May 2026 Edition
May 2026 Edition
I'd had a long day May 8, 2025, including a trip to Anchorage for a doctor appointment and a stop at Costco...getting home near Palmer about 8:30 p.m. I'd unloaded the car, put away the groceries, read my email, and was working on the puzzle on my dining room table, when my cell phone rang about 9:30 pm. Very few people have my cell phone number and no one calls me that late at night, but knowing it might be hospice calling about my husband, Gary, I answered. A male voice said, "The flower...
On a chilly May morning in 1906, as the snow lingered on the mountain peaks and icy winds swept down through Skagway, word spread through the bustling railroad camp: Congress had at last legitimized the tracks that would stitch together Alaska and the Yukon. The act granting the right of way for the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway was more than a dry legal document-it became a lifeline for a young land still finding its footing, and a testament to the grit of the men and women who called this...
Editor's Note: National Centenarian's Day is Sept. 22. The day honors those who've celebrated 100 birthdays or more. We're publishing profiles of people who have hit this milestone. The Alaska Commission on Aging is working with the Governor's Office, Pioneer Homes and Long Term Care Ombudsman to celebrate Alaska's centenarians. If you know someone who is 100 or older and would like us to profile them, contact editor@seniorvoicealaska.comeditor@seniorvoicealaska.com. You can take the girl out...
Katie Chadwick got the idea last summer that she wanted to do the all-women Gold Nugget Triathlon, an event with origins in an early 1980s effort by moms to create sports opportunities for their daughters and other girls. Katie had been on what she describes as a “health journey,” and saw the Gold Nugget as an opportunity to demonstrate how she had become stronger and leaner. Her 60th birthday was coming up, and she wanted to set a goal to mark the moment. “I just had this idea that I...
This is the second in a series about people finding or rediscovering creative pursuits later in life. The reporting project is funded by a grant from the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism. If you have a suggestion of a person who has explored their artistic or creative impulses upon retirement or when other life demands lessened, email editor@seniorvoicealaska.comeditor@seniorvoicealaska.com. Frank Entsminger came to sculpting the hard way-through fire. A taxidermist by trade for...
Anchorage and Juneau will both host events in May to connect members of the community with resources about Parkinson's disease that are organized by the American Parkinson Disease Association. The event in Juneau is May 6 and it's an afternoon of information. The event in Anchorage is May 9 and it's all day. Both events are titled "Parkinson's today: A conversation on care, treatment and living well." There is also a Parkinson's Care Partner Education Day in Juneau on May 7. It's from 9:30 to...
You never know when a medical emergency will arise, but you can be prepared, both for yourself and for a loved one. Emergency services and urgently needed care Emergency care is needed to evaluate or treat emergency medical conditions. An emergency medical condition is severe enough that someone with an average knowledge of health and medicine could reasonably expect your health to be in danger if you don’t get medical attention right away. If you’re pregnant, this could also mean that the...
Dear Savvy Senior, I’ll be 65 in a few months and could sure use some help sorting through all the confusing Medicare options that are available to me. Where can I get help with my Medicare decisions? - Baffled Bob Dear Bob, With around 11,400 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day in 2026, you’re asking a very timely question. Many people approaching Medicare are confused by all the choices available today. In addition to original Medicare (Part A and B) that has been around for more than 60 years, you also have the option of enrolling in a...
Low vitamin D levels associated with higher risk of dementia A new study published in the journal Neurology is suggesting that vitamin D may be good for brain health and possibly lower the risk for dementia in older adults. Having higher levels of vitamin D in the blood in middle age was found to be associated with lower levels of tau protein in the brain, which is a sign of dementia. “These results suggests that higher vitamin D levels in midlife may offer protection against developing these...
