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Every year, the Department of Labor designates the last full week of September as National Employ Older Workers Week: Sept 21-27, 2025. The NEOW Week recognizes the vital role of older workers in the workforce, and it highlights the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which provides on-the-job skills training for seniors, 55 and older, with limited financial resources. SCSEP was authorized under the Older Americans Act of 1965. Here in Alaska, SCSEP is known as Mature Alaskans...
Have you ever settled the affairs for a relative or friend who has passed? Are you the future estate executor for a relative? While my articles generally focus on fraud topics, I’m offering the following tips based on my ongoing experience to date to help future executors. I had a rude awakening when my mother passed away in March of this year. I thought I had a handle on her affairs as the executor; I was listed on her banking accounts and had been paying her bills for several years. It’s been months, and I am still spending hours each wee...
Esteline "Estie" Moe, who has lived in Alaska since 1947, turned 103 this summer, celebrating her birthday with neighbors and family. When asked what the key to a long life is, she simply says, "You have to milk cows." Estie was raised on a farm in northern Minnesota, the eldest daughter in her family, and did chores alongside her father and two brothers. With 40 cows on the farm, she would milk ten cows every morning before breakfast and every night after school, shovel manure, and stack hay....
Join Alaska Commission on Aging Thursday, Sept. 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break noon-12:30 p.m.) on Zoom for our quarterly board meeting. We will recognize several national awareness days with special presentations featuring Alaskan voices. You can look forward to educational discussions and updates from local organizations including the Alaska Training Cooperative, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, ACLU Alaska Prison Project, the new State Falls Prevention Coalition, Alaska Long Term Care Ombudsman Office, Senior and Disabilities...
Air taxis are scary. I like new experiences, but I hoped this one would not be my last. I sat quietly in the unadorned waiting area at the air taxi terminal in Juneau-gritting my teeth and contemplating mortality. Then a guy behind the counter walked briskly into the waiting area, twirled his finger in the air and bellowed, "Time to go. Let's board the bus." The bus took eight or nine of us to the seaplane gently bobbing in the water next to the tarmac. As I awkwardly climbed in through the...
Q. Where can I learn more about tech-related topics? I’m not interested in news as much as how-to guides and general knowledge. A. There are so many options available online that finding gems can seem overwhelming. So I’m going to focus on a couple of sites that are well suited for helping my readers refresh their skills. The first is TechBoomers, which has focused on tech for the last 10 years but recently changed their name to Tech Life Unity (techlifeunity.com). Senior Planet is a site from AARP that hosts hundreds of video classes on top...
You have no doubt seen recent ads about “house stealing.” This is a real thing, although I think “title theft” is the better term. They don’t actually steal your house; it is still sitting there, firmly attached to the ground. But potentially it could indeed cause you to lose your house. Here’s how it works. You can prove you have title to your house because there is a series of deeds in the public record, showing who owned the underlying property, and who they sold it to, and that sequence of...
Generations of Alaska Natives made use of thick, black goo oozing out of the hills and beaches in the Last Frontier long before white men "discovered" oil. Sources say Northern Natives burned the tar-like chips, and Southeastern Natives used it for war paint. Oil shale was used in knives and labrets. The Russians knew of Alaska Peninsula oil seeps as early as 1860, but at this time whale oil was the important fuel. Oil from rocks was ignored. When Russian fur trade declined, the Russian...
Grandparents often play a profound role in a child's development and life, providing not just affection and guidance, but a link to family history. Their absence, however, can leave a void that lasts a lifetime. But what if a missing grandparent is a beloved celebrity, admired around the world-someone whose legacy is shared publicly, but whose presence is never personally experienced? In 1977, Jade Marx was just 3 years old when her maternal grandfather died. He was comedy legend Groucho Marx....
CARTA (Central Alaska Retired Teachers’ Association) is a nonprofit organization aimed at working and retired teachers as well as all those who care about education. Two to three scholarships of $2,500 each are awarded every year to applicants from the University of Alaska System for those people starting their “internship” to complete their education degrees. The group meets on the first or second Saturday of the month (September through May) for a luncheon at the Anchorage Moose Lodge. Each month features varying speakers or programs of in...
Anne Tompkins, Senior Voice Alaska’s ubiquitous ad sales representative, was recently named to the Municipality of Anchorage’s Senior Citizens Advisory Commission by the Anchorage Assembly. Her appointment is immediate. Her first meeting was Aug. 27. The commission meets the last Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to noon. Her term will last until October 2026, but she can be reappointed to the position. The municipality’s boards and commissions play an important role in ensuring good government by giving community members to contribute and s...
I can still remember the day my mother announced that we were going to make jam. I was perhaps 12 years old and the oldest of four siblings growing up in Glennallen. I don't remember what kind of berries we used or where they came from. But the other details certainly stuck in my mind-washing the jars, measuring the sugar, adding the Certo at just the right time, pouring the jam into the jars, and finally adding a layer of hot wax. Mom made very few batches of jam, but that one lesson stayed...
The heart of a society is often best expressed through its rituals and traditions. Hindu India joyfully joins together in the spring to fling colored powders at each other in the Festival of Holi, celebrating new beginnings. At the cusp of the year, whether it is the lunar year of Chinese or Jewish religions or the Gregorian calendar year, people gather to "ring out the old" and "bring in the new." All over the world fall harvests are marked with feasting: Sukkoth, Thanksgiving, or Pongal (rice festival). As cultures develop, practices change...
September starts the season of nonprofit in-person fundraisers. Many of the advocacy organizations who work with Elders, improving their lives and helping their loved ones navigate the complexities of caregiving, are busy planning the events that raise the most money for their organization ... The American Heart Association has its own kind of party when the Heart Run and Walk returns Sept. 20. This event had traditionally been held in April, but has switched to a fall date. ... Arc of Anchorage is preparing for a fun Trunk-Or-Treat fundraiser...
When a medical emergency happens, you may not be able to speak for yourself. That's why having an emergency medical file ready is one of the smartest things you can do to protect your health and safety. An emergency medical file is a simple folder or envelope that contains all your important medical information in one place. You know all those questions the EMTs and nurses and doctors ask so often? It's because the answers are key to the care you need. This file is your medical story told...
In August, Island Cove adult day care program participants had the opportunity to attend a field trip to U.S. Coast Guard Base Kodiak. Lt. Jeff Batchelder gave participants a tour of the hangars on base, answering questions and providing photo opportunities. Afterward, participants enjoyed pizza at the bowling alley and arrived back safely to Island Cove. Island Cove offers a safe, caring, and active environment for seniors and adults with special needs. The program supports participants'...
The Organization for Lifelong Education, commonly known as OLÉ, has a full schedule of classes and activities this fall for Anchorage-based learners. In Fairbanks, a program through the University of Alaska Fairbanks also offers courses. Sandra Christopherson is one of the founders of OLÉ. She a group of friends thought Anchorage needed more opportunities for adult learners. They put together a nonprofit in 2007 with that aim, enlisting people known for getting things done, such as Gretchen B...
For every 20 readers, one of you is doing the incredible work of raising a young relative. Although you may feel alone at times, you are definitely in good company. A community of caregivers Across the United States, more than 2.6 million children are being raised by a grandparent, other relative, or close family friend, according to nationwide advocacy organization Generations United. The vast majority of these kinship families are formed independently, outside the state foster care system....
A new AI-based breast cancer software has received FDA Breakthrough Device destination, accelerating the path to approval. The system analyzes mammograms to produce a risk score estimating the likelihood that a woman will develop breast cancer over the next five years. The technology is compatible with both types of mammogram imaging available: the four 2D views of the breast produced by full-field digital mammography and the synthetic 3D view of the breast produced by digital breast...
Amy Urbanus was already an assistant professor in the dietetics and nutrition program at the University of Alaska Anchorage but missed working with patients. So she started working with patients at the Anchorage Senior Activities Center, putting in about 20 hours a month to address seniors' nutrition needs. That work, and a professional career as a diabetes educator drove Urbanus to seek a Ph.D., which she is completing at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She designed her own...
As we age our nutritional needs change. Paying attention to the foods we consume can keep our energy level, vitality, cognition, stamina and strength, and prevent chronic health problems. Strategies to increase or to maintain muscle mass and its functional capacity are essential to preserve the quality of life of aging adults. Here is a quick guide for aging well. 1) Boost protein intake-it helps to preserve immune system, prevent the loss of muscle mass and strength and helps to aid recovery. G...
For those of us enrolled into Original Medicare (Parts A & B), most of us have also enrolled into one of Medicare’s Part D Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs). Each year, we may make changes to this prescription coverage during Medicare’s Open Enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, for changes which will then go into effect from Jan. 1 onward. Leading up to this open enrollment, you will start to receive notices with information relating to any changes in your plan for the com...
Dear Savvy Senior, A few months ago, I took an ambulance to the hospital emergency room because I had a nasty fall at home, but just received a hefty $1,050 bill from the ambulance company. Doesn’t Medicare cover ambulance rides? - Frustrated Beneficiary Dear Beneficiary, Yes, Medicare does cover emergency ambulance services and, in limited cases, nonemergency ambulance services too, but only when they’re deemed medically necessary and reasonable. So, what does that mean? First, it means that your medical condition must be serious enough tha...
AARP Alaska Medicare scams spike each year during the open enrollment period from October through December. Scammers may pressure you to agree to a new plan or offer a new Medicare card, free medical equipment, or genetic testing. Scammers spoof the phone number to make it look like the call is coming from Medicare. They may know personal details like your date of birth or address, but don't let that fool you into thinking the caller is legitimate! Scammers can easily purchase or find that information. Remember, Medicare will not call you unexp...
Q: My wife recently passed away. How do I live without her? I feel lonely and lost. A: My heartfelt condolences for your loss. The grief you are experiencing can feel overwhelming and unbearable. Heartbreak following the death of a loved one is challenging; it begins in the mind, but impacts the entire body, heightening stress and affecting your senses. What is happening After a significant loss—be it a death, job loss, divorce, or other major life transition—grief manifests in stages. It...
