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Let's face it, the coronavirus has changed travel plans all over the planet. Where does a nervous Alaskan go to have fun and adventures? Your own back yard. Millions of tourists flock to The Last Frontier every year but residents have the envious cat seat to all the state has to offer – you just have to hit the road. A birder's delight Across the world and the Lower 48, birds fly north to breed and hatch their young. While not in the numbers of even 40 years ago that Elders in Utqiagvik told me...
The Denali Center, a 75-bed rehabilitation and senior center in Fairbanks, recently began testing its residents and staff after one confirmed case of COVID-19 was established on Saturday, March 28. The facility, run by Foundation Health Partners, currently has 135 staff members working a variety of shifts at the 19th Avenue location. It was determined the affected individual, a resident female, 80, was only “mildly symptomatic” and is quarantined in her apartment. All other residents are also confined to their rooms and wear masks to pre...
Current COVID-19 cases continue to increase across Alaska At the nightly press briefing on Tuesday, March 31, Dr. Anne Zink, of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today announced 14 new cases of COVID-19 in five Alaska communities – Anchorage (2), Eagle River (2), Fairbanks (5), Juneau (4) and Kenai (1). This brings the total case count in Alaska to 133. Two of the new cases are older adults (60+); 10 are adults aged 30-59; and two are younger adults aged 19-29. Five are female and nine are male. Five of the cases are c...
On Nov. 4, 2019, a lawsuit was filed against Alaska Pioneer Homes Director Clinton Lasley, Commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Adam Crum, Alaska State Governor Michael J. Dunleavy and the State of Alaska on behalf of Alaska Pioneer Home residents Eileen Casey of Ketchikan, Marion and Howard Rider of Juneau and all Pioneer Home residents. The lawsuit is in response to the state’s recent decision to implement an extreme rate increase, a move that is considered a financial necessity by Lasley and other state o...
Alaska's vast geographic space dictates more than its beauty. In the case of the statewide Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) it determines access and the providing of services for Alaskans with disabilities and for seniors and caregivers seeking long term support in their community. From Cantwell to the south and Utqiagvik to the north, Galena to the west and Northway to the east, ADRC North operates out of Fairbanks Senior Center and strives to match individuals living in the...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in February. This month’s discussion topic will focus on the Teepa Snow training DVD, “Progression of Dementia: Seeing Gems, Not Just Loss”. Snow explains the appropriate levels of care needed during different stages, which types of behaviors to expect, appropriate activity and much more. Feb. 4, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 11, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 18, Careg...
Alaska Health Fair depends on volunteers from all walks of life (both medical and non-medical); and we consider these giving and supportive individuals to be the “blood that flows” through and gives our agency its life. Come help save a life and help people connect with important services, perform health screenings, educate at a health station, or provide much needed supportive services. As a 40-year old non-profit and member of three United Way agencies statewide, Alaska Health Fair, Inc. works with a limited budget. We depend on people who...
March 16, 2020: An update statement from the Tax-Aide program: In order to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 AARP Tax-Aide has made the decision to close all of their volunteer sites, effective today. This was a nationwide decision. All volunteer sites in Anchorage are Tax-Aide sites. Taxpayers who needed to return to the site with more information will be contacted by volunteers so that arrangements can be made to complete their returns. The VITA program at UAF is also closed, as the campus has closed to public activities. Currently, the Tl...
In the early 1900s, coal was being shipped from as far away as Cardiff, Wales, to the U.S. Navy's coal station at Sitka. Some thought that the coal deposits at Chickaloon in the Matanuska Valley might meet the Navy's requirements. Along with federal Bureau of Mines director A.M. Holmes, Jack Dalton went to look the mine over in 1913. When Holmes concluded the coal would suffice, he gave Dalton the task of figuring out a way to get the coal from the mine to tidewater – at a cost the Bureau c...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in February: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Feb. 11 and 25), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Feb. 5 and 19), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can cal...
As the new year moves swiftly forward, United States travelers over age 62 wanting to explore the nation's public lands should begin planning now. With the now-termed "America the Beautiful" National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, senior adventurers gain access to more than 2,000 federal lands, monuments and historical sites managed by six federal agencies. It also offers a substantial discount in some cases for camping, boat launches and other fees. When the formerly-$10 Golden Age...
Part one of a three-part series. In my experience you have not been able to find a book or even a website in the state of Alaska that comprehensively lays out the concerns, aspirations and plans for the future of Alaska seniors — but now you can. It is an extraordinary treasure trove of current information about seniors in Alaska. The document has the somewhat bureaucratic title “Alaska State Plan for Senior Services FY2020 –2023,” but don’t let that fool you. Much of it is very personal, at the center of our lives and the wellbeing of our lo...
I have worked with Alaska Health Fair’s dedicated team of employees for seven years and instead of the “Seven Year Itch” to move on, I’m even more in love with our agency and more dedicated to providing health services to Alaska residents. We have been a statewide non-profit for 40 years, as of 2020, with offices in both Anchorage and Fairbanks. We started from a small National Institutes of Health grant, that all 50 states received, each state being asked to go forth and develop a health education program. I found out that in the years b...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in January. This month’s discussion topic will be “Beginning a New Year: How We Can Be Better at Taking Care to Give Care.” Jan. 7, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 14, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 21, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 28, Open house at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program in Blazy Mall, Soldotna, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check...
More than 60 years ago, the framers of Alaska's Constitution found one of their most difficult problems to be the intermediate government between municipalities and the state. Their solution was the creation of a unit known as the "borough." "It's a county with a New York name," a legislator once said. Most delegates to the Constitutional Convention did not want to slice the territory into a large number of counties as in other states. Valdez delegate William A. "Bill" Egan listed "make-up of...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in January: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Jan. 8 and 22), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Jan. 1 and 15), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can cal...
It will have a huge impact on your life. Maybe it’s a few years away, and maybe it’s just around the corner. No matter when you anticipate retirement, it can be overwhelming. Ease into it with a checklist. Here are a few suggestions. Retirement bucket list What would you like to do when you retire? What is on your bucket list? How will you spend your time so that it gives you joy, pleasure and satisfaction? You can start thinking about this years before you retire, or as you are easing into it. Perhaps you could discuss these ideas with friends...
Alaska Health Fair staff want to wish you a wonderful, happy and safe holiday season, and a great start to 2020. Thank you for providing generous support for our non-profit during a very busy 2019. We ask that you help us to greet an amazing (and fast approaching) new year, as we celebrate Alaska Health Fair’s 40th Anniversary in 2020. We are now at the end of our Fall 2019 season and want to express our appreciation for your wonderful support whether you attended an event as a participant, worked as a volunteer, screener or exhibitor, or g...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will not hold any regularly scheduled meetings in December. They will host a Christmas party at the Soldotna Senior Center on Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 1 to 3 p.m. The event is a potluck, so bring your favorite holiday dish. Also bring something you’d like to get rid of, as there will be a “recycle gift exchange.” Be sure your recycle gift is wrapped. For more information, call Sharon or Judy at (907) 262-1280. Homer Family Caregiver meetings take place on the second and fourth Thursdays of ea...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in December: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Dec. 10 and 24), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Dec. 4 and 18), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Dec. 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...
During the Klondike Gold Rush, Dawson's dancehall girls offered prospectors a welcome diversion from their grueling, lonely days of digging in the sub-arctic tundra. "The sourdoughs lay on their bunks until noon – and noon might just as well be any other time – moving painfully about only to stoke the stove or break off a chunk of rye bread, more from sheer boredom than hunger," wrote Ellis Lucia about digging for gold during a winter in the north country in "Klondike Kate: The Life of the Que...
If you're a "Game of Thrones" fan, Iceland calls to you. While you can do a self-guided tour of film locations, those all-too-familiar-to-Alaskans Gray Line buses will also take you there. Season two shifted to Iceland, and you will tour Gullfoss waterfall and the Bloody Gate at Pingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where the Althing, the ages-old Icelandic parliament was seated. Iceland Air (www.icelandair.com) offers a reasonable round-ticket for two that takes you from Ancho...
November closes out the fall health fair season, with events offering free health screenings and health and safety education for all ages. Alaska Health Fair events offer affordable, comprehensive, private blood tests for those 18 years and older (sorry, we can’t do children). Blood tests can help you learn about your overall health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. Our most popular test is the Chemistry/Hematology Profile (please fast 10 to 12 hours for this one test), whic...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in November. This month’s meetings will include viewing and discussion of a training DVD on caregiving and wellness, examining the factors that contribute to caregiver stress, and practical solutions for reducing stress and cultivating lifelong wellness. Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. Nov. 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 12, Caregiver support m...
"Would you be willing to drive to Slana and help me retrieve the little 1955 camp trailer?" I asked my son Patrick. "Sure," he replied. He had just told me he was coming to Alaska this past August, only this trip he planned to help with projects on my "honey do" list. Because of his busy schedule with his architectural firm, he's lucky to make a trip to Alaska every two or three years, and when he does, he usually plays "fishing guide" to a group of his buddies that come along, too. A couple of...
