Sorted by date Results 826 - 850 of 887
Governor Sean Parnell’s refusal to expand Medicaid that would cover 41,000 Alaskans is a bitter pill for older Alaskans. Of the 41,000 people who would have gained health coverage under this opportunity, over 11,000, or nearly 30 percent, are between the ages of 45 and 64. These individuals who are aging but not yet eligible for Medicare are left in a precarious spot if they don’t have other insurance coverage. These are people we know. They are helping to raise their grandchildren or nieces and nephews. They cannot work full time because of...
Did you know that the Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) monitored a total of 45 bills and resolutions and actively supported 25 pieces of legislation that affected seniors during the FY2013 legislative session? We also provided committee testimony and letters of support to bill sponsors, legislative committees and Congressional members. Senior advocacy is a “team effort.” We invite you and other Alaskans in your community to be active this legislative session by participating in the 2014 ACoA Senior Legislative Teleconferences. The purpose of...
While we all look forward to retirement, retirement isn’t always ready for us. There are ways to prepare yourself and your loved ones for the time that you do retire. Older Persons Action Group will offer a free, informative seminar Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m. in conjunction with New York Life. Presenters will be Carin Wise, Investment Product Consultant for NYLIFE Securities LLC, and Robert L. Barrett Jr., LUTCF, CLTC Financial Services Professional with New York Life. The event will be held in Anchorage and also teleconferenced. Advance RSVP is r...
Only six percent of centenarians say they wished they had more money. This is indeed surprising because most people don’t expect to live to age 100, so many have run short of retirement savings before reaching this advanced age. This small proportion who indicated they were okay financially was among the findings in a survey conducted last spring by the GFK Roper firm for UnitedHealthcare insurance company. Having a longer life doesn’t mean having a longer list of regrets either. When asked what these centenarians would have done differently if...
Older Persons Action Group held its annual meeting on Nov. 15, conducting general business and board member elections. Existing board members were re-elected, and a new member was added. Welcome Edgar Blatchford, associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Public Communications at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He also has taught journalism at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, owned and published the Seward Phoenix Log newspaper and served as mayor of Seward from 1999 to...
In the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, email scams which solicit the wiring of money to stranded victims in the Philippines are surfacing. Better Business Bureau and the Alaska Attorney General warn willing donors to give cautiously over the next few weeks. “Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones in this devastating storm,” says Tyler Andrew, CEO of BBB serving Alaska, Oregon and Western Washington. “However, it’s important for donors to understand that not all pleas for help are legitimate.” “I urge Alaskans who want to don...
As one of only 39 housing finance agencies across the country recognized by the federal Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) as Moving to Work, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) is announcing the first major overhaul of how public housing is administered statewide. “Families are staying in public housing much longer than they were a decade ago,” says AHFC CEO and Executive Director Bryan Butcher. “For every unit available, there are four families seeking assistance. Rent Reform is designed to support the increasing deman...
SENIOR VOICE STAFF A series of online trainings will be available beginning in January, sponsored by the Area Health Education Center (AHEC), UAA Office of Health Programs Development, and the Trust Training Cooperative. The series is a partnership with the Northwest Geriatric Education Center, and will offer 10 weeks of trainings from January 7 through March 11, to Alaska via virtual classroom on the Internet. The series is designed to give community-based providers working in the field of aging – physicians, nurses, physical and o...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Dec. 11 and 12 in Anchorage. The first day will be an orientation for new commission members at the BP Energy Center, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Dec. 12, the meeting takes place 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; Senior Benefits program; Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education; A...
The Alaska State Medicare Information Office is spreading this alert about a prevalent scam: Scammers pretending to be Medicare representatives have been calling Alaska seniors recently looking for their Medicare numbers and banking information. They say they need the information so that the senior can get a new Medicare card. (Frequently they say it is needed under the Affordable Care Act.) Medicare will never contact beneficiaries by phone, email, or at their door seeking personal information. Neither Medicare nor Social Security needs...
Seniors in Yakutat and Saxman will soon have new staff available to help link them with supportive services, thanks to federal funding. Catholic Community Services announced in early October that HUD had allocated funding to the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority to hire "service coordinators" in Yakutat and Saxman to work directly with residents to assess their needs and connect them with services available in their community. The goal is to promote independent living and aging-in-place....
"Our objective is helping people to live as independently as they would like. Confidence is our goal." Lowell Zercher, Manual Skills Instructor for the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, chooses these words to explain the mission of the center. "We want our clients to be involved in life, to meet their life and work goals and contribute their talents to others, to the community." Lowell has worked at the center in Anchorage for 14 years. He is often found in the shop at the...
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor a noon lecture series in Juneau to celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November. The brown-bag lunch series will focus on spirituality, said SHI President Rosita Worl. Native spirituality is a topic that has come up in issues dealing with repatriation and other areas. SHI’s Council of Traditional Scholars has wrestled with how to bring the knowledge of shamanism into the modern world and to correct the many misconceptions about shamanism. Also, an Alaska court recently heard testimony on Y...
The Division of Public Assistance is making a few minor revisions to the Heating Assistance Regulations to clarify language for expedite time frame for crisis application processing, to provide clarification for utility deposits and to update the definition of subsidized housing. These changes are as follows: • Revisions to 7 AAC 44.030 and 7 AAC 44.220 changes the processing time for crisis applications from 18 business hours to 18 hours. • 7 AAC 44.040 and 7 AAC 44.230 are revised to clarify that the utility deposit is only for sub...
On Oct. 3, approximately 650,000 Alaskans will wake up with an extra $900, so Better Business Bureau is taking the opportunity to encourage Permanent Fund Dividend recipients to shop smart and donate thoughtfully. Scammers and schemers are sure to notice the $567 million addition to the local and national economy, and taking advantage of unsuspecting seniors will likely be a top priority. “Seniors and baby boomers are the fastest growing demographic, and they are relentlessly targeted by scammers,” says Robert W.G. Andrew, CEO of BBB ser...
For tech-savvy fraudsters, Alaskans’ Permanent Fund dividends are like beacons, said Scott Sterling of the state Office of Elder Fraud and Assistance. Sterling was one of several speakers at a Sept. 20 resource fair for vulnerable adults at the Anchorage Senior Activities Center, organized by the state Adult Protective Services. Sterling and investigators with the state Medicaid Fraud Control Unit gave tips on stopping scammers, and reported successes in apprehending them. “It’s faster and cheaper for crooks to use the Internet” than mail or...
A nationwide media contest has recognized Senior Voice for excellence. The 2013 National Mature Media Awards contest awarded Senior Voice for three entries: • a Silver award for regular contributor Stephanie Jaeger’s article, “Choosing Protective Sunscreens and Clothing” • a Merit award for writer Douglas Yates’ article, “Energy Costs Ignite Interior” • and a Silver award for the publication as a whole for its February 2012 issue. The National Mature Media Awards received a record number of entries for this year’s contest showcasing the nati...
While people in Alaska such as Navigators, Assistors and staff in many departments are preparing for people to enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s (Obamacare) Health Insurance Marketplace, scam artists and crooks are licking their chops, too. Fraudsters look for a period of transition where there is consumer confusion and prey on fear and misinformation. There will be con artists calling and sending literature that looks like the real deal and there will be scams of products offering what looks like a real insurance product but isn’t. And the...
My name is Charles Bischoff but I prefer to be known as “Toney.” I am a senior at University of Alaska Anchorage in human services and have been an intern at Older Persons Action Group for seven months. I received my Medicare Certification in August of this year and will be working with Rita Hatch in the Medicare Counseling and Assistance program at OPAG for another 10 months. I will continue my education with UAA until I receive my Master’s Certificate and plan to work within the Medic...
Bunkering down for the winter does not have to mean closing down the mind. University of Alaska campuses in Fairbanks and Anchorage both host educational programs for older people who like learning in a fun environment with likeminded peers. In Fairbanks, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) offers a full catalog of courses, lectures and educational travel and social activities for members age 50 and older and their companions. Most classes are held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Park Building – the old University Park S...
With Alaska having the fastest growing senior population in the country, we must lay the foundation for an Alaskan retirement to be as attractive as an Alaskan career. As our population ages we will face new challenges in providing services and adapting our communities to be more responsive to the needs of our senior citizens. Lawmakers must stay ahead of the curve in providing the services and outreach Alaskans need. I was proud to be the Senate sponsor of the recently enacted Silver Alert legislation creating an early notification system for...
Registered voters in many communities across Alaska will vote on October 1 to elect municipal candidates. Local clerks are responsible for these elections. REAA School Board elections will also be held on October 1, but those elections are administered by the Alaska Division of Elections. A typical city or borough ballot might include a mayoral race; assembly or city council members; school board members; spaces for write-in candidates; and a local bond issue. It is important to note that a voter must be registered at least 30 days before the e...
Alaska’s senior population is growing fast, and the number of complaints to the state agency tasked with protecting vulnerable adult Alaskans of all ages is growing too. Adult Protective Services is holding two free resource fairs to share information with vulnerable adults, families, caregivers and service providers in Fairbanks and Anchorage this month. Both events run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on a Friday. Anchorage Resource Fair The Anchorage fair will be Sept. 20 in the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, 1300 E. 19th Ave. There will be a...
Deborah Blake had a dream to take care of herself and her husband by gaining good solid paying employment. And now that hope has become reality for her and more. She and her husband came to Alaska in 2006 to spend more time with the grandchildren. Dennis, her husband, had always provided for the family, but now he had a debilitating disease and could not do the work he was accustomed to. Deborah knew in her heart it was her turn to provide for the family. Unfortunately, Deborah hadn’t worked i...
September is National Preparedness Month. It is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for emergencies and disasters. This September, please prepare and plan in the event you must go for three days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or local services for several days. Just follow these four steps: • Be Informed • Make a Plan • Build a Kit • Get Involved While each person’s abilities and needs are unique, every individual can take steps to prepare for all kinds of emergencies. By evaluating your own perso...
