Articles from the June 1, 2019 edition


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  • Budget cuts take toll on assistance programs

    Mackenzie Stewart, Senior Voice|Jun 1, 2019

    Years of declining oil prices and increased spending of state funds came to a head for a number of state-subsidized senior assistance programs this legislative season. After taking office in Dec. 2018, Gov. Dunleavy’s proposed operating budget for FY20 sought to match state revenue to state expenses and asked Alaskans to look at the hard truth of the financial situation the state is currently facing. While a fiscally responsible budget is desired, programs that benefit low-income seniors in need, such as the Office of the Long Term Care O...

  • Successful aging means sharing and teaching

    Jordan Lewis, For Senior Voice|Jun 1, 2019

    Being surrounded by grandchildren and children from the community is a blessing for anyone, and especially when you are given an opportunity to share what you have learned in your life. While we are doing interviews in Elders’ homes across Alaska, we are always surrounded by children and the joy visible on the Elders’ face, in their stories, and passion for their futures and learning what it means to be a healthy Native person. This desire to share your knowledge, stories and to teach the youth, is a stage of human development we achieve in...

  • Opinion: State should not increase Pioneer Home rates

    Rep. Zack Fields|Jun 1, 2019

    The Dunleavy administration has brought unprecedented threats to Alaska Seniors. From Senior Benefits to Medicaid health insurance, the governor has put elders in the crosshairs. Fortunately, legislators are working together to defend Alaska’s Pioneer and Veteran Homes from the governor’s attacks. The Dept. of Health and Social Services has proposed massive rate increases for Pioneer Home residents. His proposal would more than double rates for many residents. According to the non-partisan Division of Legislative Finance, proposed rate inc...

  • June is the month of gay pride celebrations in many Alaska cities

    Gayle Schuh|Jun 1, 2019

    A child drawn to the rainbow stickers on display was heard asking his mom, “What’s a Pride?” “Pride is when you get to celebrate loving who you are,” was her perfect response. For the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community, much of the focus is on the “coming out” time of life. Who will you tell and how will they react? Will your family reject you or embrace you? Will you lose any friends, your apartment, or your job? Coming out happens over a period of time as you reveal your authentic self to more and more people. What escapes...

  • RIP LGBT: Let's end sexual orientation initials

    Madeline G. Holdorf|Jun 1, 2019

    While leaving a recent nonprofit meeting another member was muttering aloud, obviously annoyed. I questioned why. He said: “Ugh, ‘A’ means ‘Ally’, it has always meant ally, not ‘Alternative.’” I agreed; he was correct. What frustrated him was discussion with a younger volunteer who insisted the “A” in LGBTA meant one thing; in essence negating the other “A” which stands for straight allies. This discord reminded me of a recurring thought. The initials “LGBT” became common in the 1980s to combine gender identities and create an inclusive fra...

  • Grandfamilies cut across class and ethnic groups

    Angie Boddie, Diverse Elders Coalition|Jun 1, 2019

    Caregiving provided by grandparents serves as a safety net for children in need of parenting regardless of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Approximately 2.9 million grandparents make breakfast, organize their grandchildren's activities, arrange doctor's appointments, help with homework, and worry about how they are going to afford college coupled with their everyday household expenses. Since the 1970s, the number of grandparents raising grandchildren in the United States has rapidly...

  • Prostate health: Zinc, capsaicin and more

    Wendell Fowler, Senior Wire|Jun 1, 2019

    Macho American men are not getting enough zinc in their diet, and far too many procrastinate until their prostate is the size of a bowling ball before they visit their family physician for the dreaded one-digit “test.” Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America, affecting one in six men. One new case of prostate cancer occurs every 2.25 minutes and a man dies from prostate cancer every 19 minutes. It is the second most common cause of cancer-related death among American men, and more than half of all men over 50 years of age...

  • Farmers' Market Coupons available in June

    Senior Voice Staff|Jun 1, 2019

    June is the month seniors can start using Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program coupons. Each recipient gets six coupons, worth $5 each, which can be used through Oct. 31. Coupons are issued to low-income seniors and can be exchanged for fresh Alaska-grown fruits, vegetables, fresh-cut herbs and honey at farmers’ markets and authorized farms and roadside stands. The program distributes the coupons to senior centers and other agencies, which pass them on to seniors age 60 or older who meet the program’s income guidelines. Call your local...

  • Balance billing and what it means for you

    Nila Morgan, For Senior Voice|Jun 1, 2019

    Balance billing is when a provider bills you for the difference between the amount he charges for a product or service and the insurance company’s negotiated amount. For example, if the provider’s charge is $100 and the allowed amount or the amount the insurance will cover is $70, the provider may bill you for the remaining $30. This amount can include deductibles, co-insurance and copayments. There are certain Medicare beneficiaries who providers are not allowed to balance bill. This is als...

  • Fiber, health and truth from the 1800s

    Carrie Luger Slayback, Senior Wire|Jun 1, 2019

    My Grandma Tillie, born in 1893, was on to something. Her son, my dad, made fun of his mom. He laughed at her admonitions to eat fiber-filled whole grains, saying, "Tillie was always telling us to eat brown bread for our bowels." My dad was a scientist, but in the science of fiber consumption, Grandma was the authority. Harvard.com's Nancy Ferrari agrees with Grandma Tillie. She quotes Dr. Harvard Med School's Frank Hu, who says fiber diets help to prevent type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular...

  • Alaska Health Fair provides important services year-round

    Alaska Health Fair, Inc.|Jun 1, 2019

    If you’ve missed attending a local community or worksite health fair or are seeking an additional blood test, we want you to be aware that our staff provides high quality office draws (on an appointment basis) on select Tuesdays each month. These are not walk-in services. To schedule an appointment, please call our local offices – Anchorage at (907) 278-0234 or Fairbanks at (907) 374-6853. The summer season schedule varies for both offices. All test availability, pricing and payment methods remain the same as at a health fair except we cha...

  • Day centers are more than places for naps

    Dani Kebschull, Forget-Me-Not Adult Day Services|Jun 1, 2019

    Have you heard of adult day services and if you have, what does it bring to mind? Hopefully not a group of seniors sitting in recliners, napping. Adult day services (sometimes also referred to as “day care”) provide quality care and companionship for older adults who need assistance or supervision during the day. Often it is used by family caregivers as respite services, providing a place they can bring their loved one and not have to worry. Forget-Me-Not Adult Day Center is located in Kenai and is operated by Frontier Community Services. Forge...

  • Free training, support for family caregivers

    Senior Voice Staff|Jun 1, 2019

    The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in June. This month’s topic is “When is it time for a long term care facility?” Understandably, many family members want to care for their loved one at home for as long as possible. However, what does “for as long as possible” really mean? What factors indicate the time may be right to consider placing someone into an assisted living or nursing home? Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver...

  • Financial toxicity from medical expenses is getting worse

    John Schieszer, Medical Minutes|Jun 1, 2019

    A new study is suggesting that more than half of Americans report problems with affordability, stress or delaying care because of medical costs. The study, which was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, estimates more than 100 million people in the U.S. experience medical financial hardship. High out-of-pocket spending for medical care is an increasingly critical issue. It can lead to a depletion of assets and medical debt, as well as distress and worry about household...

  • Fishing for lures leads to a scary swim

    Maraley McMichael, For Senior Voice|Jun 1, 2019

    To get to his construction job site those early summer mornings in 1974, my husband, Gary, could either drive 24 miles into Fairbanks and then another 25 miles to Eielson Air Force Base, or drive 4 miles down Chena Hot Springs road, park the car, take the canoe across the Chena River and get a ride with a co-worker who was camped there in the campground. The shortest route usually won out, and so a lot of river crossings took place - to work in the morning and from work in the evenings, six days...

  • Free tax assistance over the summer

    Senior Voice Staff|Jun 1, 2019

    Still working on a tax return? Need some help? AARP Tax-Aide program volunteers will be available “off-season” in Anchorage and Ketchikan. Anchorage AARP State Office, Frontier Bldg., 14th Floor, from noon to 3 p.m. on June 13, July 11, Aug. 7, Sept. 4 and Oct. 2. Appointments are encouraged for June and July; walk-in only for August, September and October. Call 907-538-4228 or email alaskataxaide@gmail.comalaskataxaide@gmail.com. Ketchikan Call for appointment, 907-821-8263. Be sure to bring your Social Security card, picture ID, W-2s and all...

  • Networking for Anchorage, Mat-Su area providers

    Senior Voice Staff|Jun 1, 2019

    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 (formerly known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, Inc., is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The June meeting is June 12, hosted by Trinion Quality Care Services. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons Action Group, Inc. for more information on...

  • Is this a scam? Find out at Anchorage forum

    Senior Voice Staff|Jun 1, 2019

    “Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns July 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. The July topic is, “Not Everything is as it Seems.” An increasing number of Americans are falling victim to more elaborate and sophisticated types of fraud and scams. These are inevitable by-products of our tech age, but are by no means limited to online hucksters. Moreover, scammers target people they believe are most vulner...

  • Protect yourself from the Social Security impostor scam

    Jim Miller, Savvy Senior|Jun 1, 2019

    Dear Savvy Senior: I recently received a strange call from a Social Security employee. He told me my Social Security number had been suspended because it was involved in a crime, and that I needed to reactivate it and secure my bank funds by withdrawing them and putting them on gift cards. Is this a scam? - Worried Rita Dear Rita: Yes. It’s actually known as the “Social Security impostor scam” and it’s becoming a widespread problem in the U.S. The Federal Trade Commission has received more than 76,000 reports about this growing scam in the pas...

  • Nome town boy makes good

    Laurel Downing Bill, Senior Voice Correspondent|Jun 1, 2019

    Seventy-seven years ago this month Japanese Zeros bombed Dutch Harbor and then occupied Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands. Why? Because they thought that two months earlier James "Jimmy" Doolittle had led the U.S. Army Air Forces in the first-ever bombing raid on Japan from an airstrip in the Aleutian Chain and wanted to prevent further attacks on their homeland. The Japanese bombers probably were surprised when they did not find any military air bases in the Aleutians. Turns out Doolittle...

  • Congratsamundo, Anson Williams, for saving lives

    Nick Thomas, Tinseltown Talks|Jun 1, 2019

    As one of the most popular television shows in the late 70s to early 80s, "Happy Days" helped propel many cast regulars into the production side of show business. Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Don Most and Anson Williams all achieved recognition behind the camera as producers, directors and/or writers. Williams played Potsie – the naïve, well-meaning friend to Ron Howard's Richie Cunningham character – and says the show was almost shelved when the pilot didn't sell and then aired by ABC for an e...

  • Will you be financially secure after retirement?

    Lawrence D. Weiss, For Senior Voice|Jun 1, 2019

    Ah, retirement -- the “golden years.” Visions of fit youngish-looking seniors cavorting on a white-sands beach. Beautiful perfect-teeth smiles glowing on their faces, palm trees swaying in the breeze, and brilliant blue-green waters glistening in the background. This is how retirement is portrayed in the travel brochures and the financial products advertisements. Alas, the economic realities of retirement are less uniformly euphoric. According to the recently released 28th Annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) conducted by the Employee Ben...

  • Social Security staff answer your questions

    Senior Voice Staff|Jun 1, 2019

    Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in June: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (June 11 and 25), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (June 5 and 19), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (June 6, 13, 20 and 27), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can call the...

  • Oh no! Another holographic will

    Kenneth Kirk, For Senior Voice|Jun 1, 2019

    Seated across the desk from me is the dejected widow. Arrayed around her are her children, there to give support. The mood is sad, as it always is in the days after a husband and father has died. “I’m very sorry to hear of your husband’s passing,” I say, “please tell me what I can do to help.” She sighs. “Apparently there were some assets which were just in my husband’s name. I understand we’ll have to go through probate. Can you tell us how to do that?” “Certainly,” I say, then ask a key questi...

  • Travel tips, new PC skills, Linux for old hardware

    Bob DeLaurentis, Senior Wire|Jun 1, 2019

    Q. What advice can you share for traveling with personal tech devices this summer? A. Plan ahead for Internet connectivity, storage space and power. Our phones and tablets thrive in environments with speedy internet. When the internet is slow, intermittent or absent altogether, smart devices dumb down fast. The problem is compounded by several factors. While many places have reasonably good internet, many more places do not, especially in rural areas. Worse, the devices expect the user to know what will happen when the data spigot suddenly turn...

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