Sorted by date Results 1110 - 1134 of 2084
The Alaska Commission on Aging quarterly board meeting will be held on Dec. 11 and will be accessible by videoconference and teleconference. Topics that will be included during the meeting will be program reports from the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services, Alaska Housing Finance Corp., Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, legislative issues, and a status update on recruiting a new commission executive director and more. Three new commission members will be introduced, and there will be discussion about past and future meetings of th...
The numbers are simply staggering. People 85 and older – who usually have multiple chronic illnesses or have difficulty performing some daily tasks – will mushroom to 14.6 million in 2040, up from about 6 million now. So who is going to take care of these seniors? Right now, since Medicare does not pay for long-term care services or non-medical services in the home, there are 3.3 million paid personal care and home health aides and more than 34 million unpaid family caregivers doing that job. Already, around the U.S., many caregivers, sen...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc., earned honors for its monthly, statewide publication Senior Voice recently in two national awards contests: the 28th Annual National Mature Media Awards Program and the annual awards contest of the North American Mature Publishers Association (NAMPA). Mature Media Awards OPAG earned a Merit Award for its Senior Voice publication in the Mature Media Awards. Presented by the Mature Market Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for the senior market, the contest recognizes the nation’s finest marketing, c...
I recently wrote about some impressive tests that you can self-order, thus taking the headache out of getting lab tests. But what about the important instructions that come with some lab tests, and what are the best instructions to follow if you have a surgery scheduled. The most common inquiry is this: Do I really need to stop all my medications before this test? This question isn't easy to answer because some medications are needed for comfort and well-being. For example, what if you are relia...
November closes out the fall health fair season, with events offering free health screenings and health and safety education for all ages. Alaska Health Fair events offer affordable, comprehensive, private blood tests for those 18 years and older (sorry, we can’t do children). Blood 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. Our most popular test is the Chemistry/Hematology Profile (please fast 10 to 12 hours for this one test), whic...
The air is crisp, heaters are running full blast, and Hospice of Anchorage is gearing up for this wonderful season of giving. While we continue to provide in-home support to individuals and families dealing with a life-limiting illness free of charge (primarily funded through the Senior In-Home Grant, and in part by generous donors), we also have wonderful events coming up that we would love for you to be a part of this winter. Navigating the Holidays On Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 7 to 9 p.m., Hospice of Anchorage, Providence Hospice and Frontier...
BAs the holidays approach we have an opportunity to enjoy our traditions, remember family members who have passed, and recount the familiar stories that brings us together as a family. These stories have the power to shape the ways we live our lives. They are important and are perhaps best told by our seniors. Just as we may be curious about where our elders came from, what they looked like, or even what jobs they held, equally important is the gathering of our family’s health history. Knowing what diseases grandparents or parents lived with or...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in November. This month’s meetings will include viewing and discussion of a training DVD on caregiving and wellness, examining the factors that contribute to caregiver stress, and practical solutions for reducing stress and cultivating lifelong wellness. Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. Nov. 5, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Nov. 12, Caregiver support m...
Better cancer screening may be warranted for Alaska Natives Greater efforts are needed to improve cancer screenings for Alaska Natives, according to federal health officials. The nation’s American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population faces higher risk of many cancers than white Americans, with considerable variation among regional groups, according to a new study published in the journal, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. “Our data show that the American Indian and Alaska Nati...
When you think of B complex, you probably think of it as one B vitamin, but “B Complex” refers to a group of B vitamins consisting of B1, B2, B3, B6 and others. The B complex available as a dietary supplement is intended to fill a nutrient gap that some people develop from malnutrition. This is fine, however most people can eat their way to better B status. The concerns about B vitamin deficiency are frequently overlooked by the most caring practitioners. Remember, the mindset in today’s atrocious health care system is to medicate you, so you’r...
Chuck and Malinda both started smoking at age 9. After smoking for over two decades, they decided to quit together for their children. Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line was there to help them through their journey. Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line helped them determine what level of nicotine replacement therapy would be best for them to quit, and the patches they requested were free. They were excited about the money they saved by not buying tobacco. Watch their story on YouTube at https://bit.ly/2Pk8lA1 and https://bit.ly/2WfEzhg. Chuck and Malinda sha...
The Alaska Training Cooperative will present a one-day workshop Nov. 21 on the traditional lifestyles and health practices of people living in Alaska prior to western contact. Participants will be introduced to beliefs, attitudes and knowledge of health promotion and maintenance that were practiced, and major changes leading to the current health status of the Alaska Native community. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participation can be in the classroom in Anchorage, or remotely using Zoom online conferencing. Continuing education credits are...
Q. What are your favorite new features on this year’s new iPhone? A. Every September Apple releases new iPhone hardware and a major system software update. Both deliver plenty of new features. This year the big hardware update is longer battery life. It is the best single-year battery life improvement ever for the iPhone. If a hardware upgrade is in the cards for you this year, the iPhone 11 128GB model delivers the most value. The system software update this year is iOS 13. Its marquee feature is dark mode. However, my favorites are some l...
Congress is making its end-of-year legislative sprint, with hot-button health care legislation stuck behind critical must-pass spending bills before a government shutdown. But lawmakers often push shutdowns off with temporary all-inclusive spending bills as they are likely to do this time, as they try to get out of town for the late December winter holidays. Even if the spending bills get approved individually or together in one big temporary bill, the must-do list leaves lawmakers roughly 40 days in which both chambers will be in session...
You are invited to submit a proposal to present at the National Indian Council on Aging (NICOA)’s 2020 American Indian Aging Conference. The conference will be held August 17-21, 2020 in Reno, Nevada at the Nugget Resort & Casino (1100 Nugget Avenue, Sparks, NV 89431). The theme for NICOA’s 2020 conference is “Resilience for Tomorrow… Together.” Additionally, 2020 will be a major election year and NICOA’s conference will offer the opportunity to elevate issues in American Indian politics and legislation. The conference will also focus on is...
What an amazing summer we have had! Now the weather has turned cooler and autumn is definitely in the air. As we plunge into all of the activities of this season, it is important to remember the Part D Open Enrollment Period (OEP) will soon be here. Once again, the Open Enrollment Period will be scheduled between October 15 and December 7. The Part D Open Enrollment Period is the annual opportunity for Medicare beneficiaries with Part D plans to review and possibly change their coverage. You...
Alaska Health Fair’s fall season is rocking and rolling! Find the location most convenient to you and attend -- all events have free entry and are open to the public, featuring free health screenings, plus lots of free health and safety education for all ages. 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. Blood tests are for those over 18 years of age. The fairs’ most popular test is the Chemistry/Hematology Profile (the only test...
Microneedle patches in development Researchers now have come up with a skin patch that could potentially painlessly deliver vaccines and cancer medications in one minute. Nearly 100,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed annually, and 20 Americans die every day from it. Now, researchers have developed a skin patch that efficiently delivers medication within one minute to attack melanoma cells. The device, which has been tested in mice and human skin samples, could be adapted to deliver a host...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in October. This month’s meetings will include discussion on how to take vital signs during caregiving – temperature, blood pressure, respiration, pain assessment. Please join to share your experiences as a caregiver or to support someone who is a caregiver. Oct. 1, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 8, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Cen...
Vicodin and Lortab are two brand names of one of the most popular drugs in the entire world. Generically, it is called "hydrocodone with apap" where the "apap" is an abbreviation for acetaminophen (aka Tylenol). When I worked in a busy retail pharmacy in Florida, this medication was on the fast-mover shelf because it was dispensed by the thousands each day. Hydrocodone/apap is a prescription analgesic and in the category of "opioids" which you've been hearing a lot about lately. Opioids are man-...
Dear Savvy Senior: Where can I find out about alternative transportation services for my 80-year-old mother? It's time that she gives up driving, but before she does, we need to figure out how she'll get around. - Inquiring Son Dear Inquiring: Alternative transportation options for seniors who no longer drive vary widely by community, so what's available to your mom will depend on where she lives. Here's what you should know. While most urban areas offer seniors a variety of alternative...
Alaskans travel for pleasure and often for the necessity of seeing far-flung family, and so jet lag is our constant companion. But a recent study from the Sleep Cycle Institute in Gothenburg, Sweden, looked at more than 1.5 million nights’ worth of sleep data from people who traveled east, meaning forward in time, to the west, or backward in time, and without traversing any time zones (the control group) to take a look at how travel interferes with our sleep. Traveling east turns out to have the worst effect on sleep, according to the study, b...
In February 2019, UAA researchers conducted a small study to determine how older adults and local stakeholders in Anchorage think about the concept of "healthy aging." We wanted to know: what do people think that term means? How can we achieve it? What are the opportunities for healthy aging in Anchorage? And what are the roadblocks to aging healthily in the Last Frontier? To try to answer these questions, faculty and students recruited older adults and other stakeholders who have knowledge and...
After a legislative session of extreme budget fluctuations, the Alaska Pioneer Homes and the Senior Benefits program are the next state-funded senior assistance programs to see a shift in funding. Alaska Pioneer Homes rate increase Starting Sept. 1, the Alaska Pioneer Homes (AKPH) will be increasing monthly rates for residents. Clinton Lasley, Alaska Pioneer Homes director, stresses that rate increases do not mean that residents - both current and those subjected to the waitlist - will be turned away for an inability to pay. The Dept. of...
We often think of people who espouse “conspiracy theories” involving the machinations of huge multinational firms as a bit unhinged, gullible or misinformed. Not this time. This is a mammoth conspiracy that affects all of us, according to dozens of state attorney generals including Alaska’s. Earlier this year the State of Alaska along with 41 additional states and Puerto Rico joined with the State of Connecticut to sue 20 generic drug manufacturers for conspiracies to artificially inflate and manipulate prices and reduce competition for more...
