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We are now in active health fair season, so check out our March fairs, listed at the bottom of this article. Make it to one of these events and you’ll find a variety of resources to help meet your family’s health needs and enjoy some great community gatherings. Alaska Health Fair events offer free health screenings, health and safety education, plus 11 affordable blood tests and other services that cost about 20 to 25 percent of what you would pay at a clinic or doctor’s office. These tests can help you learn about your overall health and d...
There are over 11,000 Alaskans living with a traumatic or acquired brain injury (Alaska Scorecard 2016, DHSS). This number only reflects injuries that are reported at a hospital; many individuals do not seek medical care following a brain injury, making it difficult to truly grasp the number of Alaskans living with this hidden disability. A brain injury happens in a nano-second and can happen to anyone. It does not discriminate based on age, gender, race or socioeconomic status. A traumatic brain injury is an insult to the brain from an...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in March. This month’s meeting topic is “The Power of Music in Caring for People with Dementia.” Come learn more about the therapeutic effects of music such as connection, remembering happier times, comfort and sense of belonging, lifting of spirits, and relieving boredom. March 6, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 13, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 20, Caregiver support meeti...
When Jeff Cook of Fairbanks light heartedly agreed to raise money for the Real Men Wear Pink campaign last fall, he had no idea it would become a driving force in his life and lead to important health awareness for his own family. Cook, now retired, is the nation's top fundraiser for this American Cancer Society benefit program. In 2017, he topped more than 3,000 Real Men Wear Pink fundraisers in much larger cities. The new retiree raised more than $120,000 for the American Cancer Society, with...
What interests you? Musicals of Rodgers & Hammerstein or the History of UFOs in the U.S.? Learning about Dena'ina culture or learning to read music? Maybe you'd just want a class in Children's Literature for Grandparents? Classes without homework, grades or papers – oh, my! Or maybe you just want to hear about the exciting trips around the world other people have taken. All that and more are in the course catalog for the spring term for OLÉ! OLÉ stands for Opportunities for Lifelong Edu...
The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) will meet February 5-9 in Juneau for a face to-face board meeting that will include meetings with legislators and their staff as well as visits to rural communities in Southeast Alaska. In addition, the commission is hosting the “Partnering in Advocacy for Alaska Seniors” as a special joint advocacy meeting bringing in representatives from various senior advocacy organizations including AgeNet, the Pioneer Home Advisory Board, and AARP Alaska. This unique event, scheduled for the morning of Feb. 6, will off...
This spring the Kenai Senior Center will be offering a Tai Chi for Arthritis and Falls Prevention Instructor Training Workshop, facilitated by Master Trainer Linda Ebeling on Mar. 24 and 25. The class will also be offered in Fairbanks in April. Designed by Dr. Paul Lam in conjunction with a team of medical experts and tai chi masters, Tai Chi for Arthritis (TCA) uses the Sun style of tai chi, making the program easy to learn, safe and effective. The State of Alaska, Department of Health and...
We are kicking off Alaska Health Fair’s Spring 2018 health fair season, so check out our earliest fairs, listed below. 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. These events offer great rewards for your highly prized and limited free time, with free health screenings, health and safety education, plus 11 affordable blood tests and other services. These tests can h...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in February. This month’s meeting topic is “Coping Skills,” using the training DVD from The Educated Caregiver to cover strategies on getting support, developing realistic expectations, and especially – especially important – taking care of yourself and your loved one.. Feb. 6, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 13, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 20, Caregiver support meeting a...
There’s little doubt that one of the toughest things about growing older is a loss of independence. The relinquishment of responsibility for one’s own actions can be the source of disagreement and angst among families, especially when driving comes up. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 40 million licensed drivers in the United States are over age 65, and while seniors in many respects are very safe drivers, wearing seat belts, following traffic rules and the like, there is no denying that aging does affect ability. Be it thr...
A $500 grant to help Meals on Wheels recipients in Fairbanks with the cost of caring for their pets, unexpectedly grew into $2,500 thanks to an anonymous donor who read about the program in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The Fairbanks Senior Center was excited about the initial $500 grant from Meals on Wheels America, intended to help pay for the care of pets for homebound seniors. “For many of our Meals on Wheels clients, their pet is a family member,” said Darlene Supplee, executive director of both the Fairbanks Senior Center and the Meals...
It should have surprised no Alaskan that "middle-aged" Mitch Seavey of Sterling took first place for a third time in the 2017 Iditarod. Seavey blasted down the trail to win in a record-setting 8 days, 3 hours, 40 minutes, 13 seconds, close to eight hours off his 30-year-old son Dallas' 2016 record win - all at the record-setting age of 57. His win represents the spirit of a state where, no matter how old you are or where you're form or what your gender is, if you can hurdle the qualifying races...
February marks the opening of Tax-Aide sites around Alaska. The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program is designed to prepare basic tax returns and anyone can use the service regardless of age or income. Sites are staffed by volunteers who are trained and certified by Internal Revenue Service and AARP Foundation instructors to prepare basic tax returns. By using AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, these taxpayers also avoid tax preparation fees and pitches for high-interest tax credit or refund loans. And the service is free. Below are the dates and hours for...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in January. This month’s meeting topic: “Financial Fraud and Today’s Senior.” Jan. 2, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 9, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 16, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 17, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, hosted by Paula Koch, 3 p.m. Jan. 23, open house at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program...
Fairbanks' Morris Morgan is 96 years old. He has been painting his entire life but he never sells his artwork, because he never knows when he might want to improve upon a piece. "I think a lot of people start painting and want to sell them right away," he said. "I was keeping them around to see what a mess I'd made of it. I try to learn from that painting, to the next one." His first-ever art exhibit didn't happen until 2015, and no one was more surprised to see all his work on display than...
Anchorage and Fairbanks area-seniors can now sign up for winter session classes offered by Opportunities for Lifelong Education (OLÉ) in Anchorage, and the Osher for Lifelong Learning (OLLI) in Fairbanks. For 2018, OLÉ offers a fascinating roster of interesting courses for the winter term. Beginning Jan. 8, classes run four or eight weeks, with additional four-week courses beginning Feb. 6. Whether it’s “Learn to Read Music,” “Crafting a Mystery,” or “The Sociology of Food,” there’s something for everyone. Learning “Social Media Basics” or “Ala...
Juneau became the capital of the 49th state on Jan. 3, 1959, after U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the statehood act into law. It became the only state capital not accessible by road. But Juneau was not the capital of the Last Frontier when Alaska became part of the United States in 1867. Sitka was the center of government for Russia-America. So why did the Americans choose to move government offices to Juneau? The discovery of gold deposits in the area that became Juneau-Douglas in...
SStaff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Jan. 9 and 23), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Jan. 3 and 17), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Jan. 4, 11, 18 and 25), 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 Jun...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in December. This month’s meeting topic: “The Rock Movement.” Painting rocks has become a movement, including locally in Kenai and Soldotna. Attendees will paint and hide rocks in the community as an act of random kindness. Dec. 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Dec. 12, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Dec. 19, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Dec. 20, Caregiver suppo...
A new program in Interior Alaska is helping both senior volunteers and the seniors they serve. The goal is to help people stay in their own homes as long as possible. The Senior Companion Program already has 18 volunteers on the roster, helping senior citizens in Fairbanks and Delta Junction, but director Cheryl LaFollette said there is always the need for more. "There are 15,000 seniors in our area," said LaFollette, in Fairbanks. "Seven hundred of those are 85 years old and over. "It's...
The Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) will hold its quarterly meeting Dec. 12 via videoconference and teleconference from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The videoconference sites for the quarterly meeting are: Anchorage: Senior and Disabilities Services, 550 West 8th Ave., Room 143 (907-269-3666) Fairbanks: Senior and Disabilities Services, 751 Old Richardson Hwy., Suite 100A (907-451-5045) Juneau: Senior and Disabilities Services, 240 Main Street, 6th Floor Conference Room (907-465-3372) Kodiak: Kodiak Public Library, 612 Egan Way (907-486-8688) Group...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (Dec. 12 and 26), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (Dec. 6 and 20), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (Dec. 7, 14, 21, 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 Juneau Soc...
Alaska AARP Foundation Tax-Aide needs new volunteers for the up-coming tax season. Tax volunteers must complete 40 hours of tax preparation classes that are taught by IRS-certified instructors. Lack of experience should not stop anyone from volunteering. You will learn where to input the information in the program and the software program does the rest. Materials for the course are provided by the IRS and AARP Foundation. Beginning classes will start in December for Anchorage, and in the Mat-Su Valley they will be held Saturdays, Jan. 6-27....
We are nearing the end of Alaska Health Fair’s fall 2017 health fair season, so check out one of the November 2017 events. They offer free health screenings, health and safety education, plus 11 affordable blood tests and other services. These 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. For a complete roster of our affordable, comprehensive and private tests check out www.alaskahealthfair.org. For more information, call 907-278-0234 (...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in November. This month’s meeting topic: “The Art of Caregiving, Part Two,” with demonstrations on effective approaches to bathing, eating, dressing, transfers and how to respond to certain types of behaviors. Nov. 7, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 14, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, hosted by Paula Koch, 3 p.m. Nov....
