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Just after Independence Day, I jumped in my car and for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, drove beyond the boundaries of Anchorage to the village of Talkeetna, two hours north. A devastating element of the coronavirus' grip has been its effect on Alaska's tourism industry. This seasonal boom of visiting humanity caters to nearly three million visitors each year, most of them fresh off cruise ships and tour buses, and many stopping in Talkeetna on their way to or from Denali...
The right to vote is preserved in Alaska for all eligible voters, even during these times of coronavirus pandemic. In other words, in order to vote, you do not have to go in person anywhere and potentially expose yourself to the coronavirus, to long lines, or to bad weather. You can vote by mail with the help of the U.S. Post Office, or you can vote via your email. You can also vote with the assistance of a human proxy referred to as a “personal representative” who is authorized to bring you a ballot and help you fill it out if you need ass...
Alaska Health Fair is closed for its traditional summer break from July 3 through July 12. The new Fall 2020 health schedule will be published shortly after that timeframe. Check out our website at www.alaskahealthfair.org for the dates being offered in your area of the state. The website will be updated as communities and worksites firm up fall events. You can also find our health newsletters, complete test roster descriptions and other announcements on the same site. In-office and, now, on-the-road appointments We have offered blood draw...
Editor’s note: This schedule may change, due to coronavirus safety measures. Be sure to confirm with the host agency prior to visiting. With senior centers still closed, the Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold all peer support meetings in July at its new office location, 44539 Sterling Highway, Suite 202 in the Blazy Mall in Soldotna, and online via Zoom. Social distancing will be respected, and masks will be worn at the office meetings. This month’s discussion topic will be “Caregiver Wellness: How to Combat Isola...
During our first summer of trying to be self sufficient and live off the land, my husband, Gary, decided to keep honeybees. The year was 1974 and we lived 23½ miles out of Fairbanks on the Chena Hot Springs Road. Once he got the bee hive box situated near the edge of the woods, they needed little attention. One evening in late July, upon returning from a day in town, we noticed the hive box had been toppled over. Gary walked over to investigate and decided from the signs that a bear had...
With the state opening up somewhat there is hope for travel. Many lodges and inns are closed this year while nearby accommodations are open – and offering some deals. The Glacier Bay Lodge is closed for 2020, opening again in 2021, but always offers a 10 percent senior (55 and over) discount. The lodge sits in a wooded site and is very cozy. Glacier Bay is remote and hard to get to but well worth it. Glacier Bay National Park spans over 4,000 square miles and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and...
On April 29, 2020 Governor Dunleavy signed into law House Bill 96 (HB 96) for the Alaska Pioneer Homes (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitk, and Alaska Veterans & Pioneers Home in Palmer). The Pioneer Homes serve elder Alaskans needing assisted living care. Residents of the homes receive help with daily living activities, medications, meals and some nursing services depending on level of service. HB 96 brings with it positive changes for senior residents of Alaska. Younger seniors needing care will now be able to move in earlier, as...
Despite the current COVID-19 Pandemic, the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program will be offered this summer. On May 12, 2020, The Alaska Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) updated its website with the announcement that low-income seniors with coupons will be able to exchange them for fresh Alaska-grown fruits, vegetables, fresh-cut herbs and honey at farmers’ markets, and authorized farms and roadside stands. Each eligible older adult will receive six $5 coupons and they can be...
Alaska Health Fair is not able to put on health fairs in your community at the current time. We hope to return to this important service as soon as possible. Over the past three years, we have offered office draw appointments several days each month. This popular service is now very vital to Alaskans that are looking for a way to still get their blood tests done, without being able to attend a fair. Office tests are the same price as at a health fair, and we add a $10 office fee. Get everything done in less than 30 minutes, with no standing in...
Editor’s note: This schedule may change, due to coronavirus safety measures. Be sure to confirm with the host agency prior to visiting. The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in June. This month’s discussion topic will be “Caregiver Wellness.” If COVID-19 restrictions have not been lifted, meetings will be conducted on Zoom via computer or smartphone. June 2, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 9, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center,...
Alaska Health Fair has canceled all March through May 2020 health fairs, due to state or national mandates. We’ve continued to do our important work for Alaska at our local offices and hope to return to business “as close to usual as possible” in late May or early June. We expect to hold health fairs starting in August, so if you are interested in scheduling a late summer event, please give us a call. Call your local Alaska Health Fair office at 907-278-0234 in Anchorage and 907-374-6853 in Fairbanks to be waitlisted for when we return to ou...
Editor’s note: This schedule may change, due to coronavirus safety measures. Be sure to confirm with the host agency prior to visiting. The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in May. This is Mental Health Month and the meeting discussion topic will be “Well into your Future, Maintaining Mental Health.” May 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. May 12, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. May 19, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senio...
The establishment of airplane competition didn't stop Chester Noongwook of St. Lawrence Island from continuing his dog sled mail service run until 1963. His was the last mail delivery of its kind in the country. Wien Airlines established the first commercial airplane base on St. Lawrence Island at Gambell and built a landing strip at Savoonga. The company took over the mail-carrying duties for the U.S. Post Office. But Noongwook was retrained on a supplemental basis whenever the planes couldn't...
If one thing is certain in this time of uncertainty, it's that humans love to travel. The World Tourism Organization reported that 1.4 billion people traveled globally in 2018, taking boats, planes, cars, and even their own two feet to see what the rest of the world has to offer. Here in the United States, the month of May is often considered a kick off to summer travel, when schools let out and traditional vacations begin. But 2020 has so far been anything but traditional, thanks to the...
Alaska Health Fair, Inc. has canceled all April Health Fairs due to the current health crisis, following state and national guidance and mandates. We will assess Alaska’s health condition on an ongoing basis and make announcements in late April related to the holding of any May events. Please check www.alaskahealthfair.org for Alaska Health Fair event updates, newsletters and announcements, plus our COVID-19 status updates. We hope to quickly return to offering office blood draw appointments in both our Anchorage and Fairbanks offices, once s...
Editor’s note: This schedule may change, due to coronavirus safety measures. Be sure to confirm with the host agency prior to visiting. The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in April. This month’s presentation and discussion will focus on age-related driving issues, as April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. April 7, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 14, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 21, Caregiver sup...
Two of the state’s largest annual senior-related events, usually held each year in May, have been canceled, with hopes for rescheduling at a later date. Senior Recognition Day, held each year in Fairbanks at the Carlson Center, will not take place as planned on May 7. Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation Senior Program coordinator Marya Lewanski told Senior Voice in an email that the event has been postponed, but no new date has been set. Meanwhile, all of the program’s senior activities are canceled until May. For more inf...
Movies about Alaska, mostly based on books by Jack London and Rex Beach, thrilled audiences during the early 1900s. But all motion pictures were filmed outside of Alaska. So when a group of Oregon promoters planning a travelogue and feature film about the territory toured Alaska's towns in 1922, several Anchorage residents decided to go into the filmmaking business themselves. They formed the Alaska Motion Picture Corp. and elected Austin E. "Cap" Lathrop, who owned theaters in Anchorage,...
Well this is a conundrum for a travel writer - travel restrictions. I have said this before and I will say it again: you live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, one that millions of people travel to, so get out on the road and see your state. And spring is one of the best times to journey across Alaska. It's a quiet time before the hordes come (or not this year) and the weather is usually pretty good with not-too-low temperatures and sun. There's life flooding back into the...
Weekend brings additional COVID-19 cases to Alaska The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) announced on Sunday, April 5, one new death and 14 new cases of COVID-19 in four Alaska communities – Anchorage (4), Fairbanks (7), Juneau (2) and Seward (1). This brings the total case count in Alaska to 185. These new cases and the new death were reported from 12 a.m. until 11:59 p.m. on April 4, and reflect data posted at noon Sunday on the state’s website, coronavirus.alaska.gov. The person who died is a 71-year-old Anchorage res...
My 95-year old mother lives in an independent living apartment community and no longer cooks for herself. Her walk down the hall to the dining room gives her a little exercise and the other residents who share her table provide companionship and support. With three out of the four at her table very hard of hearing, it isn't always easy to have great conversations, but they manage to keep up with each other's visiting children, health changes and travel plans. And, they help each other order...
The State Diabetes Prevention and Control Program partners with Leslie Shallcross at the UAF Cooperative Extension Service to offer training for lifestyle coaches interested in delivering the evidence-based National Diabetes Prevention Program developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This program is designed to help people make lifestyle changes and lose weight to ultimately reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and have a better overall quality of life. This lifestyle coach training will be offered in...
Alaska Health Fair depends on dedicated professionals from various medical, social, health and safety fields who can take time to share their extensive knowledge, skills and abilities with health fair attendees. These individuals share their agency’s mission, vision and core purpose and what services they offer that can help event attendees achieve more balanced, overall and greatly improved physical, emotional, mental and social “health”. Come help educate and help people to connect with important services, perform free health scree...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in March. This month’s presentation and discussion will continue focus on a training DVD by Teepa Snow. March 3, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 10, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 17, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 24, Open house at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program in Blazy Mall, Soldotna, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Check out the lending lib...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in March: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (March 10 and 24), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (March 4 and 18), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (March 5, 12, 19 and 26), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can cal...
