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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...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in April. This month’s focus is on the 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. April 3, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 10, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 17, Caregiver support meet...
Want to secure your future? Start with AARP’s Medicare and retirement workshops around the state this spring. Free and open to the public. Attend any or all sessions offered within each workshop. April 13 and 14, Wasilla at Grand View Hotel, 2900 E. Parks Hwy. April 27 and 28, Juneau at Centennial Hall, 101 Egan Dr. May 11 and 12, Fairbanks at Westmark Fairbanks Hotel & Conference Center, 813 Noble St. Two identical Medicare workshops, “Get Ready for Medicare,” will be offered on Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 to 11 a.m. at all l...
Staff from Alaska’s Social Security office will be available for questions via videoconferencing at the following locations and times in April: Kodiak Job Center, on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month (April 10 and 24), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (April 4 and 18), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, every Thursday (April 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...
Imagine being deemed insane through a jury trial, and then sent to the Lower 48 for treatment in the dead of winter before planes and automobiles were available to transport you south. That's what happened to some Alaskans at the turn of the last century. The opening of the Alaska Psychiatric Institute in Anchorage in 1962 marked a dramatic change in the way Alaska handled those who suffered from mental illness. Construction of the facility meant Alaskans might find treatment for their mental...
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...
