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I have prided myself over the years on learning new technology, starting in 1992 when I first encountered a Dell computer at work and figured it out. Then through the years, from Boston to Alaska, I entered newsrooms with unknown computer programs I had to learn by myself, as there was no training. At the newspaper in Wasilla, I arrived in the newsroom to find no one knew I was coming, I had no desk assigned and the computer I was given did not have the application I needed to do my job,...
Alaska Health Fair is in the middle of a very active fall season. We continue providing appointment-based services to communities around state, and many worksites. Our September community events include Anchorage, Fairbanks, Chugiak, Girdwood, Palmer, Soldotna and Wasilla. As we continue to work through COVID, we provide these much needed services to all Alaskans using reliable health and safety protocols. Check out our full schedule at www.alaskahealthfair.org and look for the city of your choice. Here is a brief list of the coming month’s e...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program has moved into a new office 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. Caregiver support group meetings will be held at the following locations and times in September. Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. Sept. 9 Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. The Teepa Snow DVD “The Senior Gems: Your Guide to Supporting Family M...
Fall is back to school time, with educational programs for older adults kicking off their fall semesters. Here is an overview of the OLE and OLLI programs’ offerings. OLÉ! Anchorage OLÉ, which stands for Opportunities for Lifelong Education, is raring to go after a summer off with classes both online and – on Fridays – in person. Whether you want to learn about invasive plants in Alaska, films from storytellers around the globe, seabirds and shorebirds, Antarctica or electric vehicles, OLÉ has classes! Online classes through Zoom take place Tu...
Prospectors searching for gold in the Wrangell mountains during the early 1900s found a mountain of copper instead. That discovery brought the famous Guggenheim-Morgan Syndicate into the history of Alaska, along with chicanery of the highest order. The Syndicate, which owned the copper mines, needed a transportation system to haul its lucrative cargo. It planned a railroad line in the Copper River valley that ran 196 miles from Cordova to the site of what became the Kennecott Copper mines. The...
To the joy of Alaska border towns, Canada has reopened its customs checkpoints after 16 months due to the spread of COVID-19. As of Aug. 9, fully vaccinated foreign nationals are allowed into Canada for discretionary travel. But there are certain requirements you must meet: Travelers must be fully vaccinated, submit travel information electronically on Canada’s official government application ArriveCAN within 72 hours prior to arrival in Canada, and provide proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test, taken within 72 hours. Those molecular t...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program has moved into a new office located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205 (located in the 4D Professional Building). You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email dkebschull@soldotnaseniors.comdkebschull@soldotnaseniors.com. Caregiver support group meetings will be held at the following locations and times in August. Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. Aug. 12, Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. The theme will be “Getting to Know E...
The Blood Bank of Alaska (BBA), located at 1215 Airport Heights Drive in Anchorage, is just a stone’s throw from the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Did you know that as a senior over 70 years old, you may still give blood? All you need is a written doctor’s acknowledgement that you are well and able to do so. Given the continuing need for all blood types, especially O-positive, O-negative, and A-positive, we welcome Alaska seniors to give blood, including seniors from rural parts of the state. The need for blood and blood products in our...
A few weeks ago I asked my wife if she would like to go on a "date." I told her that it has two parts, and the second part is a picnic here in Anchorage featuring Arctic Roadrunner hamburgers. With some apprehension, I circled around to the first part of the date. "But first, let's go take a look at the free electric car charging station in the parking lot of Chugach Electric." During the previous few months I had been - perhaps obsessively - perusing the internet about electric vehicles, watchi...
Alaska Health Fair, Inc. takes an extended break twice a year – after each active and heavy duty health fair season. We do this to provide our few paid staff, plus our dedicated and cherished volunteers a longer period to take their own vacations. These breaks have become even more important as we’ve worked almost non-stop through COVID. Though we are not offering blood draw dates in July, we are busy closing out the spring season and looking forward to the upcoming fall season. Our summer break is now in full swing, so you may have dif...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program has moved into a new office located at 35477 Kenai Spur Highway, Suite 205 (located in the 4D Professional Building). You can call them at 907-262-1280 or email dkebschull@soldotnaseniors.comdkebschull@soldotnaseniors.com. Caregiver support group meetings will be held at the following locations and times in July. Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. July 8, Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. A training titled, “Can Alzheimer’s be Sto...
Alaska International Senior Games bowlers Phil and Lois Heine continue to encourage each other to expand their activities. This past year the Fairbanks couple have stepped up their personal geocaching challenge, which sends them out of the house exploring and creating new adventures. Some of you may be wondering, what is geocaching? Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt. Founded in 2000, there are now over 3 million geocaches in 191 countries on all seven continents. GPS coordinates are...
Shake off the pandemic isolation and check out the sights and sounds of a local festival, most of which were canceled last year. Be sure to observe safety precautions, and check online for updates. Peony Celebration, July 9-24 in Homer. Come see Homer’s famous peony blooms at their most glorious state along with art exhibitions, great food, farm tours, concerts and more. www.Homeralaska.org/homer-peony-celebration/ Salmon Jam! Salmon Festival, July 12-17 in Cordova. Featuring a socially distanced version of your favorite events like the l...
Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Libraries provides monthly delivery service to borough residents who are homebound or unable to access the library due to age or disability. Staff is happy to deliver hand-selected materials or specific requests. Materials include books (regular or large print), audiobooks, DVDs, music CDs, puzzles. The Bookmobile is remaining at the Noel Wein library for the time being as the curbside pickup point, and library staff are handling deliveries, including to outlying areas like Haystack, Goldstream, Ester,...
I hopped on my bike and pedaled to the hot springs toward downtown Tenakee Springs, only to be stopped by the sight of a couple frozen in fear, their faces blanched pale. "Luna (a neighbor's dog) is barking at something up on the hillside," they said. I stopped my bike, looked and listened and pedaled on my way, glancing up at the hillside while singing a show tune. No bear would deter me from those warm waters. The restorative power of a good soak cannot be underestimated and sometimes just...
Celebrate Older Americans Month with the Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation. This year's theme is "Communities of Strength". Due to lingering COVID safety concerns, the Senior Recognition Day event has been scaled back. Participants can visit the parking lot of the Big Dipper Arena during scheduled times and receive a goody-bag filled with a senior services resource guide, swag and treats. Pick-up will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the following days: - Last Name A-L:...
Spring blood test date offerings continue through May for Southcentral and Southeast programs and mid-June for the Tanana Valley Northern Region Program. We continue to follow our appointment-based model, which works well and our clients are pleased with the service. Our traditional “morning draws” offer the ability to scoot in early and go enjoy a good lunch. Our late afternoon draws provide the chance to eat breakfast and skip lunch. Visit www.alaskahealthfair.org and check for various May “office draw dates” offered “by appointme...
Like flowers in spring, senior centers across the state of Alaska are beginning to open up again. Most have been closed since March 2020, a time we collectively remember as the end of "normal" life. "Today, a woman came to the center that I had not seen in a year," Marlene Munsell, Assistant Executive Director of Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc. (WASI), said in April. "As more people are vaccinated and feeling comfortable, we expect to see more people return to the center." Senior centers statewide...
Aging at Home Fairbanks, along with almost all other organizations, has learned a lot in the last year. Becoming familiar with Zoom and creating social and educational events in this flat format instead of in person has been challenging, but we've discovered the benefits also. Aging at Home Fairbanks is a membership organization associated with the North Star Council on Aging Senior Center in Fairbanks and the nationwide Village to Village Network. The goal of the organization is to assist...
April is a busy month for all Alaskans and the wonderful prospect of seeing more friends and family is right around the corner. Alaska Health Fair’s busy office and community draw schedule is updated occasionally, so check our website for the most recent event listings. We continue to follow our appointment model, which works extremely well, and our clients are pleased with the services. All dates are posted on our website, under specific Alaska regions, at www.alaskahealthfair.org Our Anchorage and Fairbanks offices hold blood draws in t...
Alaska Health Fair’s spring schedule is busy providing services to Alaskans. Find current dates at www.alaskahealthfair.org and check back frequently, as the schedule is fluid. We continue to add new dates as they come available and make changes as needed. We are following our approved essential services plan and all COVID-19 preventative measures; and helping Alaskans to stay healthy. We are also looking for volunteers that can provide registration, phlebotomy and supportive services; so let us know if you’re interested. Anchorage and Fai...
With senior centers still closed for most activities, the Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold all March peer support meetings on Tuesdays, 1 to 2:30 p.m., at its office at 44539 Sterling Highway, Suite 202 in the Blazy Mall in Soldotna. Social distancing will be respected, masks worn and hand sanitizer provided at the meetings, and virtual attendance via Zoom can be arranged for those who can’t make it in person. Different topics will be discussed at each meeting. Bring your questions and ideas. You may also schedule o...
Every five years since 1980, the U.S. government has released a new version of the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans”. These reports are thorough reviews of up-to-date diet and health research, focused on population-wide health promotion and chronic disease prevention. If one looks at the earliest guidelines through to the present, in some ways they don’t appear terribly different. But, the small and subtle changes in each version are the result of exhaustive consideration of the evidence and expert scientific thought. The earliest versi...
Before Alaska International Senior Games Athlete Carol Johnson even had a bicycle, her ten-year old adventurous self was drawn to biking, learning from her grade school friends on their bikes. Fast forward 60-plus years to an April spring day in 2020. Carol was on one of her regular outings riding around Fairbanks when she noticed her bike skipping gears, so she stopped by the local bike shop. While checking it in for service, she remembered a conversation she had in 2019 with another cyclist...
AARP Alaska invites community organizations and local governments across the state to apply for the 2021 Community Challenge grant program, now through April 14. Grants fund quick-action projects that can range from several hundred dollars for small, short-term activities to several thousand or tens of thousands for larger projects. Now in its fifth year, the grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for p...
