Sorted by date Results 751 - 775 of 887
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 for business and agency representatives. The December meeting is Dec. 10 and will be hosted by the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center. Begins at 8 a.m. Call Older Persons Action Group to RSVP and get directions to the event, or...
Energy specialist Art Nash from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension will lead a workshop on adapting homes for older Alaskans and the disabled at the Anchorage Extension Office on Dec. 8. The presentation will focus on adaptations that allow people to stay in their homes as long as possible. The event begins at 7:15 p.m. The office location is 1675 C Street. For more information or to register, call 786-6300....
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Dec. 10 and 11 in Anchorage at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Public attendance is encouraged. Commissioners will hear presentations from and about senior service programs and agencies, including the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services; Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority; Anchorage Senior Advisory Commission; UAA Geriatrics; Alaska Housing Finance Corp; Long Term Care Ombudsman; AARP; AgeNet and more. A public comment period will be held Dec. 10 from 11 to 11:30...
The Juneau Economic Development Council (JEDC) has released the Juneau Senior Housing and Senior Services Demand Study, completed by AgnewBeck Consulting and Northern Economics. The report estimates current gaps and forecasts the demand for housing and services needed by Juneau’s seniors in the coming decades. The study’s goals were to estimate the number of Juneau residents that need and are likely to move into assisted living if it were available, as well as educate the public about senior housing and services available in Juneau, waiting lis...
Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for nearly 64 million Americans will increase 1.7 percent in 2015, the Social Security Administration has announced. The 1.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits that more than 58 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2015. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on Dec. 31, 2014. The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index as determined by the...
Voters in the Mat-Su Borough expanded property tax exemptions for seniors in the October election, while voters in Petersburg tightened up the senior sales tax exemption there. The Mat-Su change will increase the Senior Citizens and Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemption to $218,000 of the assessed value of the applicant’s home. In other words, if a senior’s home is assessed at $300,000 in value, $218,000 of that amount would be exempt and property taxes would be paid only on the remaining $82,000. Currently, the exemption is $170,000, whi...
For nearly four decades, hundreds have been turning out to enjoy free food and entertainment for Juneau seniors and their caregivers, served by Coast Guard Chief Petty Officers, some of whom are retired and fly in for the event. The first annual Senior Citizens Holiday Dinner was organized by Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Constantine in 1974, but the event took a hiatus last year. Organizers are pleased to announce the dinner is back this year, its 40th, at the Peratrovich Hall. The date is...
If you are a baby boomer caring for a parent with ADRD (Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia) or simply feeling daunted by the prospect, you won't want to miss "Backing Out of Time," a new film on the subject that will be shown Nov. 12 at the Bear Tooth Theatre in Anchorage. The hour-long documentary chronicles the challenging last years of the disease as seen through the grace and eyes of family caregivers and seeks to provide a road map and some normalcy to the experience. Alaska has the...
We hear it all the time: a big corporation suffers yet another data breach, putting thousands of consumers’ personal information at risk. Or it could be your neighbors, friends – maybe even yourself – who have had to change all their credit card numbers because a scammer managed to steal their identities. The truth is that credit card and ID theft has become too common these days and even if you’ve managed to escape from being a victim, chances are good you’ll become one in the future. Consider this: according to an article written by Mashab...
This year’s Older Persons Action Group annual membership meeting, is Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the OPAG Anchorage office, 325 E. Third Ave. The event will include officer elections and a presentation on emergency preparedness by guest speaker Michelle Torres, Emergency Programs Manager for the Municipality of Anchorage. Door prizes will include an emergency survival kit along with other surprises. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP. For more information or to RSVP, call 276-1059....
People who become homeless do not fit one general description. However, people experiencing homelessness do have certain shared basic needs, including affordable housing, adequate incomes, and health care. Some homeless people may need additional services such as mental health or drug treatment in order to remain securely housed. All of these needs must be met to prevent and end homelessness. The Anchorage Department of Health and Human Services is working with the Housing and Neighborhood Development Commission’s Oversight Subcommittee on H...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Dec. 10 and 11 in Anchorage at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. The commission advocates for state policy, public and private partnerships, state/federal projects and citizen involvement on senior issues and collaborates with the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services, provider agencies and the public. The meeting will include a community elder forum, a listening session to focus on the priorities of Anchorage seniors, conducted jointly with the Anchorage Senior Citizens...
The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Program has been preparing taxes in Alaska for approximately 40 years. Counselors of this program prepare a basic tax return free for seniors and mid to low income citizens in Alaska. We need volunteers to help at the sites in Alaska for the coming tax season. A taxpayer came to one of the sites in Anchorage very anxious about owing a large sum of money in taxes and was not going to be able to pay the amount. The counselor worked through the return and was able to tell the taxpayer that a $75 refund would be coming...
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 for business and agency representatives. The November meeting is Nov. 12 and will be hosted by Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, 1750 Abbott Road. Begins at 8 a.m. Call Older Persons Action Group to RSVP and get directions to t...
Alaska Regional Hospital will acquire the Alaska Medicare Clinic on Nov. 1, 2014. The clinic will be known as the “Alaska Regional Senior Health Clinic.” Located in South Anchorage, it is a primary care physician office providing outpatient medical care to Medicare beneficiaries. It opened in 2011 and has received substantial support from the State of Alaska for the past three years. Julie Taylor, CEO of Alaska Regional Hospital, says that acquiring the clinic is a way for the hospital to assist a population that’s already embedded in the h...
The Medicare 2015 Annual enrollment period is October 15 through December 7, 2014. This is the time when anyone who has Medicare can enroll in Prescription Drug coverage, also known as Medicare Part D. This link has a chart with information about the prescription drug plans on offer this year: http://dhss.alaska.gov/dsds/Documents/Medicare/MedicarePartD-PlansChart2015.pdf Some facts about these plans: The plan that has the lowest monthly premium is $15.60. The most expensive plan is $135.20. You will want to enroll in the plan that is best for...
Alaska’s state general election will be held Tuesday, November 4, 2014. The ballot has many important items on it. Some will be complicated and unfamiliar unless voters have prepared themselves. Three things will make it possible to vote and to vote with confidence that your vote supports the outcome you want. First, if you are not registered at all – or if you intend to change your registration information – you must do so on or before Sunday, October 5. You can do so at the State Division of Elections offices; by going online to http:...
The Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission is hosting a forum to dialogue with interested community members and providers serving seniors about emerging and future trends vital to housing for the elderly. Please join on Wednesday, October 22, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Z.J. Loussac Library, Wilda Marston Auditorium, 3600 Denali St. A panel of professionals will be given five minutes to offer an overview presentation of how their organization serves seniors/elders, followed by a moderated discussion. For further information contact...
A nationwide media contest has recognized Senior Voice for excellence. The 23rd Annual National Mature Media Awards contest honored Senior Voice with Merit Awards for three entries: • regular contributor Diana Weber, the former Alaska Long Term Care Ombudsman, was awarded for her article, “An Offer to Help Can Evolve Into Exploitation” • regular freelance contributor Dianne Barske was awarded for her feature story, “Unique Opportunities for Lifelong Learners” • freelance contributor Zaz Hollander was awarded for her feature story, “Dog B...
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 for business and agency representatives. The October meeting is Oct. 8 and will be hosted by Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Begins at 8 a.m. Call Older Persons Action Group to RSVP and get directions to the event, or for...
This years’s Older Persons Action Group annual membership meeting, is Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the OPAG Anchorage office, 325 E. Third Ave. Includes officer elections and a presentation on emergency preparedness by guest speaker Michelle Torres, Emergency Programs Manager for the Municipality of Anchorage. Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP. For more information or to RSVP, call 276-1059....
Alaskans are struggling with high energy costs throughout the state. Seniors and others on fixed incomes are particularly burdened when heating oil and gas rates rise. Even in Anchorage, which has ready access to natural gas, rising heating rates hit hard. On July 1 Enstar ratepayers across Southcentral Alaska saw their rates shoot up by over 48 percent. But more troubling than the rate hike itself is how the Regulatory Commission of Alaska rubber stamped Enstar’s requested increase. We give public utilities a government sanctioned monopoly i...
Gather unneeded and outdated personal documents and old cellular phones for Better Business Bureau’s biannual BBB Secure your ID Day, Oct. 18 in Fairbanks. Take advantage of free document shredding and cell phone recycling. Mobile shredding trucks will be on site, accepting up to three bags or boxes of unwanted documents per person. Please note that cardboard and three-ring binders cannot be accepted. Recycled phones will be donated to Verizon’s HopeLine, a nationwide program that wipes data and allocates phones to victims of domestic abu...
The six senior centers in Mat-Su are exploring opportunities to minimize administrative costs and maximize available public and private resources to provide a wider variety of services to the seniors they serve. The Coalition of Mat-Su Senior Centers serve a geographically broad area, with some centers serving more densely populated areas, such as in Wasilla and Palmer, which both have large senior living campuses, and others where the population is more spread out and fewer services are...
Sovaldi, a new drug, which has been hailed as a breakthrough treatment for the 3.2 million Americans infected with hepatitis C, costs $1,000 a pill. While it is highly effective and has fewer side effects and takes less time than older therapies, it costs $84,000 for a typical patient. But lawmakers want to know why the U.S. price is much higher than in other countries, as well as previously estimated in the U.S. In a letter sent recently, two U.S. senators, Finance Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Ia., asked Gilead...
