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During the 1980 recession, Alaska lost over 20,000 jobs, most of which were in Anchorage, where a majority of the oil, construction and related services were located. The 2015 reduction in oil prices have resulted in over a $3 billion state budget deficit. This deficit means the State of Alaska will have less money to allocate to local municipalities and less money to fund a capital budget upon which local construction companies rely, creating economic instability. Already job losses in Anchorage for 2016 are estimated to be 2,000. Job losses f...
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 Interagency Breakfast, sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all of the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The April meeting is April 13, hosted by NeighborWorks. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group for the location and more information on these events or to be added to our e-mail reminder list,...
Editor's note: This is an expanded version of the story appearing in the April 2016 Senior Voice print edition. The next big health crisis is the battle over chronic care and long-term care. Patient advocates, policy experts and lawmakers call it the “silent crisis” – one that potentially will affect every American family: the inability to plan and pay for long-term care. Some modest bipartisan cooperation to find a solution is emerging, despite it being a contentious election year. A bipartisan group of senators are trying to find actua...
A new service has been launched that will provide assistance to Alaskans seeking to use their wealth to make positive change. Alaska Philanthropy Advisors, led by established nonprofit leader Dennis McMillian, will fill a need that individuals, companies or families often have, which is help in defining and articulating philanthropy goals, identifying partners or grantees, and investing in programs that achieve the donor’s desired impact. According to Rasmuson Foundation President and CEO Diane Kaplan, a philanthropy advisor works with i...
“Pay it forward” is part of my educational philosophy. When we were children in public schools people around us paid taxes to educate us. Our parents and neighbors volunteered in schools, served on the PTA and voted. They voted for school bonds and for leaders who valued education. Now it’s our turn, particularly as we consider the status of our schools. The Anchorage School District’s report card reveals that more than half of our students fail to achieve a full year’s growth academically. Compared to 50 school districts that match us in siz...
Keep track of bills, budget decisions and other issues by attending the Alaska Commission on Aging Legislative Teleconferences. Hosted by local agencies statewide, the teleconferences provide a convenient forum for seniors and advocates across Alaska to share information about issues and specific bills of concern. Teleconferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Thursadays, April 7, 14 and 21 For host site locations, and a list of bills being discussed, visit the commission’s Web site at www.alaskaaging.org Or call 907-465-3250 for more i...
With the state anxiously seeking ways to cut costs, one idea being discussed is privatizing its Pioneer Home assisted living facilities. The state recently took another step in exploring this possibility, and issued a request for letters of interest for potential privatization of the six Pioneer Homes. “We’re in a horrible financial situation,” said Vickie Wilson, director of the Alaska Pioneer Homes, Division of Health and Social Services. “The legislature is asking us to consider what’s out there for privatization. All 24-hour facilities owne...
Alaska seniors age 65 and older can receive a tax exemption on the first $150,000 of the value of their home, thanks to the state-mandated Senior and Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemption. Different municipalities around the state have different deadlines to apply. Some communities offer more generous exemptions. To qualify, all applicants must have turned 65 on or before Dec. 31, 2015, and must own and occupy the exempted property as their primary residence. The Anchorage Municipality application deadline is March 15. Applications are...
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 Interagency Breakfast, sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all of the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The March meeting is March 9, hosted by McKinley Services. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group for the location and more information on these events or to be added to our e-mail reminder list,...
With tax season in full swing, the Better Business Bureau Northwest warns of new twists on tax scams hammering local consumers. According to the BBB Scam Tracker, tax scams ranked at the top nationally in 2015 with more than 2,000 reports out of 10,000 reported. The Internal Revenue Service says consumers lost more than $23 million over the past three years to impostors posing as federal agents tricking victims into making false tax payments. The Better Business Bureau reminds consumers to be wary of unsolicited phone calls, emails or letters...
Editor’s note: The ACOs discussed in this national story have not reached Alaska, but the emphasis on outcomes for patients and reimbursing for coordinated care will become increasingly relevant to the health care system as a whole. Big changes are coming for most seniors as the Obama administration aggressively pushes to change the way doctors are paid – moving from tying their fees for every service provided to payments based on the quality of the care patients receive. This means a big expansion in an effort by Medicare to keep seniors hea...
The 15th Annual Full Lives Conference takes place March 30-31 at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. The conference features national and Alaskan experts on key issues that affect direct service professionals and the people they support, including but not limited to: developmental disabilities; behavioral health/mental illness; chronic alcoholism and other substance abuse; traumatic brain injuries; FASD; and Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related dementia. Attendees choose sessions based on their personal and professional interests. E...
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. Teleconferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thursday and weekly during the last month of session. The remaining 2016 meeting dates are March 10 and 24; April 7, 14 and...
As the 2016 presidential primaries and the nomination fights move to the political front burner, a look at the health care and Medicare policies of the candidates raises questions of how far the candidates and their parties want to go in pushing for changes. Republican presidential candidates are sharply divided over whether to seek drastic changes to Medicare, Social Security and other entitlement funds at the same time as Congressional Republicans continue to push repealing Obamacare. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is...
Ketchikan Pioneer Home’s administrative director, Julie Sande, has been around the home long enough to see various rate increases. Sande was a social worker when the first big rate increase was implemented, when residents went from paying $700 a month to $1,500 a month. “It was a tremendous jump and was very painful,” Sande says. “There was a lot of pride involved with the residents being on a fixed income and expecting set projected prices.” The state’s six Pioneer Homes serve over 400 Alaska seniors, according to the Division of Alaska Pion...
Members of the Alaska Commission on Aging will gather in Juneau, Feb. 8-11, for the quarterly commission meeting and to pay visits to legislators in the state Capitol. The commission meeting will be held in the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation Building (Goldbelt Building), Suite 302 in the Hugh Malone Conference Rm. Hours for the regular meeting sessions are: Feb. 8 from 3 to 5 p.m.; Feb. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a lunch break at noon (lunching at the Juneau Senior Center is encouraged). There will be a public comment period from 11...
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. Teleconferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thursday and weekly during the last month of session. The remaining 2016 meeting dates are February 11 and 25; March 10 and...
You may file for your 2016 Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend today. If you choose, you can designate a portion of your PFD to support non-profit organizations in Alaska who are eligible for the Pick.Click.Give. program. This year, Older Persons Action Group is eligible and will appreciate all Pick.Click.Give. donations, which will help us continue our programs, including publication of Senior Voice and the Directory for Older Alaskans, free Medicare counseling, free educational forums and more. Visit https://pfd.alaska.gov/ to file online....
VetVillageAK is a win-win, as reported in the December 2015 edition of Senior Voice. Now it’s crunch time for Alaska’s homeless veterans and civilians; urban and rural; frequently homeless through no fault of their own. VetVillageAK can start construction in the fall of 2016 if the legislature appropriates $7.8 million in Capital funds and $0.6 million in Operating funds. And if Governor Bill Walker then approves those funds when he signs the budget. The governor and all 60 legislators need to hear that this is a project they should sup...
February marks the opening of TaxAide sites around Alaska. The AARP Foundation TaxAide program is designed to prepare basic tax returns for most low and middle income taxpayers, with an emphasis on seniors and disabled taxpayers. Sites are staffed by volunteers who are trained and certified by Internal Revenue Service and AARP Foundation instructors to prepare basic tax returns. By using AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, these taxpayers also avoid tax preparation fees and pitches for high-interest tax credit or refund loans. And the service is free....
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 Interagency Breakfast, sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all of the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The February meeting is Feb. 10, hosted by Older Persons Action Group, Inc. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group for the location and more information on these events or to be added to our e-mail...
A new law signed by President Obama will help shield some 17 million Americans from steep premium hikes. But many will continue to see changes in the amounts they pay for Medicare next year. About 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries were facing a 52 percent increase in their Medicare Part B medical insurance premiums and deductible in 2016. But Congress and the Obama Administration worked out an agreement so beneficiaries will pay about $119 per month instead of $159.30 for Part B. The remaining 70 percent of Medicare beneficiaries will contin...
What do you do when you need an extra hand for a household chore and neighbors, friends or kids aren't available to help? In Fairbanks, there's a new organization for older adults that can be the answer. Aging at Home Fairbanks (AAH Fairbanks) has launched this month after a year of preparation, as part of the national Village movement. Susan Poor, co-chair of the board of Village to Village Network, spoke about the national movement at the Fairbanks kickoff event in November. In 2005, the NY...
A Pennsylvania consumer reported on BBB’s Scam Tracker, “I paid $700 for a kitten that does not exist. My kid is devastated because she was waiting for a kitten to be delivered to our house today.” Another consumer wrote, “All we wanted was a puppy to help us get over the deaths of our beloved pets.” Consumers should be careful when searching for their new furry family member online, which has become the new marketplace for adopting pets. Online ads usually show photos of adorable puppies or kittens to be re-homed, sold at a low price or offere...
