Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
Medicare is like a government octopus, with its tentacles stretching into almost every aspect of senior life. With its policies affecting 50 million beneficiaries, this agency has a lot going on simultaneously. Sometimes, policies it puts in place get lost in the shuffle, as it has with its obesity program (see below). Other times, people figure out how to game the system, resulting in huge fraud and abuse. So as often happens at year end, the agency, formally known as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has been issuing...
The New Year, 2015, represents a landmark year for one agency, AK Child & Family. "It's our quasquicentennial," states Denis McCarville, president and CEO. "How many organizations or businesses in Alaska can make that claim?" Hardly any, even if they know what quasquicentennial means. "The agency can trace its roots back to 1890, so it is our 125th anniversary, our quasquicentennial," he explains. The history of AK Child & Family underscores not only its roots as a faith-based center meeting uni...
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 FY2014 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 2015 ACoA Senior Legislative Teleconferences. The purpose of...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc. and the Social Security Administration are teaming up to present an educational forum, “Social Security: Everything You Always Wanted to Ask,” on March 10. The event will take place in Anchorage and be teleconferenced statewide. Robin Schmidt, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist for the State of Alaska (and frequent Senior Voice contributor) will address what Social Security can mean to you and your family’s financial future. She will discuss the basics of Social Security retirement benefits: • When am...
Seniors in Alaska are asked to complete many surveys, needs assessments and questionnaires that try to determine who people are and what they need. These surveys help policy makers and service planners to know where gaps are and how funds should be distributed. But until now there has never been a survey that tries to identify who older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are and how their aging experience might differ. At last January’s annual Alaska Public Health Summit, three organizations presented a seminar on the u...
It happens every New Year. Immediately following January 1st, all of the treadmills will be occupied and classes at your local gym will be full of people looking for a healthy start to the year. According to USA.gov, two of the top six New Year’s Resolutions every year are “Get Fit” and “Lose Weight.” After all of the delectable temptations seasonally popular between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, it’s easy to see why improving one’s health through exercise is always a top resolution. Your Better Business Bureau recommends taking a look at BB...
Millions of Americans are suffering needlessly with chronic pain, according to a new book, A Nation in Pain. The author, Judy Foreman, calls the opioid wars not only medical but psychological, economic, political and cultural. We are suffering needlessly in what she calls “an unrecognized health epidemic.” Pain is the main reason seniors visit their doctors. Research has shown that 50 percent of older adults who live on their own and 75 percent to 85 percent of the elderly in care facilities suffer from chronic pain. Yet, pain among older adu...
Attitudes about marijuana and its use are changing nationwide. Alaska, along with Washington, Colorado and Oregon, has lifted the prohibition on its use. The voter-approved changes in each state are expected to bring in millions of dollars through taxes. However, the real windfall may be for Alaska residents and others with chronic health problems. The active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is now showing promise for treating chronic pain conditions, nerve pain and nausea...
If affording your prescriptions is a challenge, please don’t turn to ‘cost-cutting’ measures like going without, or maybe taking one pill a day instead of two, or splitting your pills and only taking half your prescribed dose. These can end up costing you far more than they save you. There are almost always ways to make your prescriptions affordable. First, tell your pharmacist you need something cheaper. Sometimes you can take a less expensive medicine instead. For example, the New York Times...
Social Security COLA increase Happy New Year and I hope it is a healthy one. If you are on Social Security, you will notice that you received a whopping 1.7 percent increase in your benefit. Please spend it wisely as you probably will not get any more “good” Social Security news for the next two years. Replacing lost or stolen credit cards and documents I have a sad story to tell and I hope that you all learn a lesson from my misfortune. All of my identification cards were either lost or sto...
With the New Year upon us, many of us will make resolutions to change something in our life for the better. The old standbys are lose weight, join a gym, stop smoking, and call your friends and family more. These promises to yourself as well as so many other well intended plans made on New Year’s Day are forgotten by March (I’m being generous here). So let’s strive to make a resolution that may save your life and develop a good practice for the whole year. Let’s take some baby steps toward...
Breast cancer vaccine showing promise The New Year is ushering in new hope for women who have advanced breast cancer. Researchers are now reporting success with a novel breast cancer vaccine that appears to be safe and effective for helping women with metastatic breast cancer. Preliminary evidence also suggests that the vaccine specifically primes the patients’ immune systems to attack tumor cells and help slow the cancer’s progression. The vaccine causes the body’s immune system to hone in on...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in January. This month’s theme is National Senior Independence Month. Jan. 6, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 13, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program in the Blazy Mall, 5 p.m. Jan. 20, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 27, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1...
Author and educator Dr. James Lewis Simpson was another of the early childhood residents of the Seward Jesse Lee Home. Now age 90 and living in Oregon, he shared some of his early stories in a phone visit with me. His memory is incredibly sharp. "I'm one of the main characters of the Home in Seward," he said, laughing. "I was placed there by my father when I was four years old. My mother had left us when we were living in Chickaloon, Alaska. I am Ahtna Athabascan. My dad had heard of the Home...
The Last Frontier Honor Flight is a local chapter of the national organization of the Honor Flight Network. Our mission is to honor and thank veterans – especially World War II, Alaska Territorial Guard and Korean War veterans – by bringing them to Washington D.C. at no cost to them. The Last Frontier Honor Flight has been privileged to do this for 77 veterans since October 2013. Each one of these veterans came home with a renewed spirit knowing that they have not been forgotten and their ser...
Anchorage-area seniors can sign up now for winter session classes offered by OLE (Opportunities for Lifelong Education). Although there is no minimum age requirement, classes are geared to adults age 50 and older. Courses begin Jan. 12 and end March 6 and are held in classrooms on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus, along with other locations around town. OLE membership is required to enroll, however members may take as many classes as they like. Annual OLE membership is $150. The courses are casual, with no tests, homework or grades, an...
Some courageous pioneers saw the possibilities of the Yukon Basin years before the Klondike Gold Rush. And a few stand out above the rest, including Leroy Napoleon "Jack" McQuesten, Alfred Mayo and Arthur Harper. Had they not seen the need to establish supply centers, it is possible that gold rushes to the Yukon and Alaska would not have boomed during the late 1890s. These men met up in British Columbia in 1873 and continued on to Fort Yukon together. The first winter, Harper went prospecting...
For many, the title "King of Rock and Roll" is reserved for one man: Elvis Presley. Had he lived, the King would have celebrated his 80th birthday on Jan. 8, 2015. Unlike most departed singers who are remembered largely for their music, Elvis lives on through a phenomenal number of appearances in scripted motion pictures – 31 in all – beginning with "Love Me Tender" in 1956 and ending 13 years later with "Change of Habit" in 1969. His movies provide a unique glimpse into another dimension of one...
Dear Jonathan: If I loan my son $80,000 to pay off his mortgage, would either of us have an issue with the IRS? My son would repay the loan at a set amount each month. I would prefer not to charge an interest fee. Thank you for any advice you can supply. Jonathan Says: Believe it or not, your question, which is very straightforward, has a rather complicated answer, but I will try to keep it simple. There is no problem with you loaning money to your son so he can pay off his mortgage, but to avoid running afoul of the IRS, you should: 1. Have...
Q. I’ve heard there is a way to cheat when playing Solitaire. I hate to ask, but can you shed any light on this? A. I don’t know why as many people ask about this as they do, particularly since Solitaire is a game you play against yourself, but Mr. Modem is here to answer questions, not to judge. Well, okay, I judge, too, but I keep my opinions to myself. Well, okay, maybe I don’t keep my opinions to myself, but I only share them with my cats. Here’s how to extricate yourself from Solitaire when you need a card, but it’s just not coming yo...
Cruising to and around Alaska is nothing new. From the cruises of the Treasury Department's Revenue Cutters to today's floating cities, people have come to Alaska for furs, gold and the scenery. They still do. Just say to a stranger in the Lower 48 that you're from Alaska, and their eyes get misty and they breathe out a sigh of "I've always dreamed about going to Alaska." Ever heard anyone say, "I've always dreamed of going to Bermuda?" No. Steamers and cruisers Reading a copy of "Steaming to th...
