Sorted by date Results 676 - 700 of 887
In 2013, RurAL CAP weatherized the home of Lucky and Amy Ivey in Anchorage. They received a new furnace, hot water heater, a sump pump, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, vent for their kitchen stove. Their attic, doors, windows and pipes were re-insulated. Their gutters were repaired, they received more energy efficient light bulbs. The Iveys estimate they saved about $140 per month on heating and electricity costs after their home was weatherized. Rhonda McBride of KTVA Channel 11 interviewe...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Oct. 13 and 27), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Oct. 7 and 21), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s southeast communities can call the Jun...
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 October meeting is October 14, hosted by Providence Hospice. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group for more information on these events or to be added to our e-mail reminder list, 2...
Editor’s note: Staying on top of breaking news can be challenging in a monthly newspaper. Here’s the most recent information available when this edition went to press. The Alaska Legislature announced Aug. 18 it will sue the governor to block Medicaid expansion, calling the decision the Legislature’s to make. Legislators also said they want more time to study the issue. Governor Walker has said he plans to expand Medicaid in September for two main reasons: 1) to meet the health care needs of Alaskans without coverage, and 2) to bring milli...
This year’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is set for September 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. nationwide. The DEA-sponsored program has collected hundreds of pounds of leftover medications from Alaskans alone since the program’s premier in 2010. “By 2014, we were collecting between 800 and 1,000 pounds a year,” says Jim Penor, Solid Waste Coordinator for Juneau Borough. However in 2014, the DEA declared that funding for the popular program would be cut. “We didn’t like that,” Penor says. “The program was doing so well that we decided to s...
The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) will hold a quarterly meeting September 15 and 17, 2015, in the Kenai area and in Girdwood. The meeting will start in the Soldotna Senior Center, September 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. and will continue on Sept. 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. in Girdwood at the Public Library Conference Room. Public comment is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, from 2:30 to 3 p.m. at the Soldotna Senior Center. You can provide public comment in person or by teleconference by calling 1-800-315-6338 using code 53250#. ACoA’s business m...
Heroin is killing Alaskan children and grandchildren at alarming rates, and unless we do something to address the problem now, it will only get worse. Heroin-related deaths in Alaska tripled between 2008 and 2013. In 2012, the rate of heroin overdose deaths was 42 percent higher than the national rate. Alaskans are no strangers to the heroin and opiate abuse crisis killing Alaskan’s children and grandchildren. We read reports weekly of heroin seizures, ruined lives, overdose deaths and grieving families. Recently, we read that heroin is t...
Typical estate planning techniques involve bequeathing wealth and valuables from one generation to the next. Many people, however, view wealth as something more than money and possessions. Their view is that some of the most valuable items one can pass on can not be measured financially. Wealth, for them, includes passing on guiding principles, blessings, spiritual beliefs, and family stories. If this is true for you, consider the benefits of writing an ethical will in addition to a traditional will of inheritance. Ethical wills have a long...
The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is resuming service in the Anchorage/Mat-Su region through the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. (APIAI). RSVP is one of the largest volunteer networks in the nation for people age 55 and older. In joining RSVP, you join 500,000 volunteers across the country who are tackling tough issues in their communities. When you volunteer, you are not just helping others – you are helping yourself. Volunteering leads to new discoveries and f...
The Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management invites Alaskans to join millions of people worldwide in the world’s largest earthquake drill by registering for the 2015 Great Alaska ShakeOut. Participating is a great way for your family or organization to be prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes. The Great Alaska ShakeOut Drill is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. on October 15, 2015. This means that wherever you are at that moment—at home, at work, at school, anywhere—you should “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” as...
The Elder Mentor Program – also known as Foster Grandparents – is looking for Alaska seniors who have a passion for working with children. Program Manager Jan Abbott says, “We have about 80 Elder Mentors currently, helping in schools across the state, but our goal is to have 150.” She adds that this goal is especially important as schools have reopened this September. Elder Mentors are people who are age 55 and older, from a lower income background. They volunteer about 15 to 20 hours a week in a local school or preschool, and earn a small, tax...
What are the realistic possibilities for fixing Alaska’s budget deficit? What will happen to government services like education? What happens to taxes, the Permanent Fund and the PFD? What about the economy and the real estate market? These are some of the questions and discussions that will be taken up at a free public forum, “Alaska’s Fiscal and Economic Future: Moving Our Conversation Forward,” to be held Sept. 19 at UAA’s Wendy Williamson Auditorium, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is being organized by Alaska Common Ground and UAA’s Ins...
Join hundreds of walkers to recognize those who have survived cardiovascular disease, remember those we have lost, celebrate our own pledges to live a healthy lifestyle and support a meaningful cause, Sept. 26 in Anchorage. Participation is free; donations welcome. The event takes place downtown on the Delaney Park Strip (near N Street). Registration begins at 9 a.m.; the Walk begins at 10. Other activities will include health checks, a concert with a live band, scavenger hunt, Kids Zone, more. Call the American Heart Association, 865-5300 or...
Doctors are different than you and I. They know how to die. They do not tell family and colleagues to do “everything you can” to save them. This may surprise you, but doctors often choose less end-of-life care for themselves than the average patient – an important lesson for seniors as they discuss end-of-life care decisions with family members. In July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which administers Medicare, announced it will change its longstanding policy and begin reimbursing doctors and other health professionals,...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Sept. 8 and 22), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Sept. 2 and 16), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Sept. 3, 10, 17 and 24), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s southeast communities can call the Jun...
Whose living are you paying for? Roughly 62 percent of people age 50 and up are providing financial support to family members, according to a study by Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Some are helping out with the needs of their elderly relatives, but for many, their adult children have moved home — or never left. Whether the support is a one-time need or ongoing over many years, the baby boomers who are shelling out money do so without realizing they’re putting their own retirement security at risk. After all, even people who earn plenty hav...
With the recent floods in Texas, Oklahoma and other states, consumers looking to purchase a used car—even in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska—should be wary. Scammers and unscrupulous car dealers often ship these damaged vehicles to other states to sell to unsuspecting buyers after natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) estimates up to 10,000 insured vehicles in Texas had water damage from the May 2015 floods. Flood-damaged vehicles that have been declared a total loss by an insurance com...
Millions of seniors are struggling to put food on the table, a dramatic spike in the problem, according to two new reports. Despite the recent uptick in the U.S. economy, an astonishingly large number of Americans – 9.6 million over the age of 60 – could not reliably buy or access food at least part of the year. That’s one in every six older men and women. And those numbers are much lower than the reality. Analysts say that large groups of seniors aren’t even being included in those numbers because it’s hard to reach them to find out they aren...
When families help each other out financially, who typically pays: Older family members supporting the younger ones, or vice-versa? Despite the growing wave of retiring Baby Boomers, it’s far more likely to be older Americans transferring cash to their adult children or grandchildren than the other way around, according to recent research by EBRI. EBRI’s analysis shows that a very small portion of older households receive transfers from their younger generations, while a much larger section of older households transfer money to their you...
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 August meeting is Aug. 12, hosted by Mountain-Pacific Quality Health at an off-site location. Begins at 8 a.m. For location information, please RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group at 276-1059....
The Alaska Commission on aging will holding a quarterly meeting in the Kenai area September 15 – 17. The primary focus of the meeting will be to visit service providers in the Kenai area to see what is working and what additional needs may be needed. On Tuesday, Sept. 15,the commission will meet at the Soldotna Senior Center from 1 to 5 p.m. The commissioners will listen to reports from the Dept. of Health and Social Services, Division of Senior and Disabilities Services, and Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, among others. There will be a p...
Results of a survey recently released by AARP Alaska highlight the level of caregiving Alaska families are performing for family members and other loved ones. Commissioned to learn about experiences with and opinions of Alaska voters age 45-plus on family caregiving, the survey found that nearly all (96 percent) respondents who are current or past caregivers say it is important to have services that allow people to stay in their own homes as they age. The survey results were released at the end of April, with press statements highlighting the k...
If you watch much TV you’ve probably heard the ads for free or nearly free medical items, possibly a knee brace, back brace, or other device. “If you qualify for Medicare, then you qualify to get these items or services – all you have to do is ask. You don’t even have to need the items.” Why would the manufacturers do this? Because to get your freebies, you have to give them your valuable Medicare ID number, or other insurance ID, so they bill for the items. It is a way to drum up business, but the fact is, you may not receive the items at all....
Medicare is serious about enlisting your help to fight fraud. If you suspect fraud and you meet all five of these conditions, you could be eligible for a reward of $1,000. Here are the conditions: 1. You report your suspected Medicare fraud. The allegation must be specific, not general. 2. The suspected Medicare fraud you report must be confirmed as potential fraud by the Program Safeguard Contractor, the Zone Program Integrity Contractor, or the Medicare Drug Integrity Contractor (the Medicare contractors responsible for investigating...
Editor’s note: This press statement was received from Sen. Murkowski’s office on June 4. Senator Lisa Murkowski joined five of her Senate colleagues in introducing the bipartisan “Treat and Reduce Obesity Act,” which would help prevent chronic diseases and lower health care costs by addressing America’s growing obesity epidemic. This legislation gives Medicare beneficiaries and their healthcare providers additional tools to reduce obesity by improving access to weight-loss counseling and new prescription drugs for chronic weight managemen...
