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The Alaska Commission on Aging is holding senior and elder listening forums in upcoming weeks, beginning in Anchorage and Palmer. Events will be open to seniors, family members, providers and all public members who are interested in issues concerning aging in Alaska.. These findings will be used to develop the new Alaska State Plan for Senior Services, FY2020-FY2023. The listening sessions will identify the top issues, concerns and needs of the senior population 60 years of age and older. Discussion topics to include: Long-term support...
In life, death at some point is inevitable. While most accept that, many wonder, “Will it be comfortable?” When I was young I would say, “I hope I die in my sleep.” But later as an adult, I found that I no longer needed to settle for simply hoping that I die comfortably. In 1991, the Patient Self-Determination Act established for individuals the opportunity to at least make legal, mitigating plans that will improve our own odds that we won’t die a prolonged, painful, and very expensive death, one that would traumatize us and those who care...
Editor’s note: This press release was received April 10, 2018. As the federal government undertakes a major initiative to issue new identification cards to the Medicare beneficiaries in Alaska and nationwide, an AARP survey finds that a majority of those enrollees are at risk of being victimized by fraud schemes designed to capitalize on the card replacement program. In response, AARP Alaska is participating in an education campaign to raise awareness among consumers about Medicare Card scams. The year-long national effort to mail new Medicare...
Lawmakers defend the federal budget, passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump at the end of March, by repeating a quotation attributed to Otto von Bismarck: "If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made." In other words, the legislative process can be messy and extremely unappetizing, but it usually produces results. This budget bill to fund the government through Sept. 30, 2018, will be remembered as much for what's not in it as for what is. (An extensive list of wins and woes for seniors appears...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Tuesday, May 1, 2018. The meeting will be held via videoconference and teleconference, available at sites listed below, or statewide via toll-free telephone. The meeting takes place 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., and public comment is scheduled from 11 to 11:15 a.m. For more information, call the Alaska Commission on Aging office at 465-3250. Videoconference sites Anchorage Senior and Disabilities Services, 550 West 8th Ave., Room 323. 269-3666 Fairbanks Senior and Disabilities Services, 751...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formally known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The May meeting is May 9, hosted by the Anchorage Aging and Disability Resource Center. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc., publisher of Senior Voice and the Directory for Older Alaskans, will hold a fundraiser art auction May 8 at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, 1300 E. 19th Ave. The event will feature artwork and other items donated to OPAG over the years, including paintings, prints, fur coats, collectibles and some antiques, such as clocks. The format will be silent auction, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. For more information, call 1-800-478-1059 toll-free statewide, or...
Since the start of the new year, Better Business Bureau Northwest & Pacific has seen an uptick in customers searching for general contractors to help spruce up their homes. BBB has received more than 72,000 local inquiries to general contractors since January—that’s up nearly 4,000 from last year. Locally there were more than 3,000 searches in Anchorage. Unfortunately, scammers are hoping to capitalize on this interest by finding ways to con consumers and contractors out of money. In 2017, there were nearly 350 home improvement scams rep...
Prisons in the United States contain an ever growing number of aging men and women who cannot readily climb stairs, haul themselves to the top bunk, or walk long distances to meals or the pill line; whose old bones suffer from thin mattresses and winter’s cold; who need wheelchairs, walkers, canes, portable oxygen, and hearing aids; who cannot get dressed, go to the bathroom, or bathe without help; and who are incontinent, forgetful, suffering chronic illnesses, extremely ill, and dying. [Human Rights Watch, Old Behind Bars, 2012] Elderly i...
Recently I needed some medical records sent from my previous doctor to a new specialist. I was stunned when this thoroughly modern medical practice told me the only way they could send them quickly was with a fax machine. When was the last time you used a fax machine? 1990s technology in 2018? Efforts to develop a standardized electronic health record (EHR) system to make it easier for the sharing of your medical records between doctors have been planned since that fax machine was the latest technology invention, but only with limited success....
The Anchorage Senior Activity Center has joined the National Council on Aging’s (NCOA) network dedicated to helping people with Medicare improve their financial outlook by enrolling in programs to help them afford health care, prescriptions, food and more. Nationally, half of all people with Medicare live on incomes less than $26,200 per year, and they often lack the resources needed to meet basic living expenses. Federal, state and local programs exist to help these individuals, but many people do not know how to apply for assistance. The Anch...
Want to secure your future? Start with AARP’s Medicare and retirement workshops around the state this spring. Free and open to the public. Attend any or all sessions offered within each workshop. April 13 and 14, Wasilla at Grand View Hotel, 2900 E. Parks Hwy. April 27 and 28, Juneau at Centennial Hall, 101 Egan Dr. May 11 and 12, Fairbanks at Westmark Fairbanks Hotel & Conference Center, 813 Noble St. Two identical Medicare workshops, “Get Ready for Medicare,” will be offered on Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 to 11 a.m. at all l...
April 10: This story has been updated to reflect a change in the teleconference schedule. April 12 has been cancelled, and an additional Thursday added for April 26. Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by 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...
Anchorage Genealogical Society’s (AGS) Annual Spring Seminar will be held at Changepoint Church in Anchorage on April 21, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. “Genealogy and DNA testing are hot topics right now,” said Barbara Burg, event coordinator for AGS. “We have access to over one million tests now. It’s important for older people to take these tests because the more tests you have in the family, the better data you have.” Sessions will be led by nationally-known speaker, Diahan Southard of “Your DNA Guide,” and will cover topics such as understanding a...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in April: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (April 10 and 24), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (April 4 and 18), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (April 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...
HB 236, the House bill seeking to extend the sunset date for the Alaska Senior Benefits Program, was approved by the House of Representatives 35-1 on Feb. 7 and is currently waiting to be reviewed by the Senate Finance Committee. The program supports nearly 11,400 seniors statewide, according to a figure from the Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA), but without an extension of the sunset clause will end on July 1, 2018. In the January 2018 issue of Senior Voice, Denise Daniello, Executive Director of the ACoA, stated the importance of advocacy...
Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by 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, Senior Benefits program, state budget and funding, senior assistance, retirement, Pioneer Homes and more. Teleconferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m....
The frenetic pandemonium of Donald Trump’s first year as president has overshadowed his administration’s efforts through executive orders and regulation changes to reshape American life. Stymied by his failure to win congressional approval for most of his big-ticket campaign promises like a border wall with Mexico or the total repeal of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare reform, Trump has turned to administrative action for his successes. As he learned with the tax cuts, working with Congress on legislation often takes time. But a...
The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) will meet February 5-9 in Juneau for a face to-face board meeting that will include meetings with legislators and their staff as well as visits to rural communities in Southeast Alaska. In addition, the commission is hosting the “Partnering in Advocacy for Alaska Seniors” as a special joint advocacy meeting bringing in representatives from various senior advocacy organizations including AgeNet, the Pioneer Home Advisory Board, and AARP Alaska. This unique event, scheduled for the morning of Feb. 6, will off...
Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by 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 Thursday and...
Imagine you are driving down an empty two-lane highway somewhere in Alaska. It is cold and very windy. You see something ahead. It is a car nosed over into the ditch, flashers on. A person in obvious distress is standing beside the car waving you down. Do you stop to help? You do because this is the unwritten code of the Alaskan traveler. We stop to help people who need assistance. This sentiment is so strong among Alaskan residents that it is enshrined in the State Constitution as a fundamental duty of our elected representatives. Section 4...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage 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, is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The February meeting is Feb. 14, hosted by Elder Law attorney Ilona Bessenyey. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on these...
There’s little doubt that one of the toughest things about growing older is a loss of independence. The relinquishment of responsibility for one’s own actions can be the source of disagreement and angst among families, especially when driving comes up. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 40 million licensed drivers in the United States are over age 65, and while seniors in many respects are very safe drivers, wearing seat belts, following traffic rules and the like, there is no denying that aging does affect ability. Be it thr...
Dear Savvy Senior: What can you tell me about online dating for baby boomers? I’m 57 and recently divorced, and would like to find a new friend to spend time with. Lonely Linda Dear Linda: Whether you’re interested in dating again or just looking for a friend to spend time with, online dating sites have become a very popular and effective way for baby boomers to meet new single people. Making new friends can be challenging as we get older, which is why online dating sites are an excellent option for baby boomers. They provide an easy and con...
The Alaska VA has been selected to host the 2019 National Veterans Golden Age Games in Anchorage. “I look forward to rooting on all of our nation’s veterans competing in the Games next year,” said Senator Murkowski in an announcement via Facebook on Jan. 12. One of the premiere senior adaptive rehabilitation programs in the U.S., the National Veterans Golden Age Games is the only national multi-event sports and recreational seniors’ competition program designed to improve the quality of life for all older veterans, including those with a wide...
