Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 28
The mission of the Alaska Long-Term Care Ombudsman program is to provide resident-centered advocacy designed to protect the rights, health, safety and welfare of Alaskans living in long-term care facilities. In 2021, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program investigated nearly 300 complaints in long term care settings. One of the top five complaints identified in long-term care settings was abuse, neglect and exploitation of residents. The COVID-19 pandemic has been exceptionally challenging to seniors, many who were socially isolated from their lo...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk,” the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns May 10, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Events are currently held virtually on the internet, using Zoom. This month’s presentation topic is “Everything Has Changed: How do I Make Sure My Vote Counts?” Gail Fenumiai from the Division of Elections will explain the changes to Alaska’s voting system including an overview of the new open primary system, how ranked choice voting works and changes to camp...
May 10 is the 136th anniversary of the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Santa Clara County vs. Southern Pacific Railroad Corp., 118 U.S. 394 (1886). This decision of the U.S. Supreme Court was purported to state that corporations (as opposed to natural persons) have constitutional rights under the 14th Amendment. The court did not actually decide this; the court reporter—a former railroad attorney—misrepresented the substance of the decision when he wrote the published headnotes. The case nevertheless led to a long line of cas...
Why is it that the words “respite” and “guilt” seem to go hand in hand? Why do caregivers feel we are somehow failing our loved one by admitting that we need help, need time to recharge our batteries, or just time to play a little? Perhaps because so many of us still hold on to the myth that says the caregiver must be all things to all people. We are human and will all the same needs and feelings as every other person in our lives. We will never be able to achieve caregiver perfection. Ask any caregiver who has been at it for any length...
U.S. culture is often described as youth focused - a description that is certainly true of U.S. popular culture. Driven by Hollywood standards of beauty and fashion, our media outlets inundate us with images and analyses of trends, as well as star gossip. Invariably, these images and analyses focus on the young and beautiful stars of stage, screen and popular music. Today, however, the U.S. faces a demographic shift that will likely also force a cultural shift. As the nation's baby boomers age,...
Dear Savvy Senior: What can you tell me about atrial fibrillation? Every so often, I’ve noticed my heart starts beating rapidly for no particular reason. Is this something I should be worried about? - Anxious Annie Dear Annie: Heart palpitations can be harmless if they are brief and infrequent. But if you’re experiencing an erratic heart rhythm, you need to get checked out by a doctor for atrial fibrillation, or AFib. AFib – which is marked by rapid, fluttering beats – can lead to serious complications such as stroke and heart failure, when the...
Things don’t always go according to plan. When unforeseen challenges or mistakes occur, you may wish to know to whom you may voice your concerns and who can help resolve your concerns. For an appeal regarding a denied claim, be sure to review your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) to submit the appeal in writing. You are also encouraged to call the Medicare Information Office to speak with any of our certified counselors if you need assistance with the appeals process. Quality concerns If you h...
Q: I am the leader of a youth group who is looking for volunteer activities. Are there young-person friendly organizations where we can lend a hand to seniors? A: Yes, there are. May is Older Americans Month, which annually celebrates contributions seniors make to their communities and to the nation. This year’s theme, “Age My Way,” focuses on aging in place – how older adults can plan to stay in their homes and live independently in their communities for as long as possible. Help with chores,...
Medicare is part of the Social Security Administration. Medicare can be a complex and sometimes confusing program. It helps to have someone to talk to and ask questions to. That is my job. My name is Lee Coray-Ludden, I am based out of the Soldotna Senior Center, and my job is to serve Southeast Alaska, and any other state residents that would like to talk to someone in person. I am trained and supervised by SHIP (the State Health Insurance Program) and coordinate with them. How do I sign up for Medicare? When do I have to sign up? How does...
A few weeks ago I was asked to participate in a telehealth session with a physician assistant to discuss an upcoming visit to a local Anchorage clinic. I couldn't help but notice that it looked like she was sitting in her home, maybe at the kitchen table. Being a curious kind of guy, I was compelled to ask her about where she was. Yes indeed, she was sitting at her kitchen table...in Oklahoma. Turned out that she used to live in Alaska and worked at that clinic, then moved out of state a few yea...
Prunes pack powerful nutrient punch A prune or six a day may help keep inflammation at bay, according to a new study looking at daily prune consumption. It found eating nutrient-rich prunes every day may be beneficial to bone health and reduce inflammatory factors that contribute to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a loss of bone strength caused by reduced mineral density in the bones. Osteoporosis increases the risk of fracture, especially in older adults. Previous research has shown that the...
Most Alaska residents really look forward to the time of year we call “break-up.” This is always in April and May. We can count on overnight temperatures being above freezing. We see colors moving through shades of gray and brown to lovely emersion of greens as the daylight extends and it’s warmer. We navigate through patches of ice and compact snow as we drive and walk places. We step through puddles that are seemingly everywhere. Alaskans in our area understand that break-up is a stage in time that will usher in the lushness of our summe...
An estimated 6.5 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease today. This is nearly 11% of seniors in the U.S. The cost of caring for patients with Alzheimer’s is approaching $300 billion annually, which is greater than the economy of Finland. All cancer care costs in the U.S. last year approached $25 billion, by comparison. Your Medicare part B premium increased recently to cover the cost of a controversial and expensive new drug (Aduhelm). The drug doesn’t work very well, in part because it attacks amyloid plaqu...
Spring blood test dates end statewide in late May. Health fair services will be offered again in early August. We continue using our appointment-based model, which works extremely well. Remaining event details can be found at www.alaskahealthfair.org. May health fair event dates: May 5 Ninilchik, 3 to 6 p.m. May 6 Ninilchik, 8 a.m. to noon May 14 Central, 8 to 11 a.m. May 21 Anchorage, 8 a.m. to noon In-office draw dates – Anchorage May 3 and Fairbanks May 3, 10, 17 Use our website at www.alaskahealthfair.org to schedule a blood test a...
I've hurt myself a couple of times playing pickleball, and each time it could have been avoided. Moving too quickly – lunging, twisting and throwing myself on the ground - caused lower back pain, knee pain and a broken hand. But I've seen worse. We had a player here in Homer who back-peddled to get a ball lobbed over their head, tumbled backwards and broke some vertebrae. And I've heard of a brain aneurysm occurring from doing the same thing. Smooth and deliberate movement - as in preparing f...
Alaska is a place of endless sky, steep mountains, rolling tundra and miles of coastline. It is a place of climatic and geographic extremes, dynamic and diverse habitats, and abundant resources. Each year millions of birds make the journey from their wintering grounds to this state that we call home. They include over 300 different species from petrels and loons, sandpipers and plovers, hawks and eagles, to hummingbirds and swallows. They depart from six different continents and travel north...
My first bike ride of the season was on April 1 this year, two weeks earlier than spring 2021. That first ride is always thrilling after months of winter snowshoe lap exercise. The sides of the subdivision roads still had plenty of snow, but the road surface was finally ice free. During my ride, I noticed more trees that had blown over during our horrendous January wind storm, but I also saw litter peeking out from snow banks. Instantly I was reminded of my huge litter-gathering project last...
Knowing all too well the effects of social isolation on the health of seniors, both mental and physical, the Fairbanks Senior Center has temporarily pivoted to a new rented space at Shoppers Forum Mall next to Planet Fitness. The ribbon cutting was on April 13, when visitors got to see the new location. "It's the first of many good days for our seniors to meet, have lunch, use the internet and who knows - probably some exercise classes in the future," Fairbanks Senior Center Executive Director D...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold a quarterly meeting May 9 through 12 in Fairbanks at the Wedgewood Resort. Items of discussion will include updates on dementia programs, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, veterans issues, senior housing, Alaska Pioneer Homes and other topics pertaining to Alaska seniors. Meeting hours are Monday, May 9, from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and Tuesday, May 10, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Wednesday, May 11, the commission members will lead listening sessions throughout the area. Thursday, the commission meets from 8:30...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast, sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, Inc., is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, the monthly event currently meets virtually online via Zoom. The May meeting is May 11, hosted by the Anchorage Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC). Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more...
As news of gold spread through America in the mid-1890s, hundreds of people flooded onto Seattle docks seeking transportation northward. Among the 100 passengers who packed onto the Cook Inlet-bound steamship Utopia was a man whose name would become synonymous with an Alaska ski resort. James E. Girdwood traveled to Kachemak Bay in early May 1896, where he hopped aboard the small steamer L.J. Perry, run by "Cap" Austin E. Lathrop. Girdwood made his way through the ice-filled Cook Inlet to...
Actors Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth were married in 1974. Or was it 1976? Actually, it was both! The pair tied the knot when their "Days of Our Lives" characters (Doug and Julie) married two years after the couple wed in real life. Some 50 years and a collective 5,000 episodes later, the Emmy Award-winning stars of the perennial NBC daytime soap opera are still together both on-screen and off. They recently produced a website, Secrets of Soap Opera Lovers, explaining how the two have lived,...
From May through October, AARP Tax Aide volunteers will assist people of all ages in filing their 2021 taxes. Appointments will be at available for noon, 1 and 2 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month at the Alaska Literacy Program, 1345 Rudakof Circle, Suite 104. The appointment will include a short interview and the tax preparer will complete the return. You will pick up the return from 3 to 3:30 p.m. If you are filing with a spouse, both of you must be present. Once the return is complete, it will be reviewed with you, signed and...
Benjamin Franklin famously said that “nothing is certain but death and taxes”. Actually, he wrote it in French, but that’s not my point. As an estate planner, I deal with death all the time. I also have to be aware of tax issues, although that is less important than it used to be. In fact, for most of my clients, taxes don’t factor into their estate plans in any significant way. That’s not the way it was when I started out. When I came back from law school, the estate tax was a huge issue. An...
