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"I think I opened the wrong door and went into the 'men's'", her friend said to my sister, Shirley, after returning to their car, which was parked in the driveway of my house. "The one I went into had a urinal." Shirley laughed and said, "No, you found the right place...his and hers in the same outhouse." They had stopped at my house for a pit stop on their one-day trip from Glennallen to Anchorage a few months into COVID. Sometimes Shirley would call and give me a "heads up" first, but not...
In Fairbanks, OLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program at University of Alaska Fairbanks, will begin registration in August for its fall semester classes and will use a new lottery system to accommodate high demand. Classes are offered to adults age 50 and older and topics cover films and photography, exercise and recreation, arts and crafts, foods and flowers, healthy living, science and mathematics, literature and languages, history, politics, other academics, and much more. The new registration system will allow students to sign...
When Land Office chief Andrew Christensen opened the auction for townsites above Ship Creek on July 10, 1915, bidding became so brisk that prospective lot owners couldn't hold down prices. After sales closed a week later, 655 lots had sold for almost $150,000 (more than $4 million in today's dollars). Christensen claimed the sale had "injected confidence in the people of the town" that soon would become Anchorage. But that confidence may have been tempered somewhat when the residents realized th...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program office is located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205 (located in the 4D Professional Building). You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email kpfcsp@soldotnaseniors.comkpfcsp@soldotnaseniors.com. The program will hold caregiver support group meetings in July at the locations below. Training is from 1 to 2 p.m., with support group meetings following, 2 to 3 p.m. Unless otherwise noted, this month’s training features a presentation and discussion on “Assisted Living Questions,” with Melis...
Alaska for the first time is getting a USGA championship. Anchorage Golf Course will host the 60th U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championship, July 30-Aug. 4, 2022. It will mark the first time the USGA has taken one of its championships to the 49th state. Located on a hillside overlooking the city of Anchorage, this course is a municipal golf course designed by architect Bill Newcomb. The 6,600-yard layout features rolling, tree-lined fairways that lead to well bunkered, undulating greens. The...
The Alaska International Senior Games (AISG) is the official Alaska state qualifier for pickleball for the National Senior Games Assoc. (NSGA), which is a national organization of athletes age 50 and older. And this year's AISG Games will be the Alaska qualifying event for the NSGA Pickleball Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa., July 7-18, 2023. Diann Darnall, president of Alaska International Senior Games (AISG), says pickleball was requested to be included in the games in 2011, and was...
Living at our place on Chena Hot Springs Road out of Fairbanks the spring of 1975, my husband Gary and I wanted to be as self-sufficient as possible. We had five acres, but no electric power. Besides tending our garden, greenhouse and two honeybee hives, we decided to raise our own meat. So, we purchased thirty Cornish Cross chicks and two Holstein calves. Of course, these cute little peeps soon outgrew their cardboard box. We built a small plywood shelter and created a fenced enclosure with chi...
While travel by car seems prohibitive with gas prices at an all-time high of $5.51 in June, a drive to a festival may be the cure for he several years of isolation due to the pandemic. Get out and meet your fellow Alaskans or travel to a town you once lived in and see old friends. Kachemak Bay Highland Games, July 2-3, Homer. Men in skirts! Highland games of skill like tossing the caber – a big hunk of wood as far as you can. Clan regalia will be on sale. On Saturday night at 6:30 p.m., there's...
Since writing about clinical trials several editions back, I’ve earned about $40 in gift cards. Now I search for more. Participating in clinical studies can put a jingle in your pocket while contributing to medical science. Even my 5-year-old granddaughter realized this contribution -- when I gave her a microscope for her birthday, she said, “Now I can cure people!” The webpage that details current clinical trial research in your area is www.clinicalconnection.com/search-clinical-trials. I have to say, using this website was a little more...
The loyalty of many long time clients and the curiosity of many new ones has helped us at Alaska Health Fair to ride the crazy, wild waves of 2020-2022 and we didn’t go under water during the process. Our staff and volunteers will now take a short summer break, and dream of or take advantage of long weeks of camping or fishing as many of you might dream of. We use summer for personal leave, to rest and recover, write grants, do inventories, restock supplies, catch up on reports, book events and carefully prepare for the whirlwind of what we c...
Low-income Alaskans now qualify for discounted or free internet access, thanks to an expanded federal program announced by the White House May 16. The White House estimates the program will cover 48 million households, or 40 percent of the country. The Affordable Connectivity Program grants up to $30 a month to pay for high-speed internet for households who qualify under certain programs and income levels. Do you qualify for this program? There are two main ways to qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program: Your household income, which...
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...
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...
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...
Ride sharing and van service for older adults in Alaska has taken a terrible beating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many transportation services in much of the state were cut back or eliminated. Now, as the pandemic is winding down, ride services are returning. Fairbanks Senior Center Executive Director Darlene Supplee, executive director said the pandemic changed the center’s operations and how ride requests were handled. Many older adults were unable to go to and from their medical appointments. “Now, we are moving back to congregate mea...
April is a busy month for all Alaskans. Many of you are getting excited to be able to gather in outside groups for lots of fresh air and sunshine, hiking, biking, walking (with no ice cleats), camping, recreation, sports and other healthy activities. Alaska Health Fair and the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services are teaming up for your health. We are pleased to offer free A1C screenings for those who qualify, while supplies last, and free resources on diabetes and prediabetes and a free membership in the Omada Health...
In 1911, near the village of Tikigaq, Howard Rock's shaman grandmother predicted he would become a great man. More than 50 years later, the prophecy came true. Rock, small in stature, did indeed become a giant among men. Raised in the traditional Eskimo way, Rock learned to hunt with his father and embraced his culture. But he also had a foot in the western world. Like many Native children of the time, Rock had to leave his village at the age of 15 to continue his education past the eighth...
The planes and ships want you back - desperately. But only you can decide if you feel safe enough to go. I ping-ponged back and forth from Alaska to the east coast three times between late summer and winter last year. I wore my mask, disinfected my hands with a spray I carried, wash my hands, and tried not to touch things like doorknobs and railings. I am still alive. Airlines and cruise ships are flinging discounts about madly and maybe if you feel you can go out safely, it might be time to...
The Alaska Legislature began the second of a two-year session on January 18, 2022, hitting the ground running since members were already seated in their committees and leadership positions (unlike the 2021 delay in getting organized into majority and minority caucuses). Bills introduced last session are still potentially in play, in addition to this year’s crop of bills, both pre-filed before session and introduced since the start. AARP Alaska advocacy staff and volunteers have spent the interim since last session watching and participating i...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program office is located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205 (located in the 4D Professional Building). You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email kpfcsp@soldotnaseniors.com. The program will hold caregiver support group meetings in March at the locations below. Training is from 1 to 2 p.m., with support group meetings following, 2 to 3 p.m. This month’s training features presentation and discussion of a DVD, “the Family Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease.” March 3, Sterling Senior Center March 1...
March is a busy month for all Alaskans and spring is just around the corner, so many of us are experiencing “spring fever”. Mother Nature gives us little hints that we don’t have long to wait, such as increasing daylight, warmer temperatures, more outdoor gatherings. Then, she mixes the wonderful prospect of seeing more friends and family as we get out and about with spring thaw, greener pastures and wildlife returning. Alaska Health Fair asks that you make or take time to see to your own and other family members’ health needs before you get bu...
Alaska seniors age 65 and older can receive a tax exemption on the first $150,000 of the value of their home, thanks to the state-mandated Senior and Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemption. Different municipalities around the state have different deadlines to apply. Some communities offer more generous exemptions. To qualify, all applicants must have turned 65 on or before Dec. 31, 2021, and must own and occupy the exempted property as their primary residence. Note: Some communities require in-person application for first-time applicants, so...
Alaska Health Fair’s Spring 2022 schedule is now online, with most events already posted on our website at www.alaskahealthfair.org. Check back frequently, as the new season is fluid. We continue to add new dates as they come available and rarely postpone one. The blood draw dates are at our office settings, plus a few February community events, as our busy schedule ramps up for spring. Our February schedule, which includes mask wearing requirements while attending, currently includes: Anchorage, Feb. 5 First Christian Church, 3031 Latouche S...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program office is located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205 (located in the 4D Professional Building). You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email kpfcsp@soldotnaseniors.com. The program will hold caregiver support group meetings in February at the locations below. Training is from 1 to 2 p.m., with support group meetings following, 2 to 3 p.m. This month’s training features a “Fun with Meal Planning” presentation with certified food systems manager Cindi Irwin. Feb. 3, Sterling Senior Cente...
