may also be cognitive problems which can cause confusion – something the sca...
Each new year is sure to bring changes and Medicare is no different. Here are some changes that you will want to know about. New Medicare cards. Medicare began mailing the new Medicare cards to beneficiaries in April 2018. Up until Dec. 31 of 2019, you could use either your old, Social Security number based card or the new card, which has an 11 character, alpha-numeric identification that is random and yet unique to each beneficiary. As of Jan. 1, 2020, only your new card can be used. So pull...
Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by attending the Alaska Commission on Aging Legislative Teleconferences. Hosted by local agencies statewide, and 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. Teleconferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thursday and weekly duri...
