Sorted by date Results 626 - 650 of 678
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. continues its spring health fairs this month, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. The tests can help you learn about your health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. The test results give you and your health care provider important information about your physical condition and vital organ functions. A complete and comprehensive chemistry/hematology test is available for only $45 and panels 27 different tests...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in April, which is National Stress Awareness Month. A 60 minute video, “Humor Your Stress,” will be shown and discussed at these meetings. Please join and share your experience as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. April 1, peer support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 8, peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 15, peer support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. April 22, peer sup...
Nora Velez of Anchorage was flipping through archival black-and-white photographs when she came across a familiar face – her mother, Lucy Kelly, who recently passed away. Nora was emotional: She had never seen this picture before. It was taken in Old Harbor in the 1940s and showed her mother as a gradeschooler wearing a jaunty cap and a shy smile. The image was taken by teachers Etta and Foster Jones. After Etta's death, the Anchorage Museum acquired the couple's photographs. The image of L...
This year, I have assumed the duties of the Democratic leader in the Senate. Senator Johnny Ellis passed the torch to me, and taking over from such a people’s champion is humbling. I want to take a moment to bring you up to date on what’s happening in Juneau. Last spring I wrote about oil tax reductions that had narrowly passed. I reported that as a result of that decision we had lost $4.5 billion to three of the richest corporations in the world, and I expressed my concern that this would lead to a loss of funds for vital services such as K-12...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in March. The caregiver training topic this month is “Eat Well to Feel Well and the Mayo Clinic Mediterranean Diet.” March 4, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 11, Caregiver training at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 17, Caregiver training at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 25, Peer Support Meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Tra...
Lifelong farm researcher Sig Restad was awarded the "Life-Time Achievement Award" by the Mat-Su Farm Bureau at its annual meeting in Palmer on February 19. The Mat-Su Farm Bureau is organized to improve the economic well-being and expansion of agriculture in the Mat-Su Valley with a focus on enriching the quality of life for Alaskan farmers. Sig Restad worked as an Agriculture Extension agent in Minnesota when he received the opportunity to relocate to and work in Alaska in 1958. Restad...
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 (March 11 and 25), 9 a.m. to noon. Kenai Senior Center, on the first and third Wednesday of each month (March 5 and 19), 9 a.m. to noon. Ketchikan Job Center, Thursdays (March 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 call the Juneau Soc...
This year, AARP Foundation is again providing free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers with low to moderate income through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, in its 45th year, is the nation’s largest free tax assistance and preparation service, giving special attention those 60 and older. You do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this free service. In 2013, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide’s 35,000 volunteers at nearly 6,000 sites provided 2.6 million people with free tax help. Taxpayers who use...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in February. Because this is National Heart Month, caregiver trainings will focus on being heart healthy. Feb. 4, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 11, Caregiver training at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 17, no meeting, President’s Day Feb. 25, Peer Support Meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. There is no charge for these services and everyone is invited to attend. Training sessions provide 2 hours of C...
Dorothy Dickson McLaren, child-resident of Alaska and daughter of one of the state's pioneer bush pilots, recently glimpsed a picture taken from the 1938 Fur Rendezvous. Memories of that wonderful day remind Dorothy of leading the Queen's procession and fur style show at the 1938 – "biggest and best" – Third Annual Anchorage Fur Rendezvous. Now a senior citizen, Dorothy recalls the excitement surrounding the coronation of the Queen of the Fur Rendezvous, Miss Grace Bailey. Indeed, Grace wen...
Did you know that the Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) monitored a total of 45 bills and resolutions and actively supported 25 pieces of legislation that affected seniors during the FY2013 legislative session? We also provided committee testimony and letters of support to bill sponsors, legislative committees and Congressional members. Senior advocacy is a “team effort.” We invite you and other Alaskans in your community to be active this legislative session by participating in the 2014 ACoA Senior Legislative Teleconferences. The purpose of...
Early registration is open for a one-day workshop on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, to be offered in February in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Sitka. Sponsored by Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, the interactive workshop, titled “Accepting the Challenge,” will feature Teepa Snow, a renowned expert on Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Snow is an occupational therapist currently working as a dementia care and dementia education specialist with an independent practice. She has clinical appointments with Duke University’s School of Nursing and...
Older Persons Action Group held its annual meeting on Nov. 15, conducting general business and board member elections. Existing board members were re-elected, and a new member was added. Welcome Edgar Blatchford, associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Public Communications at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He also has taught journalism at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, owned and published the Seward Phoenix Log newspaper and served as mayor of Seward from 1999 to...
More than once have my well-intentioned suggestions for maintaining health been dismissed as not worth the effort. Even my wonderful mother, at 89 years, will sometimes say, “I don’t care if I live longer so stop telling me to exercise and eat right.” Other things I’ve heard are “we’ve all got to go some time” and “getting old is just a natural part of life so why resist it.” One of my latest suggestions to mom was that she improve her sleep. Living longer maybe isn’t the goal but living well while you are here certainly is worth some attentio...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in December: Dec. 3, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 2 p.m., “Living Old: Modern Realities of Aging”. Dec. 10, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 11, Peer support meeting at Seward Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m Dec. 23, Caregiver training at Kenai Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. “The Power of Forgiveness.” Dec. 31, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. Note: the Homer Support Group w...
Felix Pedro joined the Klondike rush in 1898 from the Carbonado coalmines in Washington state. But his lucky number failed to come up, so he and Frank Costa, another Italian prospector, wandered over into the valley of the Tanana to prospect its streams and creeks. Deviled by mosquitoes, and forced at times to eat some of their dogs, they traveled through the wooded valleys, climbed the rugged hills and faced moose and grizzly bears. In July 1902, Pedro struck gold on a small stream just 24...
"Our objective is helping people to live as independently as they would like. Confidence is our goal." Lowell Zercher, Manual Skills Instructor for the Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, chooses these words to explain the mission of the center. "We want our clients to be involved in life, to meet their life and work goals and contribute their talents to others, to the community." Lowell has worked at the center in Anchorage for 14 years. He is often found in the shop at the...
“It was hard to see him go, he could hardly speak. I was so glad to have him here at home. One night I watched the kitty jump up on the bed near his head and Dick said very clearly ‘Hi Zackie.’ I knew then Dick knew he was home”. – June Juelson, widow of Richard Juelson, Anchorage. At any age, we must all face the possibility of a serious illness that we or our family and friends will not survive. Hospice helps patients and families focus on living by offering a family-centered team of trained professionals who provide care in the home, hos...
Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, I've had several wake-up calls about safe food handling practices (actually these were calls to my Cooperative Extension Service office where I was not sleeping). Within a period of a couple days, I received calls requesting information about two separate types of food-borne illness or food poisoning. One was a fairly common culprit – salmonella from chicken. The other – a very rare case in Alaska though more common in the Lower 48 – toxop...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in November: Nov. 5, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 2 p.m., “Guide to a Restful Sleep”. Nov. 12, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 14, Caregiver training at Homer Friendship Center, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Topic: Holiday stress Nov. 25, Caregiver training at Kenai Senior Center, 1 to 3 p.m. “Sunset Story: Change the Way You Think About Aging.” Nov. 27, Peer support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center,...
In observance of Alzheimer’s Awareness month, Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska will be offering free, confidential memory screenings at the following locations: Anchorage Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska, 1750 Abbott Rd., November 19, 1 to 5 p.m. Anchorage Senior Center, 1300 E. 19th Ave., November 20, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fairbanks ADRAA Office (by appointment), Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Valdez Connecting Ties Office, 128 Chenega St., November 19, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Palmer ADRAA Office, November 19, 10 a.m. to noon and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Juneau Junea...
Flocks of geese, noisy in their southern-bound departure, an unmistakable scent in the morning air, a light snow covering the mountain tops - fall has definitely arrived. It can be a time of excitement with the rush of back-to-school, new indoor projects and plans for holidays. But for many, especially seniors, fall also brings the concern of facing another cold and flu season. Throughout the world, the colder months are labeled “cold and flu” season. Lower humidity and cooler air temperatures make it easier for cold and influenza viruses to...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. continues its fall series of health fair events around the state this month, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. These tests can help you learn about your health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. The test results give you and your health care provider important information about your physical condition and vital organ functions. A complete and comprehensive chemistry/hematology test is available for only...
The Medicare Information Office and its satellite offices around the state will be available for consultation during the annual enrollment period, October 15 through December 7. If your prescription insurance coverage is a Medicare Part D Plan, this is the ideal time to get out your red, white and blue Medicare card and a list of your prescriptions and have a counselor do a plan comparison to advise you of your choices for 2014. We’ll also check on whether you might qualify for the “extra help” program which greatly reduces your out of pocke...
A special all-day “Savvy Caregiver Workshop” will be offered by the Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska this month for caregivers in Soldotna and Homer. The dates and locations are: Oct. 17, Soldotna Senior Center, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 22, Homer Senior Center, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more about the workshops or to register, call 1-800-478-1080. Training and support meetings The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following meetings and trainings in October: Oct. 1, Caregiver training at Sterling Senior Center, 1 to 2...
