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Gov. Mike Dunleavy has introduced legislation to end the Senior Benefits program, the income-based program that provides monthly cash assistance to low-income Alaska seniors. Identical bills, House Bill 60 and companion Senate Bill 58, were introduced at the governor's request in February. If passed, the legislation would end the benefits program, effective June 30, 2019. The Senior Benefits program provides monthly payments to seniors age 65 and older at three different levels, depending on applicants' income level: $250 for the lowest-income...
AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center continue the series of “Age Smart – Let’s Talk” forums on March 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. The March topic is “The Tech Age and Tech Agers.” Keeping up with new editions of iPhones, Google, Androids, and apps has many of us throwing up our hands in frustration. Even the terminology — tablets and pads, for instance — often requires us to consult new online dictionaries. But, amid frustration can also come opportunities w...
If you’ve lived in Anchorage, you probably know the 4th Avenue Theatre. The facade, murals, and twinkling ceiling have entranced many locals since it was opened by Austin “Cap” Lathrop in 1947, an important figure in Anchorage history who also produced the major motion picture “Cheechako,” served as a city mayor, and more. The Theatre is a part of architectural history, as well as our local culture. It is a classic example of the unique style of American architecture called Streamline Moderne, from the American Art Deco style. It was designed...
There are exciting, innovative, interesting events happening in Anchorage this spring. Voting for Proposition No. 3, an Areawide Facilities Capital Improvement Project Bond is not one of them. This bond provides ordinary, but important safety fixes and major maintenance repairs to facilities that are significant to readers of the Senior Voice who live in Anchorage, Chugiak, Eagle River, Mountain View and Girdwood. Proposition 3 on this April’s vote by mail ballot includes repairs for the Anchorage and Chugiak Senior Centers, the Anchorage M...
House Democrats, Senate Republicans and the Trump administration agree on one thing – that drug prices must be lowered. Both parties are working through the ideas to reduce prescription drug costs, but the problem is finding common ground and achieving consensus. No compromise is there yet and it may not emerge as some lawmakers could choose to use the issue for political advantage instead of working out a solution now. But an arms race of sorts is building as Democratic presidential contenders try to make the most noise on the drug pricing i...
Fifty years ago this June, LGBT elder pioneers started the fight for LGBT equality at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. In the early hours of June 28, 1969, LGBT patrons at the Stonewall Inn took a stand against police harassment and violence, and a riot broke out. Police reinforcements arrived and beat the crowd away, but the next night, the crowd returned even larger than the night before. In the wake of the riots, discussions about civil rights were held among New York's LGBT communities...
Dear Savvy Senior: I will be enrolling in Medicare in a few months, and would like to know how Medicare covers vision services? I currently have vision insurance through my employer but will lose it when I retire. - Looking Ahead Dear Looking: Many people approaching 65 are unclear on what Medicare does and doesn't cover when it comes to vision services. The good news is that original Medicare covers most medical issues like cataract surgery, treatment of eye diseases and medical emergencies....
Alaska Health Fair events offer free health screenings, health and safety education, plus 11 affordable blood tests and so much more. These tests and screenings can help you learn about your overall health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. Alaska Health Fairs will be held at the following locations and times during March. Everyone is welcome at these events. For more information, call 907-278-0234 (Anchorage) or 907-374-6853 (Fairbanks); or just visit http://www.alaskahealth...
The Alaska Training Cooperative and Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska will present “Dementia Care Workshop,” April 17 at the Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska office in Fairbanks, 1 to 5:30 p.m. The purpose of the workshop is to build a foundation of knowledge that will enable learners to integrate new care strategies into their professional practice, ultimately using these strategies to increase the quality of life for people with dementia. The workshop teaches the fundamentals of dementia, as well as practical skills such as communication techniq...
We sat waiting in yet another medical exam room, my mother perched on the exam table, legs dangling. A nurse came in wheeling a device. She began circling my mom’s forearm with the blood pressure cuff. My blood pressure rose: “Her feet have to be supported and her arm should be chest high,” I said, my strained voice betraying the stress of telling a nurse her business. “That’s true with a manual cuff,” she said. “I have the IVAC automated device here.” Later, I checked with two doctors. The protocol for taking blood pressure is the same, manua...
Self-powered knee implants Researchers at State University of New York are now developing self-powered knee implants that could reduce the number of knee replacement surgeries. They are working on implants that can provide physicians with regular activity updates and are powered by the patient’s movement. Knee replacement surgery is the most common joint replacement procedure, with the number of surgeries increasing every year. Many of these surgeries are done to replace an older implant or o...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in March. This month’s training topic is “The Power of Music in Caring for People with Dementia.” Come, learn more about the therapeutic effects of music such as connection, remembering happier times, comfort, sense of belonging, lifting of spirits, and relieving boredom. March 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. This meeting will acknowledge Sleep Awareness Month, with a discussion on sundowners and restful sleep. March...
A major disaster declaration was issued Jan. 31 for the state of Alaska following the Nov. 30 earthquake. It makes federal funding available to eligible affected faith-based organizations, community, volunteer and private nonprofit organizations in three jurisdictions: the Municipality of Anchorage and the boroughs of Matanuska-Susitna and Kenai Peninsula. FEMA Public Assistance The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides grants through its Public Assistance program. These grants are designed to help communities, government organizations a...
As tax deadlines get closer, Tax-Aide sites continue to provide assistance around Alaska. The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program is designed to prepare basic tax returns and anyone can use the service regardless of age or income. Sites are staffed by volunteers who are trained and certified by Internal Revenue Service and AARP Foundation instructors to prepare basic tax returns. By using AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, these taxpayers also avoid tax preparation fees and pitches for high-interest tax credit or refund loans. And the service is free....
While reading in my bedroom late in the afternoon of March 27, 1964, I suddenly felt the room swirl. I had enjoyed the day off from third-grade school work since it was Good Friday. Our family lived in company housing next to the Copper Valley Electric power plant in Glennallen. As the movement got stronger after a few seconds, I started to go look for my mother. By this time, the very loud firehouse-type bell alarm that signaled Dad when something was wrong at the power plant came to life,...
Only 15 years ago the Cooper Landing Senior Citizens Corporation Endowment Fund and Endowment Fund Board were established to accept donations including funds and property willed or given to the Endowment Fund. These donations could be memorials for people who had died or honorariums for individuals still living. Over the years, these memorials grew and the challenge facing the board was how to recognize the individuals who had died and had been remembered with donations to the Endowment Fund. After considerable research, Vice Chair Jacque Green...
Keep track of senior-related bills, budget decisions and other issues by attending or listening in to the Alaska Commission on Aging Legislative Teleconferences. Hosted by local agencies statewide, and available by toll-free call-in, the teleconferences provide a convenient forum for seniors and advocates across Alaska to share information about issues and specific bills of concern, including Medicaid, state budget and funding, senior assistance, retirement, Pioneer Homes and more. Teleconferences are scheduled 9:30 to 11 a.m. every other Thurs...
In July 1869, the steamer Active arrived in Sitka with former Secretary of State William H. Seward and his entourage on board. He had negotiated the purchase of Alaska from the Russians for a mere $7.2 million in March 1867 and now wanted to see the magnificent land for himself. U.S. Gen. Davis held events in his honor, and then Seward traveled to Lynn Canal where villagers at Klukwan gave him the honor of calling him "The Great Tyee" (chief). Seward was impressed with the ceremonial art he saw...
Turning 97 in March, Carl Reiner shows no sign of slowing down. "I wake up with ideas!" the veteran actor, writer, director and producer said from Los Angeles. One of those ideas was to colorize episodes of his crown television jewel, "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Two color episodes were produced in 2017 and last year Reiner selected a couple more favorites, with plots loosely based on his family's experience, which aired on CBS over the holiday season. "I've done a lot in my life but have to say th...
I’m not a big fan of the adult guardianship system. I realize it’s necessary; there are a lot of cases in which guardianship or conservatorship is absolutely needed and there isn’t a reasonable alternative. But there are things that bug me about the guardianship system, and one of them is that it sometimes results in someone who is minimally competent, having a lot of their rights taken away. The statutes say that if someone needs a guardian, the judge is supposed to leave the person with as mu...
Q. What is a simple way to get started with home automation? A. When it comes to home automation, simple is a relative term. Compared to a few years ago, setup is easier and prices are less expensive. But after installing a few devices in my house, “simple” is not the word I would use. “Easier” is about as good as it gets right now. I wanted to start slow. So I chose to control a few lamps in several different rooms with a 3-pack of WeMo Mini Smart Plugs. These devices plug into any standard outlet, just like old-fashioned timers, and the lam...
Bob Burrus is channeling John Travolta. He enters Lenny's Pizza in Brooklyn and orders a slice. After devouring the snack, he emerges onto 86th Street and struts down several blocks as the song "Staying Alive" plays in his head. Bob is reliving the opening scene of the 1977 motion picture Saturday Night Fever. And he's not alone. As he mimics one of his favorite movie sequences, others around the country are fantasizing theirs. From Maine to Hawaii, locations where movie scenes were filmed...
Think you know Alaska's entire story, told from the perspective of our capital city's residents? It might be time for a refresher at the Juneau State Museum, and March is the perfect month in which to visit. One of two Alaska museums run by the state, the Juneau facility opened in 2016 at full capacity after a two-year, $139 million renovation to expand, enhance and encourage visitors. Conveniently located within an easy walk of downtown Juneau and most hotels, the Alaska State Museum (...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in March: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (March 12 and 26), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (March 6 and 20), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (March 7, 14, 21 and 28), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can cal...
