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School is about to start, and I'm thinking about what it means to be a senior. Wearing the label "senior" makes you think about who you are and the kind of role you serve. Whether you're graduating high school or nearing your 80s, you serve as a role model to those younger than you. To me, the senior in my life who has inspired me the most is my Oma. Growing up spending time with her every Thursday was by far the highlight of the week. Not just because she is my Oma, but because of how...
AARP Alaska invites you to join us in celebrating the 90th anniversary of Social Security on Aug. 14. For 90 years, Social Security has provided a stable and reliable foundation for the retirement security of millions of Americans. We are committed to ensuring that this vital program remains strong for generations to come. A legacy of security Since 1935, Social Security has been a cornerstone for older Americans, enabling them to live and retire with dignity. It has supported people with disabi...
Dear Savvy Senior, My husband and I are in our 50s and would like to know what resources you recommend for locating senior discounts, and what age do they kick in? - Frugal Fay Dear Fay, One of the great perks of growing older in America is the many discounts that are available. There are literally thousands of senior discounts on a wide variety of products and services including restaurants, travel and lodging, entertainment, retail, health, grocery stores, automotive services and much more....
Q: Have you heard about TikTok Shop? It is fascinating how my 72-year-old cousin has successfully sold her personally designed sweatshirts online through this platform. How does it work? A: TikTok Shop is part of the popular TikTok app, serving as an online marketplace where users can shop for various products and showcase their own creations. This platform enhances the shopping experience by making product discovery and transactions seamless and easy. TikTok is just one of the many pathways...
This advice is not just for kids-although contact with "cooties" will inevitably go up when kids (and teachers) return to school in the fall. If you or your grandchildren have a history of being vulnerable to commons colds or flus at the beginning of the school year, there are a few simple ways to help stave off the misery of being ill. Hand-washing is an obvious, but under-utilized, method to prevent disease. Avoid the triclosan-containing anti-bacterial soaps, which are contributing to the...
As you may know, original Medicare covers approximately 80% of the cost of most out-patient services. But what about the remaining 20%, or even the other out-of-pocket costs like deductibles or the costs of in-patient care? You may want to consider purchasing a Medicare Supplement Insurance (also known as a Medigap) policy as a companion to your Medicare coverage. But how to know which one? My first recommendation is to obtain a copy of the “Consumer Guide to Medicare Supplement Insurance (...
The Alaska Commission on Aging invites the public to an upcoming educational webinar designed to empower Alaskans with the knowledge they need to navigate qualifying for Medicaid long-term care. This free webinar, Long-Term Care Medicaid Eligibility with Alaskan Attorney Amrit Kaur Khalsa, will be held via Zoom on Monday, Aug. 18, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Alaska time. The Commission is offering this webinar in response to the enthusiastic feedback received after our June Estate Planning Webinar with Chelsea Riekkola, held in recognition of World...
A medication for treating diabetes may have hidden brain benefits. Researchers have found that semaglutide, a popular diabetes and weight-loss drug, may lower the risk of dementia in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Dementia, a condition that slowly makes it harder for people to remember things and think clearly, occurs when brain cells are damaged and their connections stop working properly. This damage, which worsens over time, can be caused by various modifiable factors, including obesity,...
August is a month rich with family traditions-reunions, barbecues, road trips, and multigenerational gatherings that bring kids, parents, and grandparents together. For families with a loved one living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia (ADRD), these visits can be both precious and challenging. Grandchildren may be visiting from out of town, eager to connect with grandparents they don't see often. For those living with memory loss, these visits can be a source of joy-but also...
In 1965 Bill Dunlevy was in the U.S. Air Force stationed in California. A friend taught him how to pan for gold. He was hooked. Bill and his family drove to Alaska in 1977. A few years later he retired from the Air Force and took a job in the private sector. He continued to mine for gold in southcentral Alaska and as far away as Nome. In 2008 Bill and five partners purchased a gold mining claim at a remote site in the Wrangell Mountains. Bill is 85 now. I interviewed him just a few weeks before...
On July 18, the Republican-led Congress agreed to roll back $1.1 billion already allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the following two fiscal years. The funding serves as the basis for more than 1,500 public media stations around the country. In Alaska, there are 27 radio licensees. Both Rep. Nick Begich and Sen. Dan Sullivan voted in favor of the rescission bill. Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted against the rescission package. Sullivan was awarded the 2020 Champion of Public...
With 54 million acres total in the state's eight national parklands, and on top of that, 15 national historical areas, plus the state's 15 prehistoric landmarks that are archaeological sites dating back to pre-European (also called pre-contact time), as well as the 34 historic landmarks detailing the state's past since Europeans arrived, there's a lot to see. Many are just a drive away. Like any road trip in Alaska, some parks will be anywhere from four and a half hours to 18 hours to get to....
It is a dangerous thing to try to summarize a complex piece of legislation. As I’m sure you know, Congress recently passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which runs close to 1,000 pages. Reading something that long would be difficult, even if it was a well-written, enjoyable book. “Les Miserables” is longer at about 1,500 pages, but a congressional bill will include a lot of secondary references, so it will say something like “8 US Code section 347(a)(4) is repealed” and if you want to unders...
Last April, I attended a lady's program at Lazy Mountain Bible Church on Clark Wolverine Road (going out toward the Butte), and since I was not in a hurry, on the way back to Palmer I decided to stop at Bushes Bunches Produce Stand. They've been open for several years and even stayed open all winter the past three years, but I rarely get to that part of the Valley. I expected to find a lot of empty spaces knowing it was too early in the season for local produce, but figured they'd at least have...
When Joy-El Culligan first came to the Fairbanks Community Food Bank in 2022, a new MASST participant at age 87, executive director Anne Weaver immediately thought she would make an excellent greeter. The Food Bank had used greeters during the COVID-19 pandemic and managed to keep the operation safely going and steadily growing. As the Food Bank's 2020 Annual Report put it, "Our amazing Mature Alaskans Seeking Skills Training (MASST) workers 'manned' the front door, took pre-entry temperatures,...
August is fair season in Alaska. The Tanana Valley State Fair is July 25-Aug. 3. It’s chock full of summer fun, from concerts to a beer pong tournament. It takes place at 1800 College Road in Fairbanks. https://www.tvsfa.org/... Next is the Kenai Peninsula Fair, Aug. 8-10. It draws about 7,000 people per year. https://www.kenaipeninsulafair.com/ … The biggest of them all is the Alaska State Fair, held at the fairgrounds in Palmer from Aug. 15-Sept. 1. It’s the place to see hard-working farm kids and the animals they raised, get delec...
Analysis of bowhead whale poop shows that more toxins from typically warm-water toxic algae species are entering Arctic food webs as northern oceans warm and lose sea ice. The findings are based on nearly 20 years of feces samples collected from bowhead whales harvested for subsistence purposes by Alaska Native people living on the Beaufort Sea coast. The study, conducted by an interdisciplinary team led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was published in July in the...
Aug. 1-31 National Immunization Awareness Month Aug. 1-31 National Motorsports Awareness Month Aug. 1 International Beer Day Aug. 1 International World Lung Cancer Day. A day to bring attention to lung cancer and the need for more lung cancer research. https://lcfamerica.org/get-involved/raise-awareness/honoring-world-lung-cancer-day/ Aug. 4 National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Among the greatest inventions in American cooking. Aug. 8 International Cat Day (Not to be confused with the National...
A pint-sized, foul-mouthed, bear-hunting frontierswoman left her mark on the harsh Alaska wilderness. Weighing in at about 100 pounds, which included a bottle of homebrew she always had tucked inside her boot, Fannie Quigley was made for the tough life she carved out for herself near Denali. Born in 1870 to Czech immigrant farmers in Wahoo, Nebraska, Fannie grew up enduring blizzards, droughts, and plagues of locusts that instilled in her an unbreakable pioneer spirit. At just 16 years old, she...
Only about three out of every 10,000 Americans will reach the age of 100. Included in that rare longevity category is actress June Lockhart who tipped the century mark on June 25 this year. "I can't believe it either!" she told me recently. And no, it's not merely coincidence she shares a name with her birth month. Parents Gene and Kathleen Lockhart were both actors who married in June 1924 in Chicago. The following year, their only child was born – also in June. "They were expecting a boy w...
Q. How difficult is it to check out eBooks from the public library? A. There are a number of different methods to access library books on a device. One of the most commonly used is also one of the easiest to use: Libby. Not every library system supports Libby, so check your local branch before you move forward. Install the Libby app from your device’s App Store. Enter your library credentials, usually a card number and PIN number. If you need help with this step, ask someone at your local library for assistance. The Libby app allows you to b...
Technology might seem "extra" at first, but it can be your best friend during an emergency. Whether you're dealing with a winter storm, power outage, or medical crisis, the right apps and devices can help keep you safe and connected to help. Your smartphone is more than just a phone. It's a powerful emergency tool that fits in your pocket. Most phones come with built-in emergency features you might not know about. If you have an iPhone, you can press the side button five times quickly to call...
A free weekend shuttle for the Fairview neighborhood in Anchorage is running to the Midtown Carrs and the Fred Meyer grocery stores and back. The service began July 19. With the closure of the historic Carrs on Gambell, it is a major challenge for Fairview residents to get groceries or access a pharmacy without a vehicle. To help ensure food security and access to medicine for the whole neighborhood, the temporary shuttle service was organized through a partnership between the Municipality of Anchorage, NeighborWorks Alaska, and BAC...
Established in 1968, OPAG is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to improving services, developing programs, educating, promoting and implementing changes to help Alaska seniors live healthy, productive lives. Current programs: - publish the monthly Senior Voice newspaper - publish and distribute the Directory for Older Alaskans senior resource directory - provide information and referral services for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Health Care Act and other senior issues - organize monthly Providers' Breakfast...
