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Alaskans annually play a waiting game with winter. The frenzied pace of summer begins to slow around mid-August as kids and grandkids return to school, daylight wanes, and weather patterns become a bit more unpredictable. But should this stop you from exploring the 49th state? Never. Autumn's shift merely indicates an entirely new season of travel, especially in Alaska's Interior region, where crowds thin noticeably after Labor Day. Fairbanks plays hub to the greater Interior that includes...
The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) will conduct a Rural Outreach Meeting in Nome, September 12-15, 2018, for purposes of learning about elder-senior needs in Norton Sound. This meeting will include a visit to Shishmaref to meet with elders/seniors and agencies serving seniors as well as in Nome. In addition to ACoA’s board meeting and agency visits, the focus will be to gather input from seniors and their families, providers, and other public members about what is working well in Nome for older adults and what needs improvement with r...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in August. This month’s focus is “Designing a Supportive Dementia Care Environment,” with showings from a training DVD by dementia expert Teepa Snow. Aug. 7, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Aug. 14, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Aug. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, hosted by Paula Koch, 3 p.m. Aug. 21, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m....
My first experience at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer was back in the mid-1960s as part of a group of young 4-H girls from Glennallen. A couple mothers drove us in to Palmer to see our projects on display and pick them up the next day when the fair was over. I was too young to know how sleeping arrangements were made for the group, but I do remember we all spent the night at Janet Kincaid's home. Current owner of the Valley Hotel and Café and the Colony House Inn, Janet was in the hospitality...
Tanana Valley State Fair is from Aug. 3-11 in Fairbanks. Senior admission (age 60 and older) is $20 for a Senior Season Pass and $5 for a Senior Daily Pass. Free admission for seniors on Senior Day on Aug. 8. Events include a senior luncheon, pie eating contests, rodeo, performances by Little River Band, Austin Burke, Rose’s Pawn Shop, Dawn McClain, and Marty Brown, Star Wars Costume Contest and much more. For a full schedule of events visit http://www.tananavalleyfair.org. Kenai Peninsula Fair takes place Aug. 17-19 in Ninilchik. Senior a...
The 2018 Alaska International Senior Games (AISG), held August 10-19 in Fairbanks, will kick off with the Opening Ceremonies and Gala Games at Pioneer Park's Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts on August 10, 6 p.m. The annual torch lighting ceremony sets the tone for AISG's 65 events, including 20 different sports ranging from team sports like basketball and tennis to individual sports like swimming and archery. "All athletes over 90 will have a torch in the torch lighting ceremony," said...
Water in the Chena River inched up ever higher during July 1967 when 3.34 inches of rain, instead of the normal 1.84 inches, fell on Fairbanks. The city's 30,000 residents weren't too worried, though. Most were in the midst of the Alaska Purchase Centennial, celebrating the U.S. purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. But when 6 inches of rain fell during a period of five days, the river did crest. And on the evening of August 14, it spilled over its banks at 18.6 feet. The massive amount of wat...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in August: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Aug. 14 and 28), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Aug. 1 and 15), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Aug. 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...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in July. This month’s focus is “Take care to give care,” with discussions on how caregivers can better care for themselves while they are caring for their loved one. July 3, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 10, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 17, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. July 24, open house and picnic at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Progr...
Alaska is in full bloom in July, and this includes festivals. There is absolutely no reason to not find some fun with so many opportunities around the state. Here are a few highlights. Girdwood Forest Fair, July 6-8. Features Alaskan artists, hand-crafted items, exotic foods and entertainment from all over Alaska. Fun for the whole family is kicked off with the parade at 10 a.m. on Sat. July 7. www.Girdwoodforestfair.com Chugiak-Eagle River Bear Paw Festival, July 11-18. Celebrate with this year’s theme “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Am...
Summer has finally arrived in the Last Frontier. After a wet, windy spring, Alaskans are fueling up and hitting the highways and byways in search of a night or two (or many) among Alaska's wild spaces. If one were to look at the numbers, RV (or car) visitors to Alaska only make up 78,000, or about four percent, of the state's two million annual visitors, but there's no mistaking their impact. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, RV parks, campgrounds, and even highway pullouts are packed with rigs,...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in July: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (July 10 and 24), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (July 18; July 4 is holiday), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (July 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 com...
Editor's note: This story in our print edition included an error regarding the timeline of these Senior Benefits Program changes. In the second to last paragraph, the date should have read July 1, 2019, not 2018. Fairbanks’ Senior Recognition Day, an event to honor Alaskans 65 years and older as part of Older Americans Month, included an additional celebratory event this year - the official signing into law of House Bill 236, otherwise known as the Senior Benefits Program extension bill, by Governor Walker. As of May 10, the program will be ext...
As a Girl Scout, I learned the motto, "Be Prepared". This mostly meant building first aid kits, knowing how to start a fire, setting aside water and food or other preparations for emergencies. In my current career (no longer a Girl Scout), the advice to be prepared takes on a bit of a different meaning, although no less practical or important. Being prepared can mean saving time and money on food and food preparation as well as helping meet nutrition goals like eating more fruits and...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in June. This month’s focus is World Elder Abuse Awareness Month. It is not a celebratory occasion, but rather a day to talk about preventing, identifying and responding to elder abuse and financial exploitation. June 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 12, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 19, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. June 26, open house and workshop a...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in June: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (June 12 and 26), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (June 6 and 20), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (June 7, 14, 21 and 28), noon to 3 p.m. Social Security provides toll-free telephone service to all of Alaska. Residents in Alaska’s Southeast communities can call the...
We are in our final month of a very active spring 2018 health fair season; so if you haven’t made it to an event yet, head on over to one of the last spring events available. Make it to one of these final spring events in your local community before the end of the season and you’ll find a variety of resources to help meet your family’s health needs and take time to enjoy some great community gatherings. Alaska Health Fair events offer free health screenings, health and safety education, plus 11 affordable blood tests (starting at $20) along wit...
In partnership with the State of Alaska, Dept. of Health and Social Services, the Seward, Kenai and Fairbanks senior centers sponsored educational workshops to "train the trainer" in Tai Chi For Arthritis and Falls Prevention, during a two day intensive workshop, certifying 15 new instructors in the state of Alaska. These instructors are committed to teaching in their local area communities, between Fairbanks and Juneau, and all the way to the western shore of Homer. Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fa...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in May. This month’s focus is part two of a presentation on basic spiritual needs throughout life, what may or may not change when someone is living with dementia, and how to best meet those needs. Resource materials include a DVD presentation by dementia expert Teepa Snow and the Rev. Linn Possell. May 1, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. May 8, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. May 15, C...
The Anchorage Senior Citizens Advisory Commission invites everyone to the annual Older Americans Month Kickoff Event at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center on May 2, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This free event features refreshments, entertainment, keynote speech from form state senator Johnny Ellis, and presentation of the Ron Hammett Award for public service. This year’s theme is “Engage at Every Age.” For more information, call 343-6590. Also in May, Fairbanks’ annual Senior Recognition Day event will be held Thursday, May 10 at the Carlso...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will hold its quarterly meeting Tuesday, May 1, 2018. The meeting will be held via videoconference and teleconference, available at sites listed below, or statewide via toll-free telephone. The meeting takes place 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., and public comment is scheduled from 11 to 11:15 a.m. For more information, call the Alaska Commission on Aging office at 465-3250. Videoconference sites Anchorage Senior and Disabilities Services, 550 West 8th Ave., Room 323. 269-3666 Fairbanks Senior and Disabilities Services, 751...
One northern town became an integral part of Alaska's gold rush history after prospectors sifting through red rocks along a creek south of the Yukon River thought they had found rubies mixed with gold nuggets. They named the new prospect Ruby Creek, although the red rocks turned out to be garnets. The discovery of large quantities of gold in the creek in 1906 brought even more stampeders into Alaska's Interior. And when word leaked out in 1910 that more gold had been found on Long Creek, about...
Adult guardianship cases are kind of a big deal. And sometimes, they’re difficult. On one side you have the Respondent. This is typically someone who has some kind of dementia, mental health issue, or medical issue which renders them unable to handle their own affairs. Oftentimes they are in danger of losing such essentials as housing, public benefits, or life savings, if someone doesn’t step in and help out. On the other side you have the Petitioner. This is typically a family member or fri...
Donated Dental Services (DDS), a Dental Lifeline program, provides free dental services for qualifying seniors and those with disabilities in the Fairbanks and North Pole area. In order to be eligible, the patient must have exhausted all other insurance resources and be able to provide documentation for lack of adequate funds, said Sue Lear, DDS Coordinator. “Dental insurance through Medicaid must be used first,” said Lear. “Although this is a last resort program, as the dentists are all working on a volunteer basis, our goal is to help as ma...
We are now in our busiest month during spring health fair season, so check out our April fairs. Make it to one of the spring events in your local community before the end of the season and you’ll find a variety of resources to help meet your family’s health needs and take time to enjoy some great community gatherings. Alaska Health Fair events offer free health screenings, health and safety education, plus 11 affordable blood tests (starting at $20) and other services. We are able to offer these high-quality tests at such low prices bec...
