Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 2059
For generations, the University of Alaska (UA) has helped shape the people and professions that keep Alaska going. Our graduates are working in nearly every part of our state, in hospitals and clinics, classrooms and businesses, nonprofits and public offices and the industries that drive Alaska's economy and way of life. As Alaska faces workforce shortages in health care, education, public service, engineering, skilled trades and other essential sectors, keeping UA strong and accessible will be...
Katie Chadwick got the idea last summer that she wanted to do the all-women Gold Nugget Triathlon, an event with origins in an early 1980s effort by moms to create sports opportunities for their daughters and other girls. Katie had been on what she describes as a “health journey,” and saw the Gold Nugget as an opportunity to demonstrate how she had become stronger and leaner. Her 60th birthday was coming up, and she wanted to set a goal to mark the moment. “I just had this idea that I wante...
I figure I have 10 to 20 years left on this planet and I want to make them productive and enjoyable. My husband and I now live in a senior complex 17 stories high with 200 people in different stages of dementia. After living in a cabin in the forest in Alaska, it's a real adjustment, but for my family it's reassuring. Being mortal I read the 2014 book "Being Mortal" by Dr. Atul Gawande, a surgeon, a professor at Harvard University and author. With wisdom gleaned from many geriatric patients,...
Q: Ongoing health issues and financial pressures weigh heavily on me. Many days it feels hard to find anything positive about getting older. How do I get through these struggles? A: I am truly sorry you are facing this. It is tough when the challenges of aging create obstacles that lead to feelings of hopelessness. What if you approached these hardships with a positive aging mindset that emphasizes adaptability and intention? This small perspective shift can change your focal point from what...
There's something about an Alaska summer that asks a lot of us. After a long winter, everything seems to come alive at once. The days stretch late into the evening. The fish are running. The gardens need tending. Family visits pick up. There are projects to finish, trails to hike, and every bit of sunshine feels too valuable to waste. It is a season of movement, energy, and catching up on all the things we could not do just a few months ago. But in the middle of all that fullness, it can also...
You never know when a medical emergency will arise, but you can be prepared, both for yourself and for a loved one. Emergency services and urgently needed care Emergency care is needed to evaluate or treat emergency medical conditions. An emergency medical condition is severe enough that someone with an average knowledge of health and medicine could reasonably expect your health to be in danger if you don’t get medical attention right away. If you’re pregnant, this could also mean that the hea...
Dear Savvy Senior, I’ll be 65 in a few months and could sure use some help sorting through all the confusing Medicare options that are available to me. Where can I get help with my Medicare decisions? - Baffled Bob Dear Bob, With around 11,400 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day in 2026, you’re asking a very timely question. Many people approaching Medicare are confused by all the choices available today. In addition to original Medicare (Part A and B) that has been around for more than 60 years, you also have the option of enrolling in a Part D...
Low vitamin D levels associated with higher risk of dementia A new study published in the journal Neurology is suggesting that vitamin D may be good for brain health and possibly lower the risk for dementia in older adults. Having higher levels of vitamin D in the blood in middle age was found to be associated with lower levels of tau protein in the brain, which is a sign of dementia. “These results suggests that higher vitamin D levels in midlife may offer protection against developing these t...
Anchorage and Juneau will both host events in May to connect members of the community with resources about Parkinson's disease that are organized by the American Parkinson Disease Association. The event in Juneau is May 6 and it's an afternoon of information. The event in Anchorage is May 9 and it's all day. Both events are titled "Parkinson's today: A conversation on care, treatment and living well." There is also a Parkinson's Care Partner Education Day in Juneau on May 7. It's from 9:30 to...
I was born in New Jersey in 1946 but I didn't stick around. For some reason my parents decided to move to Los Angeles when I was 3 months old. They packed what they could in suitcases, boarded the plane, and landed in LA the next day after a grueling journey. I know this because Dad told me when I was a kid. He sounded annoyed even then, years later, because he said I puked on his lap during the entire flight. Sorry Dad. Really. Why did they make that trip? I have pieced together bits of...
May 1-31 National Bike Month. Get your two-wheeler or three-wheeler out and enjoy the warm weather May 1- 31 National Garden Month May 11-17 National Women’s Health Week. An annual observance to highlight women's health issues and priorities, and to encourage women of all ages to seek preventive care and screenings. May 6-12 National Nurses Week. If you’ve ever been in the hospital, you know nurses are essential to your care. Tell the nurses in your life how much you value them. May 1 International May Day. Also known as International Wor...
Fares on the Alaska Marine Highway System will increase May 1, the first hike since 2019. See fares and routes on the ferry system’s website.…. May 2 is Military Appreciation Day at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. It’s from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Arctic Warrior Events Center, 9387 Kuter Ave. There will be a health fair and services such as information about retirement and food trucks. …. It’s graduation season. May 2 is the ceremony at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; May 3 is the date for graduations at the University of Alaska An...
Established in 1968, OPAG is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to improving services, developing programs, educating, promoting and implementing changes to help Alaska seniors live healthy, productive lives. Current programs: - publish the monthly Senior Voice newspaper - publish and distribute the Directory for Older Alaskans senior resource directory - provide information and referral services for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Health Care Act and other senior issues - organize monthly Providers' Breakfast...
I got a lot of emails like this one in the early 2000s. Maybe you did too. "Dear Friend, "Please this is important and very urgent i have an urgent transaction of US$20.6 million, used to transfer to your nominated account,I am Mr Abubaker Yaro. The Auditor, with Accounting Department of the BANQUE ATLANTIQUE-OUAGADOUGO BURKINA FASO. "No other person knows about this account or any thing concerning it,the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that his...
With everything it takes to stay healthy-primarily making good choices about food and attitude every day-contemplating the molecules that facilitate our mind-body connection may seem academic. Hopefully, some readers will derive pleasure and awe thinking about how human cognition and physiology evolved over the millennia. This column will feature an essential triad of sophisticated chemical structures generated within our bodies, without which we would not be able to live the lives we enjoy (and...
Receiving home health care can be available for some Medicare recipients. To be eligible for Medicare coverage of home health services, you must be homebound. In other words, it must be difficult for you to leave your home and doing so requires significant effort. The help you need can be from another person or from medical equipment such as crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair. You are also considered homebound if your doctor believes that your health or illness could get worse if you leave...
In 1994, when I reported for the Arctic Sounder in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), I was catapulted off a freight sled on the way out to a whaling camp. My left knee swelled and was strained by insulated overalls. Because I was a cyclist, I manage for decades to avoid surgery, save for a meniscus repair (a C-shaped piece of tough, rubbery cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between the shinbone and the thighbone). I got to watch the surgery on a video screen as I requested a spinal. Hardly any...
New research is showing that adults who engage in lifelong learning such as reading, writing and learning languages have a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and slower cognitive decline. The study does not prove that lifelong learning decreases the risk of Alzheimer's. It only shows an association. The study looked at 1,939 adults and examined cognitive enrichment including access to newspapers as children and having library cards in middle age. People in the top 10% of lifetime cognitive...
Alaska Health Fairs, a nonprofit that provides education, has several health fairs coming up in April and May. You can see the full schedule and make an appointment at this link Wasilla - April 4, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Fyzical Therapy, 650 N Shoreline Dr., Wasilla, 99654 Kodiak - April 10, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Kodiak Senior Center, 302 Erskine Ave, Kodiak, 99615 Anchorage - April 15, 8 a.m.-noon, Hope Community Resources, 570 W 53rd Ave., Anchorage, 99518 Houston - April 18, 8 a.m.-noon, Houston Mid-Valley Senior Center, 1975 W. Midvalley Way,...
Some of the most important investigative reporting by Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Richard Mauer to this day is having an effect on many Alaskans. He was on The Anchorage Daily News team that investigated alcoholism and suicide among Alaska Natives. Mauer also exposed political corruption, reporting on the local Roman Catholic archdiocese not punishing an abusive priest, and the oil-field services company, Veco, that put funds behind Big Oil political candidates in the state....
A highlight of the spring calendar is the Alaska Folk Festival in Juneau. The festival is April 6-12. There are two main venues, the main stage at Centennial Hall, 101 Egan Drive, and the dance stage at JAHC, 350 Whittier St. The guest artist is Willi Carlisle, who recently released his fourth album... Katie Orlinski, National Geographic photographer and explorer, will speak on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus at 7 p.m. April 16 at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium. Orlinsky will share her powerful photographic work detailing her...
The expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits for people with Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans is exacting a toll on enrollees surveyed. KFF, a nonprofit health policy research group, asked people it had surveyed in 2025, before the plan costs went up, again in 2026 about their experiences. Half of returning enrollees say their health care costs are "a lot higher" this year compared to last year, including four in 10 who specifically say their premiums are "a lot higher." In...
Minor accidents happen frequently, but sometimes what didn't bother us before is a real nuisance now. A slip on an icy walkway, a cut while preparing dinner, or a bruise from bumping into furniture are common experiences for many people. Knowing how to handle these minor injuries properly can help you heal faster and prevent bigger problems down the road. Let's start with sprains, which happen when we twist or stretch a ligament too far. If you roll your ankle or hurt your wrist, remember the...
Alzheimer’s Resource Alaska offers mini grants to help ease the daily challenges faced by Alaskans living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia and those who care for them. These grants, made possible by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, are designed to improve quality of life and support independence by helping cover the cost of services, equipment, and supports that are often out of reach. The impact of these grants is best understood through the voices of caregivers who use...
Organizations can submit a letter of interest now through March 11 for Alaska’s Rural Health Transformation Program. The letter of interest gives organizations a chance to briefly describe their ideas for improving rural health care in Alaska. Alaska’s RHTP is part of a $50 billion national initiative authorized by Congress in 2025 to strengthen rural health systems over the next five years. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has awarded Alaska one of the largest allocations in the nation. The year one award was $272,174,856, pen...
