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Gets rid of wrinkles, provides rapid weight loss, gives your digestive system a rest, detoxifies your body and even cures cancer – these are some of the benefit claims that proponents of “juicing” make. This popular part of the 60’s and 70’s health food movement seems to be back, with fresh juices standard fare in chic, health-focused eateries. With all the dietary emphasis on eating more fresh vegetables and fruits and the many tantalizing health claims, you may think that juicing could be...
While the Obama administration battles with the Republican House of Representatives this summer in the public relations fight over getting people to sign up for the new health care insurance coverage, key decisions affecting millions of poor folks are being made at the state level with major consequences. Supporters and opponents are squaring off in efforts to sell or roll back the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare.” Both sides want to get the tactical advantage in advance of when people start to sign up for health...
In May, approximately 85 elders and seniors, providers and community members came together at the Millennium Alaskan Hotel to discuss the theme of the Second Annual Anchorage Elders Summit, “Connecting Elders, Strengthening the Community.” The format of the summit as envisioned by the sponsors, Alaska Rural Behavioral Health Training Academy (ARBHTA), and the Trust Training Cooperative, in partnership with the Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission, is to provide a place for our eld...
Editor’s note: This press statement was received on June 12, 2013. Senator Lisa Murkowski advocated today on behalf of the 6,900 living Hmong-American veterans who served in Vietnam under covert operations, testifying before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in support of her legislation that would allow these veterans to be paid a final honor they earned: being laid to rest beside their brothers-in-arms in our national cemeteries. “Members of our Hmong community that fought under the CIA during Vietnam currently enjoy no rights as vet...
Direct-care health aide — helping the elderly bathe, dress and eat — is the fastest growing occupation in the U.S. But the labor shortage is dire. As the baby boomers age, this sector of health care faces a dangerous shortage because the work is surely not “easy street” and the pay is crummy. Aides are often bitten, kicked or cursed at by patients with dementia. Nursing homes and in-home health care agencies are struggling to find help, and about 20 percent of the workers in this field of care are more than 55 years of age and eager to retire....
Since Medicare Part D went into effect in 2006, prescription drugs have been an integral part of the Medicare benefit package. So, the question of how seniors can save additional money on medications often comes up, but so does the question of how the entire Medicare Part D program can be more cost-effective and save taxpayers money without jeopardizing enrollee benefits. Q: Will closing the Part D “doughnut hole” really save beneficiaries money? A: Many seniors may not be aware that the infamous “doughnut hole,” or gap in coverage, is closing...
I would like to reiterate, for all the Affordable Care (ACA) skeptics, the many benefits of ACA: 1. Health care plans now must allow parents to keep their children who are under the age of 26 on their family health coverage. (The exception in Alaska is because our governor has decided that the Alaska Care Retiree Health plan is not subject to that provision.) 2. The new 80/20 law means that insurance companies cannot spend more than 20 percent on administrative costs and must spend at least 80 p...
If a person has had their diabetic testing supplies delivered by a local home medical supplier in the past, they need to know the rules are changing around purchasing and paying for diabetic testing supplies. As of July 1, 2013, if diabetic supplies are delivered to the beneficiary’s home by any method they would not be included as part of the covered benefit under the Medicare program, unless they are being delivered by one of the National Mail Order Program Contract Suppliers. So beneficiaries have two options: They can either have their t...
A free seminar, “Medicare and the Affordable Care Act,” will be offered Aug. 13 at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center from 1 to 3 p.m. Space is limited so RSVP by calling 770-2028....
The sibling relationship is considered the longest-lasting of the human experience, providing the greatest opportunity for reciprocal support and care. Today in the United States, there are millions of people who assume a larger role as caregivers in the lives of their brother or sister with disabilities more so than in previous generations. When given the opportunity to meet other siblings of individuals with disabilities, they often note their sense of comfort and relief to know they are not alone. There is a new group called the Tanana...
Phone technology may play dramatic new role in health care In the next 12 months, doctors will be able to make house calls where they diagnose and treat the patients on the spot using their phones. Researchers and physicians in the field are about to start running on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, medical diagnostics, food safety and more with their smartphones. University of Illinois researchers have developed a cradle and app for the iPhone that uses the phone’s built-in camera and p...
The Alaska State Library Talking Book Center held their 3rd Annual Open House Celebration on June 19. Attendees celebrated the arrival of summer with ice cream sundaes and an “old-time” melodrama performed by Lynn Cragholm. The center is a federal-state partnership bringing audio book and magazines free of charge to people whose visual or physical disabilities prevent them from reading standard print. The National Library Service supplies the book and magazines plus the playback equipment. State libraries across the country provide staff and...
The current wisdom is that 70 percent of us will need long term care at some point. Alaska’s long term care is the most expensive in the nation. So long term care financing is on a lot of people’s minds, with good reason. However, if you are thinking about purchasing long term care insurance, it really pays to do the research so you understand the product. I highly recommend the consumer guides which the state Division of Insurance has on its website at http://commerce.alaska...
(Taken from Action for Happiness) Gratitude is known to be good for us and those around us. Yet it isn’t always our automatic response and we often take the good things in our lives for granted. So we have to consciously learn to get into the habit of being grateful. Science is showing us that gratitude increases how much positive emotion we feel and decreases negative emotion. It raises our overall satisfaction with life and helps us have a positive outlook. It has also been shown to reduce health complaints and help us cope with d...
One of Alaska’s trailblazers made history 100 years ago this month. Robert E. “Bobby” Sheldon made the first automobile trip over the wagon trail from Fairbanks to Valdez in July 1913. Sheldon had another first before that feat. He built the first automobile in Alaska. Sheldon and his father arrived in Skagway from Snohomish, Wash., in 1883, on their way to the Klondike gold fields. However, Sheldon’s father died and left him to fend for himself at the age of 14. The boy survived by selling...
Now, in the heart of summertime, is time to think about spending some fun time with family and friends. So it is fitting that July is both National Vacation Month and National Park and Recreation Month. Going on vacation – whether to visit some of the nation’s great national and state parks or traveling to other fun destinations – doesn’t mean you need to disconnect completely. In fact, our new mobile website makes it easy for you to get the Social Security information you need when you’re...
Long-time Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne has interviewed just about every Hollywood star imaginable over the past 60 years – a dream job that any classic movie fan would envy. Although he dabbled briefly in acting, including the 1962 pilot episode of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” he became a journalist for the Hollywood Reporter. After accepting an offer as temporary host for an entertainment segment on CBS in New York, he fell in love with the city and television, and remained in both...
Q. I am concerned about the permission requests I get when I install apps on my Android phone. Some of them make me wonder if the apps are safe. Should I be concerned? A. Your concern is justified. Most Android app installations require some special-access permissions, so you have to decide whether a given app is worth allowing them. Many are necessary, while the need for others is questionable. For example, there are some wallpaper apps that require access to your Contacts. Before granting permission, stop and ask yourself, “Why would a w...
New Mexico sites an Eighth Wonder of the World? Years ago (make that at least a half century ago) when Marilyn and I were in our twenties and newly married we traveled with her parents to New Mexico. I’d been there before but that didn’t count. I was only a two-year-old at the time and after a year our family moved to Kansas. Obviously I had no memory of New Mexico, and the trip with Marilyn’s mom and dad was a happy eye-opener. In terms of travel attractions, New Mexico may well contain some...
If you are 65 or older, 70 percent physically disabled or blind, you are eligible for a fishing proxy. This means you may have someone else fish for you for most fish and shellfish, though proxy fishing for halibut is not allowed. For more information or to pick up a form, visit your local senior center or Dept. of Fish and Game office. Or visit the website www.adfg.alaska.gov. The Proxy Fishing Information Form can be downloaded, printed, then filled out, but it has to be brought in, faxed, or scanned in then e-mailed to an Alaska Fish and...
