Sorted by date Results 1060 - 1084 of 2084
The State Diabetes Prevention and Control Program partners with Leslie Shallcross at the UAF Cooperative Extension Service to offer training for lifestyle coaches interested in delivering the evidence-based National Diabetes Prevention Program developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This program is designed to help people make lifestyle changes and lose weight to ultimately reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and have a better overall quality of life. This lifestyle coach training will be offered in...
Alaska Health Fair depends on dedicated professionals from various medical, social, health and safety fields who can take time to share their extensive knowledge, skills and abilities with health fair attendees. These individuals share their agency’s mission, vision and core purpose and what services they offer that can help event attendees achieve more balanced, overall and greatly improved physical, emotional, mental and social “health”. Come help educate and help people to connect with important services, perform free health scree...
Insulin patches for replacing shots UCLA bioengineers and colleagues at UNC School of Medicine and MIT are continuing to report success in the development of a smart insulin-delivery patch that could one day monitor and manage glucose levels in people with diabetes and deliver the necessary insulin dosage. The adhesive patch, about the size of a quarter, is simple to manufacture and intended for once-a-day use. Study investigator Zhen Gu, PhD, who is a professor of bioengineering at the UCLA...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in March. This month’s presentation and discussion will continue focus on a training DVD by Teepa Snow. March 3, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 10, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 17, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 24, Open house at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program in Blazy Mall, Soldotna, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Check out the lending lib...
President Donald Trump recently has been making a striking claim – insisting he has ensured that people with preexisting medical conditions continue to have health insurance coverage. In tweets, at campaign rallies and even at his recent State of the Union speech, Trump says: "I was the person who saved pre-existing conditions in your healthcare." He wasn't. This comes at the very same time that his own Justice Department pushes to eliminate the Affordable Care Act (ACA) altogether, including pre-existing conditions for millions of A...
Here are do's and don'ts if you fall ill during this coronavirus crisis, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Do not leave home. Stay home. You may leave to see the doctor, but do not go to the pharmacy, grocery store, or other public place before or after. Stay in touch with your doctor. Before going to the doctor, call his or her office and tell them your symptoms. IF you feel short of breath, call 9-1-1 or go to an emergency room. Avoid public transportation. Monitor your...
Alaskans may be good at maintaining distance from each other, but if you’re a caregiver (and even if you’re not), eventually you’ll have to leave the house to get groceries, replenish medications, or gather other supplies. If you usually stock up on incontinence supplies, toilet paper, or other products for personal care via Amazon or some other bulk supplier, be aware that shipping to Alaska may be backlogged. It may be better to shop locally to be sure of supplies on hand. Here are four tips for your personal safety, and the safety of other...
The Denali Center, a 75-bed rehabilitation and senior center in Fairbanks, recently began testing its residents and staff after one confirmed case of COVID-19 was established on Saturday, March 28. The facility, run by Foundation Health Partners, currently has 135 staff members working a variety of shifts at the 19th Avenue location. It was determined the affected individual, a resident female, 80, was only “mildly symptomatic” and is quarantined in her apartment. All other residents are also confined to their rooms and wear masks to pre...
Current COVID-19 cases continue to increase across Alaska At the nightly press briefing on Tuesday, March 31, Dr. Anne Zink, of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) today announced 14 new cases of COVID-19 in five Alaska communities – Anchorage (2), Eagle River (2), Fairbanks (5), Juneau (4) and Kenai (1). This brings the total case count in Alaska to 133. Two of the new cases are older adults (60+); 10 are adults aged 30-59; and two are younger adults aged 19-29. Five are female and nine are male. Five of the cases are c...
“Age Smart – Let’s Talk”, the series of forums sponsored by AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, returns Feb. 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. This month’s topic is “Let’s Make 2020 Count for Alaska!,” presented by Keisha Lafayette, U.S. Census Bureau Partnership Specialist based in the Mat-Su Borough. The decennial census has been conducted in years ending in “0” since 1790, as required by the U.S. Constitution. Article I, Section 2. Census data is used to make decisi...
Congressional lawmakers find themselves caught between the unlikely and the impossible as they try and work through complicated issues like drug price controls. With the sharp partisan divide, the ongoing impeachment of President Trump, the upcoming presidential campaign and their own re-election fights on everyone's minds, difficult choices with disappointing results are the most likely scenario for prescription drug and most other major health care legislation affecting seniors – just like i...
On Nov. 4, 2019, a lawsuit was filed against Alaska Pioneer Homes Director Clinton Lasley, Commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Adam Crum, Alaska State Governor Michael J. Dunleavy and the State of Alaska on behalf of Alaska Pioneer Home residents Eileen Casey of Ketchikan, Marion and Howard Rider of Juneau and all Pioneer Home residents. The lawsuit is in response to the state’s recent decision to implement an extreme rate increase, a move that is considered a financial necessity by Lasley and other state o...
“No person should be forgotten.” – Anna Frank, Commissioner, Alaska Commission on Aging This is part two of a three-part report on the recently-released “Alaska State Plan for Senior Services FY2020 –2023.” The document is critically important for seniors in Alaska because it uniquely focuses on issues we care deeply about such as health, housing, financial security, personal safety, and quality of life. This month we focus on what elders and other seniors from around the state said in their discussions for the survey. “Seniors are our truth...
Family caregivers of loved ones with disabilities and chronic illnesses experience life transformations that are often unexpected. Their altered lifestyles, frequently resulting in dramatic changes to their personal identities, can last for many years, depending on their circumstances. Being uprooted from their former selves over long periods of time can bring isolation and loneliness. And that can have negative physical and mental ramifications for both the caregiver and their loved one. How caregivers deal with their newly transformed lives,...
Alaska's vast geographic space dictates more than its beauty. In the case of the statewide Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) it determines access and the providing of services for Alaskans with disabilities and for seniors and caregivers seeking long term support in their community. From Cantwell to the south and Utqiagvik to the north, Galena to the west and Northway to the east, ADRC North operates out of Fairbanks Senior Center and strives to match individuals living in the...
You have probably heard, read or seen on the news that there is an opioid abuse epidemic running rampant in the United States. According to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Opioids killed more than 47,000 people in 2017. That is 130 people per day. Sadly, 36% of all opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription opioid. It is estimated that three out of four people who used heroin misused prescription opioids first, and over two million people currently have an opioid use...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in February. This month’s discussion topic will focus on the Teepa Snow training DVD, “Progression of Dementia: Seeing Gems, Not Just Loss”. Snow explains the appropriate levels of care needed during different stages, which types of behaviors to expect, appropriate activity and much more. Feb. 4, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 11, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 18, Careg...
Alaska Health Fair depends on volunteers from all walks of life (both medical and non-medical); and we consider these giving and supportive individuals to be the “blood that flows” through and gives our agency its life. Come help save a life and help people connect with important services, perform health screenings, educate at a health station, or provide much needed supportive services. As a 40-year old non-profit and member of three United Way agencies statewide, Alaska Health Fair, Inc. works with a limited budget. We depend on people who...
Do you know of anyone who needs some extra support this winter? Hospice of Anchorage is a volunteer hospice that provides help and support all over Anchorage free of charge. As a volunteer hospice, our only criteria is that an individual have some kind of life-limiting illness, rather than requiring individuals to stop curative treatment or have a prognosis of less than six months to live. We come alongside the client’s current medical team to provide additional help, without taking away any of the providers already involved. Our services i...
Alzheimer’s disease vaccine under investigation Some good news to report about Alzheimer’s disease and a potential vaccine. Researchers in California have teamed up with scientists in Australia and developed a new vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease that could be tested in humans within the next two years. After successful animal studies, investigators are hoping to produce a new vaccine to remove “brain plaque” and tau protein aggregates linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The successful...
Alzheimer’s Resource of Alaska will offer a free six-week online webinar for family caregivers, beginning in late February. The webinar classes meet via the online Zoom digital conferencing system for two hours each Saturday, Feb. 22 through March 28. The classes will focus on dementia care: Improving the practice of caregiving Tools for decision making Emotions caregivers may face How to deal effectively with family issues Classes are free, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. To register, contact Gay Wellman, 907-822-5620 o...
It’s silent. It’s sneaky. Suddenly, clutter is there. Clutter is all around us in our modern lives and is a growing problem. According to the National Self-Storage Association, one out of every 11 people in the United States rent storage space during a given year, including off-site units and storage pods stored in a homeowner’s yard, meaning not only can clutter invade your home, but can even outgrow it. Whether you’re looking to regain momentum on a New Year’s resolution, optimize and organize your living space, or bravely part ways with...
March 16, 2020: An update statement from the Tax-Aide program: In order to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 AARP Tax-Aide has made the decision to close all of their volunteer sites, effective today. This was a nationwide decision. All volunteer sites in Anchorage are Tax-Aide sites. Taxpayers who needed to return to the site with more information will be contacted by volunteers so that arrangements can be made to complete their returns. The VITA program at UAF is also closed, as the campus has closed to public activities. Currently, the Tl...
The Alaska Black Caucus will present a variety of events throughout February, including the second annual Bettye Davis African American Summit on Feb. 29. Davis, a community leader and Alaska’s first African American State Senator, passed away in December 2018 and the summit was organized in her name. Its mission is to serve as the principal forum and voice for the Alaska African American community in addressing critical issues of public policy and government. This year’s takes place at Bartlett High School and brings together experts to lea...
The Alaska Commission on Aging will meet February 10-13 in Juneau. The focus of this meeting will be legislative advocacy for Alaska seniors and receiving updates regarding senior programs throughout the state. During the presentations, commissioners and attendees will hear about senior suicide prevention, veteran’s supports, Health and Social Services programs and much more. Public comment is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Please free to call in to listen to the meeting discussion and provide public comment using the c...
